ABSTRACT

The paper deviates from the general trend to focus on big cities as research sites. It explores the impacts of deindustrialization on urban livelihoods in Norton – a small town west of Harare using the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) to unpack how deindustrialization compromised livelihood assets and outcomes in Norton. Data were collected using triangulation of methods, which comprised interviews and field observations. Findings showed that key industries collapsed, leading to massive job losses, and job-related benefits. Findings further point to reduced service delivery capacity, resulting in poor sanitation, water, and electricity supply in the town, and how these relate to sustainable livelihoods. Deindustrialization also triggered a surge in urban poverty, food insecurity, poor housing, and the rise of the informal economy in Norton. The study concludes that despite its rural origins, the SLA is an effective tool to analyse urban livelihoods. It suggests that deindustrialization tends to be rampant in small towns vis-à-vis big cities. The study further highlights that financial assets tend to be more important in building urban livelihoods than the other forms of assets constitutive of the SLA. It concludes by reflecting on how human skills easily become redundant and stranded assets where industry is dysfunctional.

摘要

这篇论文偏离了将大城市作为研究地点的一般趋势。它探讨了去工业化对诺顿城市生计的影响——哈拉雷以西的一个小镇使用可持续生计方法 (SLA) 来揭示去工业化如何损害诺顿的生计资产和成果。数据是使用三角测量方法收集的，其中包括访谈和实地观察。调查结果显示，关键行业崩溃，导致大量失业和与工作相关的福利。调查结果进一步指出，服务提供能力下降，导致该镇的卫生设施、水和电力供应不佳，以及这些与可持续生计的关系。去工业化还引发了城市贫困、粮食不安全、住房条件差以及诺顿非正规经济兴起的激增。该研究得出结论，尽管 SLA 起源于农村，但它是分析城市生计的有效工具。这表明，与大城市相比，小城镇的去工业化趋势​​更为猖獗。该研究进一步强调，与构成 SLA 的其他形式的资产相比，金融资产在建设城市生计方面往往更为重要。它的结论是反思人类技能如何在行业功能失调的情况下轻易成为多余和搁浅的资产。