Housing needs assessment study : Zimbabwe

By 1999, approximately 177,000 units will be needed per year in both urban and rural areas. To accomplish this would require an investment of more than 9% of the country"s gross domestic product. Furthermore, more than half of the urban and virtually all of the rural households cannot afford the four-room core dwelling without some kind of financial assistance. In view of this situation, the implementation of Zimbabwe"s housing program should proceed incrementally, focusing on: (1) in urban areas, reducing housing standards and increasing the availability of capital; and (2) in rural areas, upgrading and providing infrastructure. Increased involvement by the private sector in the production of low-cost housing that is affordable by low- and moderate-income households will greatly reduce the government"s financial and management burdens in the area of housing production. (Author abstract, modified, derived from PN-AAV-887, p. 19.)