Analysis of Investment Patterns and Inclusive Urbanisation: Empirical Evidence from Municipality of Chinhoyi

Abstract

Infrastructure development is widely framed as a pathway toward inclusive urbanisation in rapidly urbanising regions of Sub-Saharan Africa. Yet empirical evidence from secondary cities remains limited. This study examines whether infrastructure expansion in Chinhoyi advances spatial justice and equitable access to basic services. Drawing on geospatial analysis, municipal service delivery data (2020–2025), household surveys (n = 240), and 35 key informant interviews with planners, councillors, and community leaders, the research interrogates the distributional impacts of roads, water, sanitation, and energy infrastructure investments. The findings reveal that although aggregate infrastructure coverage has improved, particularly under Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 1 investment patterns have disproportionately favoured low-density and formally planned neighbourhoods, while high-density and informal settlements remain underserved. Fiscal constraints, weak revenue mobilisation, land tenure ambiguities, and limited participatory planning mechanisms contribute to these inequities. The study, therefore, argues that inclusive urbanisation requires deliberate redistributive planning frameworks, participatory budgeting, and pro-poor infrastructure financing mechanisms. By foregrounding a secondary city perspective, the study contributes to debates on infrastructure-led development, urban governance, and spatial justice in Africa. It is recommended that policy should be advanced to strengthen the inclusivity, sustainability, and fiscal resilience of infrastructure development in the municipality. Future research should pursue longitudinal and comparative analyses across multiple secondary cities to further elucidate the political economy dynamics shaping infrastructure-led urban development and inclusion trajectories.