Establishing the Determinants of Urban Industrial Location for Sustainability and Development: The Case of Mwanza City, Tanzania

Abstract

Proper industrial locations form the basis for industrial sustainability and de-velopment in urban areas. Numerous factors, specifically to a particular urban region, continue to determine the establishment and location of industrial amenities in urban areas depending on place and time. Therefore, under-standing the determinants of the location of industries in the region provides a roadmap towards industrial sustainability and development. This paper assesses the determinants of urban industrial locations for industrial sustainability and development in Mwanza City, Tanzania. Data were collected from 204 out of 687 registered industries by using a mixed methods case study design. The sample of industries was selected from ten industrial zones in Mwanza City using a computerized systematic random number generator. The data were collected using questionnaires, interviews, and document reviews and analyzed and presented both qualitatively and quantitatively. The study found that Mwanza urban area has different industries located in different parts and ranging from micro, small, medium, and large scale industries. The results in-dicate that the location of industries in Mwanza City is determined by sufficient water supply from Lake Victoria, availability of land, enough supply of local raw materials, access to capital, agglomeration, and markets for the produced goods, as well as fair transportation costs. The paper concludes that a variety of factors, both in terms of place and time, determine the spatial distribution of urban industries. Also, industries are properly located in different areas of Mwanza City, and measures to enhance industrial sustainability are in order which in-clude: appropriate procedures for Environmental Impact Assessment, market-ing strategy and maximizing profits, training employees and managing tech-nical staff, and industrial pursuit with vigor and support from all parties. This improves the sustainability of industries and fosters development in Mwanza City. Therefore, the paper recommends that there is a need for continued proper industrial locations for the newly established ones and to enable the continued attraction and establishment of industrial investments for the future industrial sustainability and economic development, and also that the policies should prioritize inclusive economic development, with a focus on creating jobs and diversifying the economy to benefit local communities. This will foster greater collaboration across sectors, promote innovation, and enhance com-petitiveness at the local, regional, and global scales.