30% of unbuilt Harare CBD a result of outdated, poor city planning

More than 30% of land within 5km radius of the central business district in Harare and Maputo remains unbuilt due to outdated and poorly enforced city plans, a new report has shown.

In a report, Africa's Cities: Opening Doors to the World, the World Bank said the downtowns lack structure despite being crowded.

The report said not all land in the vicinity of the centre needs to be built up; land can also be left empty for green spaces.

The report said a study of Ethiopia, Kenya and Zimbabwe and a scan of 28 large property development projects in Africa finds only very little land-based financing.