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Milton Park is a densely populated,
inner city The term inner city (also called the hood) has been used, especially in the United States, as a euphemism for majority-minority lower-income residential districts that often refer to rundown neighborhoods, in a downtown or city centre area. Soc ...
,
mixed use Mixed use is a type of Real estate development, urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple Land use, uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into ...
suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
just west of central
Harare Harare ( ), formerly Salisbury, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zimbabwe. The city proper has an area of , a population of 1,849,600 as of the 2022 Zimbabwe census, 2022 census and an estimated 2,487,209 people in its metrop ...
,
Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
. Due to its density, diversity and character it is often compared to The Avenues,
Belgravia Belgravia () is a district in Central London, covering parts of the areas of the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Belgravia was known as the 'Five Fields' during the Tudor Period, and became a dangerous pla ...
, Greendale, Eastlea and Highlands. Separated from the CBD by the A1 highway east, is it is usually considered to be bounded to the south by Princes Road, to the north by Cork Road, to the west by Warren Hills Golf Club.


Description

Milton Park is best known as a historically diverse Shona, Coloured and
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
and Portuguese
lower middle class In developed nations around the world, the lower middle class is a subdivision of the greater middle class. Universally, the term refers to the group of middle class households or individuals who have not attained the status of the middle or u ...
suburb. Often contrasted with wealthy
Borrowdale Borrowdale is a valley and civil parish in the English Lake District in Cumberland (unitary authority), Cumberland, England. It is in the ceremonial county of Cumbria, and is sometimes referred to as ''Cumberland Borrowdale'' to distinguis ...
or Mount Pleasant to the north, in recent years it has been strongly affected by both
gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...
and economic inequality.


History

Situated west of Harare’s city centre, Milton Park was named after Sir William Henry Milton, an early administrator from 1898 to 1914, who was known as the 'Father of the Civil Service'. The street names in the suburb are all of former mayors of Harare. William Harvey Brown (1909–1910), J. Van Praagh (1900–1901), James Lawson (1913), William Ernest Fairbridge (1897–1898 first mayor of Salisbury) and H. L. Lezard (1914–15). Milton Park, Eastlea and the Avenues are considered to have a fairly common social makeup. Historically, Milton Park was occupied predominantly by recently arrived
blue-collar workers A blue-collar worker is a person who performs manual labor or skilled trades. Blue-collar work may involve skilled or unskilled labor. The type of work may involve manufacturing, retail, warehousing, mining, carpentry, electrical work, custodia ...
from
Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...
while Avenues was occupied primarily by
Southern European Southern Europe is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, C ...
s, mostly Greeks and Portuguese, who worked in factories in Willowvale and Southerton or on the railroads. Today both neighbourhoods have a population of varied ethnicity and social class, though many former white residents have long moved away, to be replaced by young professionals, young families and
expats An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. The term often refers to a professional, skilled worker, or student from an affluent country. However, it may also refer to retirees, artists and ...
; especially in the recent housing developments that have sprouted along the Princes Road and Bishop Gaul Avenue. A great number of students from neighboring districts attend Speciss College and the
University of Zimbabwe The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is a public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. It was opened in 1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of London. It was later renamed the Univers ...
, College of Health Sciences, lending additional vibrancy to the area.


Community diversity

Beginning in the 1950s, with the establishment of the
Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, also known as the Central African Federation (CAF), was a colonial federation that consisted of three southern African territories: the Self-governing colony, self-governing British colony of Southern ...
, Milton Park, along with Eastlea and Avenues, came to acquire a unique niche as the home of Harare's working and lower middle-class
Southern European Southern Europe is also known as Mediterranean Europe, as its geography is marked by the Mediterranean Sea. Definitions of southern Europe include some or all of these countries and regions: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, C ...
Greek, Portuguese and Italian communities. Being located near Harare's train stations, among the most important sites for the nascent trans-Southern African railway industry, these central districts became home to a great many
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
workers from
Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
and Portuguese from
Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...
,
Madeira Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...
and
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
, as well as a few
Italian Zimbabweans Italian Zimbabweans () are citizens or residents of Zimbabwe of Italian heritage. The phrase may refer to someone born in the Zimbabwe of Italian descent, someone who has emigrated from Italy to Zimbabwe, a person with Italo-Zimbabwean heritage o ...
, who came to make up a significant proportion of the population. The profile of the neighbourhood has changed significantly in recent years. Black Zimbabweans now constituted the largest population with growing minorities mostly of Indian and Chinese descent. as well as immigrants from further afield in Africa. Regardless Milton Park's heritage is evident in institutions such as, St Patrick's Capuchin Friary
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
,
cafes A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargile ...
and restaurants, the restaurant row on Cork Road; and The Italian Club and the Hellenic Club of Harare in nearby Eastlea.


