A Multi-Faceted Approach to Improving Public Services in Low-Income Housing in Windhoek, Namibia

Yewande Adetoro Adewunmi (), Uchendu Eugene Chigbu, Uaurika Kahireke, Prisca Simbanegavi, Sam Mwando, Amin Ally Issa and Samuel Hayford
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Yewande Adetoro Adewunmi: School of Constructin Economics and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
Uchendu Eugene Chigbu: Department of Land and Spatial Sciences, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek 9000, Namibia
Uaurika Kahireke: Department of Land and Spatial Sciences, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek 9000, Namibia
Prisca Simbanegavi: School of Constructin Economics and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa
Sam Mwando: Department of Land and Spatial Sciences, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek 9000, Namibia
Amin Ally Issa: Department of Land and Spatial Sciences, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek 9000, Namibia
Samuel Hayford: Department of Land and Spatial Sciences, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek 9000, Namibia

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-25

Abstract: The characteristics of low-income housing in Namibia include severe inequality in housing standards, heavy reliance on non-office jobs, overcrowding, and poor infrastructure. This study uses a survey and semi-structured interviews to investigate the improved service delivery of this low-income housing. It explores this through the perspectives of community-based facilities management, sustainability, and enterprise development. In particular, the study examines opportunities for enterprise development, the willingness to participate in the production and management of public services, and the current state of public services in selected settlements in Windhoek. The results show that a lack of access to fire safety, disaster prevention, recreation, green spaces and tourist facilities are gaps in service delivery. Residents are willing to participate in both the co-production and management of public services. The study also found that residents have the appropriate skills to enable their engagement in management and production, and suitable governance structures are put in place to foster trust. The study recommends a policy that requires community visioning focused on public service improvement. It also calls for renewed trends in low-income people’s participation in public service development processes. The study’s contribution to existing knowledge on this subject is that it produced a multi-faceted framework for improving public services in low-income housing that is based on principles (and actions) of sustainability and policy (and planning) of land/housing access and has the potential to lead to public service-based community wellbeing.

Keywords: low-income housing; public services; management; Namibia; sustainability; urban resilience (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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