Windhoek, Namibia: towards progressive urban land policies in southern Africa

Windhoek is the capital city of Namibia with a population of 223,000, 26 per cent of whom are living in informal settlements. Despite this scale of need, experiences in the last decade have demonstrated to the urban poor, city officials and politicians that it is possible to secure improvements. Windhoek's new Policy for Access to Land and Housing is now being promoted by a network of NGOs and grassroots organisations throughout southern Africa. This paper discusses the policy and the processes through which it emerged. The paper also looks briefly at some emerging issues in the first two years of implementation.