TOWN planning in Zimbabwe’s rural district councils (RDCs) remains one of the most underdeveloped yet most critical pillar of national development.
While urban areas have witnessed some renewal, most rural settlements continue to reflect outdated designs, poor infrastructure layout and a lack of transformative vision.
The challenge is not primarily financial, it is attitudinal, technical and institutional.
Town planning has largely remained static, with limited adaptation to modern standards of spatial and economic development.
The Regional, Town and Country Planning Act [Chapter 29:12] mandates authorities to ensure “systematic and orderly development of land,” while the Rural District Councils Act [Chapter 29:13] empowers RDCs to plan and regulate land use, infrastructure and settlements.
Yet, in practice, these legislative provisions have not translated into visionary rural design or modern infrastructure.
Many RDCs continue to approve plans based on outdated templates that have long ceased to respond to the social and economic needs of today’s communities.
RDCs hold immense potential to act as engines for transformation and drivers of decentralised urban growth.
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They occupy a strategic position in shaping the country’s spatial and economic future, given that most growth points, service centres and peri-urban settlements fall under their jurisdiction.
If effectively planned, these areas can evolve into modern towns and regional hubs, stimulating employment and balanced development across provinces.
Unfortunately, many such areas have remained stagnant for decades, constrained by limited planning vision, weak infrastructure integration and poor implementation of development control mechanisms.
The problem is not an absence of laws or financial resources, but the persistence of an outdated planning mindset.
Many local authorities still approach planning as a routine administrative process rather than a developmental tool.
Housing designs, road networks and business layouts are frequently replicated from colonial-era planning manuals that never envisaged inclusive growth.
The result is a rural environment characterised by irregular settlements, poorly aligned roads, unserviced stands and scattered business centres lacking proper zoning.
In contrast, other countries in the region have redefined rural planning through exposure and innovation.
The urban-rural continuum model adopted in South Africa is one such example, recognising that rural and urban areas are not separate entities but interconnected spaces within a single development framework.
This model integrates infrastructure, economic activity and settlement planning across the rural-urban divide, promoting gradual urbanisation and spatial balance.
Through such an approach, even remote villages benefit from infrastructural investment, while small growth centres evolve organically into modern towns.
Botswana and Namibia have also implemented forward-looking rural planning strategies that prioritise coherent spatial development over administrative convenience.
Their success lies not in wealth but in the professional exposure of their planners and the adoption of integrated frameworks that link housing, transport, commerce and the environment.
Zimbabwe’s planners can draw valuable lessons from these examples, especially the notion that transformation begins with a shift in mindset and professional outlook.
To revitalise planning in RDCs, there must be renewed emphasis on exposure, training and innovation.
Planners need to be equipped with modern tools and guided by current principles of sustainable settlement design.
Continuous professional development, study visits and regional exchange programmes can help them to learn new approaches to land-use management, green infrastructure and smart rural growth.
Universities and professional bodies such as the Zimbabwe Institute of Regional and Urban Planners (ZIRUP) should collaborate closely with the Local Government and Public Works ministry to retool and empower planners across all districts.
Equally important is the modern interpretation and enforcement of the law.
The Regional, Town and Country Planning Act provides ample scope for integrated and participatory planning, yet enforcement mechanisms remain weak.
The Rural District Councils Act empowers councils to create by-laws that guide local spatial development, but few have developed effective frameworks to manage land use, housing density or business location.
The absence of clear local policies has contributed to unstructured growth, even in areas with potential for urban transformation.
RDCs should adopt forward-looking design standards that prioritise order, accessibility and environmental harmony.
Well-zoned service centres with properly aligned road networks, and coherent housing clusters can transform the character and economic appeal of rural settlements.
When executed consistently, such designs can help Zimbabwe to witness the emergence of new towns and cities, decentralising development and reducing pressure on existing urban areas.
Ultimately, the transformation of rural town planning is not a question of money but of imagination and leadership.
Councils that view planning as a visionary exercise not a bureaucratic function will drive Zimbabwe’s next wave of urbanisation.
Every rural service centre holds the potential to become a town and every a growth point can be a seed of a future city.
What is required is a new generation of planners who are exposed, innovative==== and bold enough to reimagine the rural landscape.
If Zimbabwe is to achieve balanced development and spatial equity, RDCs must rise beyond administrative routines and become engines of transformation.
The future of national development depends on how effectively they can convert today’s neglected rural spaces into tomorrow’s vibrant urban communities.
