An investigation into factors contributing to urban land shortage in Windhoek, Namibia
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Date
2021
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Namibia
Abstract
The main aim of this thesis was to investigate factors that contributes to the shortage
of urban land in Windhoek and its implications on housing prices and affordability.
Windhoek has been faced with a problem of slow delivery and servicing of urban land,
resulting in the gap between demand and supply widening drastically, resulting in
massive urbanisation, and increased demand for land. This research comprises a mixed
method (quantitative & qualitative). A convenience sampling technique was used to
sample study participants. Data was collected using questionnaires, observations, and
interviews to investigate the availability of urban land in Windhoek, factors that led to
urban land shortage and the implications these factors have on the housing prices and
affordability. The study found that, there is indeed shortage or urban land at the city of
Windhoek. The City of Windhoek is faced with the shortage of developable land, lack
of technical capacity, limited financial resources embedded with cumbersome
procedures in the process of preparation and approval of detailed plans as prepared by
land experts has been a catalyst for the low capacity of the municipality in allocating
land. The study also established that low-income earners are faced with serious
challenges in acquiring a dwelling due to high prices in purchasing land, high interest
rates on mortgage bonds to income and collateral requirements of financial institutions
and serviced land in Windhoek benefits only higher-income earners. The study also
proved that shortage of urban land has contributed to high prices as the City of
Windhoek continues to auction off land that is not affordable for low-income earners.
The study recommended that, existing policies on land allocation be reviewed, such as
the Deeds Office Act of 1937. Land delivery and servicing models needs to be
reformed, and the study ft.rrther recommends that the City of Windhoek needs technical
and financial capacity to faci litate provision of effective and efficient services of
providing land for housing
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Business Administration Management Strategy
Keywords
Land programs, Policies, Land delivery systems, Land development, Land models, Namibia, University of Namibia