How home-based informal businesses contribute to ‘shrinking domesticities’ in a Zimbabwean town

Abstract

This study examines the phenomenon of ‘shrinking domesticities’ in Norton, Zimbabwe, focusing on the impact of informal home-based entrepreneurship on living spaces. It argues that these enterprises diminish domestic space in some residential neighbourhoods in the town. Through data gathered from ethnographic interviews and observations, the research explores the transformation of urban livelihoods in Norton because of industrial decline. It reveals that entrepreneurs repurpose domestic spaces into workspaces in already overcrowded areas, exacerbating the town’s housing shortage. The study illustrates that while the phenomenon of shrinking domesticities has primarily been linked to the planned reduction of house sizes in Western cities, it manifests differently in Norton. Here, entrepreneurs engage in economic activities within their homes, influencing both interior and exterior spaces. This research identifies and addresses a significant gap in urban housing scholarship about African cities. Although the concept has been widely investigated in Western contexts, this paper applies it within the African context, where it arises primarily as an unplanned grassroots response to socioeconomic challenges rather than as policy initiatives. Additionally, there exists a shortage of academic literature connecting informal businesses to housing in the region, and how their interplay leads to the reduction of domestic space.