Gentrification

Milton Park is just west of city centre. Its proximity to the railways shaped the neighbourhood with a large industrial
working class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...
.
Light industry Light industry are Industry (economics), industries that usually are less Capital intensity, capital-intensive than heavy industry, heavy industries and are more consumer-oriented than business-oriented, as they typically produce smaller consum ...
dominated the area until its
neoliberal Neoliberalism is a political and economic ideology that advocates for free-market capitalism, which became dominant in policy-making from the late 20th century onward. The term has multiple, competing definitions, and is most often used pej ...
reforms led to the closure of several industries in the 1990s. Its closure meant the predominantly lower middle-class neighborhood residents began to lose their jobs, creating thousands of unemployed laborers. This
deindustrialization Deindustrialization is a process of social and economic change caused by the removal or reduction of industrial capacity or activity in a country or region, especially of heavy industry or manufacturing industry. There are different interpr ...
rendered the neighborhood the site for gentrification. Sitting on valuable land bordered by the A1 highway and both the downtown and wealthy districts such as Alexandra Park and Mount Pleasant, as well as affluent institutions such as
Prince Edward School Prince Edward School (or Prince Edward, commonly referred to as PE) is a public, boarding and day school for boys aged 13 to 19 in Harare, Zimbabwe. It provides education facilities to 1200+ boys in Forms I to VI. The school is served by a grad ...
, Milton Park is primed for the redevelopment of
townhomes A terrace, terraced house ( UK), or townhouse ( US) is a type of medium-density housing which first started in 16th century Europe with a row of joined houses sharing side walls. In the United States and Canada these are sometimes known as row ...
and buildings into parks,
mixed use Mixed use is a type of Real estate development, urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning classification that blends multiple Land use, uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into ...
developments, apartments, shops and restaurants. This transformation began taking form of businesses moving to the area from the increasingly congested
city centre A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...
, attracting NGOs, young professionals and young families looking for affordable housing. Increasingly, many institutions have expanded into the area , bringing more residents and tourists to the area, while pushing long term residents out. Milton Park is experiencing an unequal form of gentrification, characterized by the arrival of wealthy
dual citizen Multiple citizenship (or multiple nationality) is a person's legal status in which a person is at the same time recognized by more than one sovereign state, country under its nationality law, nationality and citizenship law as a national or cit ...
s pushing out working class and unemployed residents and the revitalization of the neighborhood with parks and commercial spaces. Once described as a working-class neighborhood, its contemporary form is a “lively and surprising suburb” known for its booming housing market and amenities in the midst of a volatile economy with widespread unemployment.


Points of interest

The most notable institutions in or near Milton Park include; *
Prince Edward School Prince Edward School (or Prince Edward, commonly referred to as PE) is a public, boarding and day school for boys aged 13 to 19 in Harare, Zimbabwe. It provides education facilities to 1200+ boys in Forms I to VI. The school is served by a grad ...
*
University of Zimbabwe The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) is a public university in Harare, Zimbabwe. It was opened in 1952 as the University College of Rhodesia and Nyasaland, and was initially affiliated with the University of London. It was later renamed the Univers ...
, College Of Health Sciences * Sharon Primary School * Parirenyatwa Hospital Ward


References

{{Authority control Student quarters Portuguese neighborhoods Greektowns Suburbs of Harare