Sustainable Urban Mobility and the New Urban Agenda in Zimbabwe

Continued urbanisation has become a common phenomenon in most urban setups and Zimbabwe is no exception. Apart from the unplanned mushrooming of informal urban settlements, the Zimbabwean government has also been faced with the need to formally accommodate the masses through the provision of affordable housing. The formation of new settlements has, however, not tallied with continuous improvements in service delivery, particularly transport and associated infrastructure, and this has culminated in a series of problems such as in increased pressure on urban roads, increased journey times and poor accessibility. Through an archival method of data collection and analysis depending highly on outcomes of doctoral research, this book chapter analyses how the Zimbabwean government has moved towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda in relation to the improvement of the urban transport system and infrastructure to allow for smooth circulation of traffic, particularly public transport. The book chapter reveals challenges caused by an inefficient public transport system such as congestion, increased inaccessibility of land uses and travelling delays suffered by road users as they try to reach various destinations. This chapter positively contributes to the field of Town Planning by unpacking the role of the New Urban Agenda in positively influencing progressive developments in Zimbabwe’s public transport system.