From Imagination to Reality on Child Spaces for Recreation: Insights and Foresights on Zimbabwe

Abstract

Much research on the importance of physical and recreational activities and play among children exists globally, though little has been done in Africa in general and Zimbabwe in particular. More importantly, there is limited research evidence and policy dialogues on the importance of planning for child spaces for recreation and play in Zimbabwe. The main objective of the current study is to explore challenges and policy implications for recreational and play spaces in urban Zimbabwe. The study employs a literature review approach and reviews relevant studies from 1980 to 2023. The main challenges discussed include rapid urbanisation without development, little research, ambivalent policy and legal framework, corruption, politics of urban planning, invasions of play and recreational spaces, the prevalence of sedentary lifestyles and lack of scientific knowledge on the importance of physical activities. There is a dearth of public policies on the promotion of children’s play and recreational opportunities, with the situation in communities compounded by a weak public capacity to plan, implement and enforce the promotion of recreational and play facilities.