This is a collection of planning empiricists on the contemporary challenges facing Zimbabwe as a nation in the planning and ordinary life domain.

Planning as a discipline is concerned about location of activities and how values of order, amenity and health, among other things must be enhanced. It takes on board the people to benefit from that planning. Yet, there are also issues of policy, governance, resource mobilisation and environmental sustainability that must be put into consideration. In these few chapters, an attempt is made to glean on the issues currently affecting Zimbabwe including the suppression of commercial farming and white-owned rural enterprises. They constitute what we can call the unfinished business of an ailing economy. Zimbabwe s rural and urban areas have, in the past decade or so, faced unprecedented socio-economic challenges among them housing, transport, water, electricity and unemployment. Despite these challenges rural dwellers continue to flock into urban areas in search better living conditions. As such a myriad of urban challenges continues to increase day by day coupled by poor governance from the responsible authorities hence the title of this book: Contemporary Rural and Urban Issues in Zimbabwe: Implications for Policy and Planning.

This book is a compilation of hitherto current unpublished research various scholars in Southern Africa.