URBAN I

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The first Bank Group financed Urban Development Project in Zimbabwe will introduce structural change in the housing market and help increase the supply of affordable, low-cost housing and related urban services. It will also strengthen the Government's efforts to improve operations and maintenance of urban infrastructure and services through manpower development and training programs. More specifically, the project will: (i) provide urban residential land and community facilities, expecially for poorer segments of the urban population; and (ii) provide long-term housing financing from the private sector to lower-income beneficiaries (owner occupiers who will choose the mode of construction). Further, it will; (iii) strengthen institutions and streamline procedures through revised division of labor and responsibilities and among key public and private institutions operating in the urban sector. To support this, extensive on-the-job training programs and technical assistance to central and local governments are included. Finally, this project will improve urban transport.