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World Habitat Day - 6 October 2008 - are harmonious cities a reality in Zimbabwe?
Tafadzwa Muropa
October 01, 2008

Every year, the world over celebrates the World Habitat Day (WHD) on the first Monday of October, and this year, it will be celebrated on Monday the 6th of October, where the global observance of the occasion will be taking place in Angola, where the UN HABITAT Executive Director, Mrs Tibaijuka will be part of the high level delegation during this event. Angola had been selected in order to show the world that inspite of the conflict that it experienced over a number of years, it has managed to be successful in establishing harmonious cities, through urban development, poverty alleviation, improved land and housing rights, and providing access to basic urban services.

The idea behind the World Habitat Day is to reflect on the states of our own cities and towns and the basic right to adequate shelter for all, and is also intended to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat. The theme for this year-s WHD is Harmonious Cities. The United Nations chose this theme to raise awareness about the problems of rapid urbanization, its impact on the environment, the growth of slums and the urbanization of poverty as more and more people migrate into towns and cities looking for a better life. Furthermore, the theme will also remind all people that a world that urbanizes cannot claim to be harmonious if some groups concentrate their resources and opportunities while others remain impoverished and marginalized. The theme will also remind us that urbanization does not necessarily mean unrestrained economic growth that generates poverty and exclusion, and cannot be done at the expense of the natural environment. In essence, this year-s theme, Harmonious Cities, is encouraging us to live in harmony through strengthening our relationships within our communities, but also engaging with the local policy makers in addressing socio-economic and political inequalities, and encouraging integration that leads to a peaceful co-existence.

What does the theme mean to the Zimbabwean community? This will pause a great challenge for the inclusive government to finally address urban development issues which range from water and sanitation, addressing bureaucracy in allocating people land for their own housing, addressing access to housing finance for the urban poor and even the middle class, and ensuring that local service delivery is achieved at the end of the day. This year-s WHD is also being commemorated against the plight of the internally displaced people, who lost their homes and livelihoods during the post election violence in 2008 after the March 29 harmonised elections and the 27 June re run elections, that also left many people dead and victimised by perpetrators of violence. This year-s theme will remind all policy makers and concerned stakeholders to come together and seek alternatives to urbanization, by ensuring that the urban poor have access to decent and adequate housing, and ensuring that all people have access to clean and safe water and by also creating a platform where all people are free to engage with their local authorities and engage meaningfully in dialogues and processes that bring change to the urban community.

*Tafadzwa Muropa is a programme officer at Swedish Co-operative Centre, Regional Office for Southern Africa (SCC ROSA) and writes this article in her personal capacity.

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