Paper short abstract:

Urban citizenship and its marginalisations are examined through narratives of access and agency of a city and a people. Understanding notions of citizen-centric agency and their (in)ability to naviagte politicalised realities are vital to building strategies of survival in the contested urban space.

Paper long abstract:

Currencies of access continue to impact spatial belonging in Zimbabwe through the interplay of politicised bargaining power. Therefore, when future proofing the urban space and its realities, it is vital to understand currencies of access at all levels of the political settlement. On one hand, access to spatial belonging and its operationalisation between the ruling elite and the citizens exists. On the other hand, access to spatial belonging and its operationalisation between citizens themselves at different levels of bargaining power is inescapable. Here, the interplay between urban citizenship as a concept and the operationalisation of urban socio-economic dynamics at all levels becomes invaluable to expressing agency. Using the second city of Zimbabwe as a case study to show the effects of this interplay, the added complication of a mythicised urban history adds tension to this dynamic. Where urban citizenship in Bulawayo is guided by agency and belonging, the perceptions of the city and its people - seen through historical policies, mythicisations, and statistical discrepancies that impact budget allocations - is important to note. Notably, this paper first recognises the negative effects of a marginalised second city. Secondly, it examines pathways to future proofing Bulawayo and its people in recognising urban citizenship as part of historicised inclusivity and social justice narratives. Lastly, it locates these conversations within Zimbabwean state survival strategies and their effect in claiming the city and a rightful sense of belonging within it.