Shift Focus from Housing to Tenure
An urgent reframing on the way the authorities are addressing the issue of housing in order to address informal settlement growth is needed.
In a review published by John Mendelsohn of Raison on the recently published results of a study on the supply of land and homes to low-income residents by the Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR), the author highlights that discussions on the crucial topic need to shift focus, especially when it comes to the “pervasive use of the term housing.”
Consider the Environment in Town Planning and Housing Developments – IPPR
Edgar Brandt Windhoek-Government, including regional and local authorities, needs to ensure that urban building standards and town planning regulations enable and incentivise integrated, flexible, cost-effective and sustainable housing developments. This is according to a report released this week by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), titled ‘Housing in Namibia: Rights, Challenges and Opportunities’. The report, compiled by IPPR research associates, Pauline Ndhlovu and Dietrich Remmert, recommends clear certification processes and concise regulations in place to promote the use of alternative construction materials and methods.
Housing Crisis – IPPR Calls for a National Integrated Spatial Planning Framework
The Institute of Public Policy Research (IPPR) called on government to develop a national integrated spatial planning framework, coupled with the devolution of specific town planning powers to lower levels of government.
According to IPPR this would present an extraordinary opportunity to review and restructure the existing regulatory framework around housing and urban land.
This was highlighted in a IPPR recently published a report by its research associates, Dietrich Remmert and Pauline Ndhlovu: ‘Housing in Namibia- Rights, Challenges and Opportunities’ which takes a look at the surrounding issues and inefficiencies in the way of affordable and adequate housing for the majority of Namibia.
