The Exclusion of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Planning Open Spaces in Namibia
The Case of Havana, Windhoek
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20405181 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Wilson Hungiree Billawer (0000-0002-7596-1450, University of the Free State, corresponding author), Verna Nel (0000-0001-7446-5669, University of the Free State) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 165-178 |
| Publication date | 2024-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Urban Forum (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1015-3802 • E-ISSN: 1874-6330 |
| Publisher | Springer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s12132-024-09510-9 |
| OpenAlex | W4392291836 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 33 |
The lack of accessible and valuable public open spaces for socio-cultural activities is a concern in low-income urban areas. Through an indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) lens, we explored indigenous cultural open spaces (the olupale and omuvanda ) of two communities in Namibia and their relevance to urban areas. This qualitative study included interviews, informal discussions, sharing circles (focus groups) storytelling, and participatory observation with the two rural communities. In the Havana low-income area in Windhoek, observations, semi-formal interviews and discussions were used. The study found, on the one hand, that planning practices excluded marginalised urban communities due to reliance on a single modernist rational problem-solving process. On the other hand, and through an indigenous knowledge paradigm, aspects such as community respect, well-being, cooperation, environmental respect, and care being taught, lived, and experienced at cultural open spaces, were mostly excluded. Planning in Windhoek overlooked these vital well-being components, to the detriment of the communities. Existing spatial IKS could help planning in addressing the well-being of low-income residential areas and their residents. This paper is therefore foregrounding IKS in planning and argues that such IKS integration will facilitate the improvement of diverse forms of living spaces, including poor and low-income spaces in urban areas
Economic growth · Environmental planning · Foregrounding · Geography · Human geography · Indigenous · Participatory planning · Social science · Sociology · Traditional knowledge · Urban planning · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · Local Economic Development and Planning · Urban and Rural Development Challenges · Ecology
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| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |