Genesis of Hopley Farm informal settlement in independent Harare, Zimbabwe

Conventional studies on informal urbanism in Zimbabwe focused more on efforts in upgrading informal settlements but did not address their genesis. I argue that finding sustainable solutions to addressing informal settlements challenges and enhancing their liveability must be premised on exploring the factors influencing their genesis and temporal changes. Data were collected from Hopley Settlement, Harare, through interviews with 20 household heads and purposively selected key informants with a stake in human settlement planning. Findings suggest that the genesis of informal settlements in post-independent cities is complex and is influenced by politics, segregating the poor, constrained municipalities, and poor planning.