Housing cooperatives and the politics of local organization and representation in peri-urban Harare, Zimbabwe

Abstract

Housing cooperatives have emerged in the context of housing challenges in the urban areas as a strategy for securing low-cost housing accommodation in peri-urban Harare. They constitute vehicles that allow people to pool resources and secure tenure. The paper explains the “politics of peri-urban housing” in contemporary Zimbabwe by looking into the resurgence of these new forms of housing cooperatives. The paper compares five sites in Harare (Whitecliffe, Hatcliffe, Caledonia, and Southlea Park and Hopley in Harare South) to provide insights into the politics of peri-urban housing and security of tenure. We argue that political identity, networks, and participation have been at the core of these housing cooperatives as residents sought to secure tenure in the peri-urban areas by enhancing citizenship rights.