Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the trends that reproduce the longstanding dual city structure in Windhoek, Namibia, and the implications that such trends have for those living precariously in the informal settlements of the city.

Paper long abstract:

Namibia, like many other African counties is urbanizing rapidly. This has led to the sprawling of informal settlements that have been recognized as 'an emergency' to be dealt with through upgrading, urban land tenure reforms and targeted housing solutions. However, coupled with such reforms and their egalitarian justifications, there are trends that reproduce the dual city structure inherited from apartheid times and the rather extreme gap between the rich and the poor. Just as informal settlements are a symptom of the rapid growth of the city, so is the coming up of gated communities and more recently, of suburbs and 'lifestyle estates' further away from the city itself. The development of these spaces is driven by the financialization of land, but also by the desire of the elites to opt out of the unpleasant aspects of Namibian urban dynamics - the perceived disorder, nuisance and dangers associated with the poor. This weakens their sense of a shared society as well as their incentives to support solutions to the problems of the latter. The new real estate developments embody a powerful and widely shared bourgeois ideal of better life. However, these same developments might actually play a part in hindering improvements for many of the city's poorer residents. This ideal largely grounds rights in rate-paying and stands in contrast with the sentiment widely shared among informal residents that sees land, housing and basic services as rightfully deserved by all. The paper is based on fieldwork conducted in 2016 and 2019.