Planning for urban growth : with special reference to Windhoek, Namibia

The focus of this project is geared primarily to the provision of housing in Windhoek and those least able to help themselves, the substantial numbers of urban poor in that city, whether they are from the indigenous urban population or migrants from rural areas. The primary reason for the \urban poor\" focus is partly because it is often felt that the poor should not be in cities in the first place since it is assumed that they are economic \"parasites\" and that any assistance given to them in the form of housing and services will only attract more migrants and increase the problem further. This argument however fails to recognise that the urban poor make a collectively substantial contribution to both urban and regional economies. Planning and housing policies can be a powerful tool in helping reduce inequalities and thus making a major contribution to development strategies. In order to do so it will be necessary for planners architects and policy makers to learn from the poor and work and plan with them rather than making arbitrary assumptions. The aim of this project is to: ‚Äö better understand the urbanisation dynamic at work at national and local metropolitan scales in Namibia and how it impacts and exacerbates the housing issue in Windhoek ‚Äö investigate the housing issue as one aspect of the entire complex urban system incorporating a critique on various low-income housing projects in order to see how housing relates to the issue of sustainability ‚Äö put forward relevant policy and strategy recommendations as a means of addressing the low-income housing issue Methodology: the process of urbanisation in Namibia is a symptom of socioeconomic development of the rural sectors of the country. It would be impossible to address all those issues in this study and will therefore focus on one of the most critical issues ie facilitating housing for the urban poor. The provision of appropriate standards of housing for all income levels and the lack thereof is currently a pressing issue and the biggest dilemma facing planning which is what this study seeks to address. The project is divided into four components to facilitate a coordinated and structured approach. The first component sets the context and background necessary for further discussion of the central theme that of low-income housing. The next two components form the core of this study the latter highlighting the housing situation amongst the urban poor in greater detail. This is done through a review of various low-income housing projects. The third alternative leads to conclusions about prospects and alternatives as a means of addressing the housing issue in a multi-disciplinary framework. The final section is a summary of the study and also draws general conclusions. Most information was obtained through interviews and correspondence with experts from various organisations ie government and NGOs along with one short field visit to Namibia. Further information was gained from relevant literature and statistics. Obtaining relevant data was one of the biggest obstacles during the research phase of this project. Information regarding the development of Windhoek during the apartheid era was abundant. However literature on low-income housing was scarce. Most writings refer mainly to historical development urbanisation and the living situation in Katutura the suburb which became the focus of this project. Besides the lack of data on current city growth there are no concrete figures on the actual population size the extent of squatter settlements or current housing backlog. Some experts have attempted to estimate these figures. The 1991 Population Census is not considered very reliable by most experts and has become obsolete due to the rapid changes in population growth and distribution. Nonetheless this project has been developed to a reasonably useful level such that policies and strategies can be usefully developed."