Spatio-temporal analysis of urban area expansion in Zimbabwe between 1990 and 2020: the case of Gweru city

Abstract

Urbanization in Zimbabwe has become an unstoppable phenomenon since the 2000 decade. Before 2000, expansion of towns and cities in Zimbabwe was very slow and restricted by private land around them. In 2000 Zimbabwe embarked on a fast-track land reform program which changed both the rural and urban landscape in terms of land ownership as it freed most of the land that was in private hands. This triggered accelerated lateral expansion of most urban centers including Gweru. The study assessed Gweru city expansion between 1990 and 2020. The study adopted a mixed methods research design which allowed use of both quantitative and qualitative research techniques. Geographic information system and remote sensing, interviews and observations were used for data collection in this research. The study revealed that banks, building societies and some private land developers were major land development players who contributed to expansion of Gweru city between 1990 and 2020. The results of this study showed that rates of Gweru urban expansion were heterogeneous between 1990 and 2020. It was highlighted that the rates of Gweru urban expansion experienced an increasing trend from 1990 to 2020 with decade 2010 to 2020 experiencing highest rates of urban expansion followed by the 2000 to 2010 decade. The study results demonstrate that horizontal expansion of Gweru city took place at the expense of greenbelts and farmlands. Findings from this study showed that the land reform program and dollarization were the major drivers of Gweru urban expansion between 1990 and 2020. The study recommends that Gweru city council should take cognizance of the provisions of the environmental management act especially on protection of green spaces and wetland ecosystems when drawing its development plans to guard against deterioration of both green spaces and wetlands within the vicinity of Gweru urban. The study concludes that sustainable development of Gweru city can only be achieved if all developments take place according to the approved city council development plan.