Land and natural resource tenure security is a central yet often neglected area for economic development and poverty reduction in the developing world. Land is fundamental to the lives of poor rural people. It is a source of food, shelter, income and social identity. Secure access to land reduces vulnerability to hunger and poverty. There are some 1.3 billion extremely poor people in the world, struggling to survive on less than US$1.25 a day, and close to a billion continue to suffer from chronic under-nourishment.

ABSTRACT Urban land in Zimbabwe is a lucrative economic and thus political asset. Increased demand for urban land across the country has been driven by multiple factors including high rates of urbanization, increased rural-urban migration, urban population growth and serious challenges in housing provision post-independence. This paper uses desk research to map out the actors and contestations over land.

With growing urbanisation trends, cities are facing numerous challenges and are the most vulnerable to climate change. In order to promote sustainable cities and communities it is important to adopt a holistic and integrated approach. The Urban Nexus, which is a relatively recent concept, is an approach to sustainability that seeks to integrate sectors and silos in the design and development process. This paper will look at cities which have already adopted this approach and show the benefits of adopting such an approach.