1. General information
2. Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
Namibia is one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Rising temperatures and increasing extreme heat conditions, uncertain and increasingly unpredictable rainfall and extreme weather will induce new challenges and exacerbate existing ones such as urban growth. The latter is uncontrolled in the capital of the country and it is estimated that 30-40% of the city's population lives in informal settlements. Such a settlement is Onyika, where rapid growth in migration from rural to urban spaces has put a huge demand on existing infrastructure. Many people, desperate for a home, have built their dwelling informally, in tightly confined spaces and in the path of a dangerous natural phenomenon: without drainage, water becomes a villain. The present intervention is directed not only to counteract the effects of climate change but also to improve the life quality of underprivileged people. More precisely the goals of the intervention are:
1. To provide climate-friendly solutions to improve life in this community.
2. To launch a participatory urban planning process and climate-sensitive to support the development of resilient settlements and increase sensitivity on climate risk.
3. To raise awareness regarding the relationship with nature as the settlement is well known for the removal of vegetation and degradation in and around informal settlements – when trees are cut down to make space for make-shift homes – this has proven to be another problem, removing necessary shelter from the heat in a warming climate.
4. Together with the organized community of the settlement, it has as an objective to build a shared vision so that the settlement is legalized and, in this way, shape a concrete intervention that improves their living conditions and their weather resistance.
5. To address issues such as inclusion, representation of minorities, accessibility, gender sensitivity, interactivity, flexibility and attention to the demands of the communities.
6. To counteract the effects of climate change by employing mitigation strategies to deal with waste management and stormwater: the construction of a bioswale system in order to create a water retention area that can filter contaminated water or greywater and convey stormwater runoff as well as to reorganise the current waste collection system of the community
7. The bioswale system also addresses the urban green infrastructure which deals with the restoration of a degraded ecosystem peri-urban expansion in Windhoek encroaches into natural areas such as riverbeds, hilly slopes, and other marginal lands, causing environmental degradation
8. Growing different local species to restore the ecosystem surrounding the settlement: vegetables, riverbed vegetation, shrubs, riparian vegetation (3) (1,2,3,5,6)
1. To provide climate-friendly solutions to improve life in this community.
2. To launch a participatory urban planning process and climate-sensitive to support the development of resilient settlements and increase sensitivity on climate risk.
3. To raise awareness regarding the relationship with nature as the settlement is well known for the removal of vegetation and degradation in and around informal settlements – when trees are cut down to make space for make-shift homes – this has proven to be another problem, removing necessary shelter from the heat in a warming climate.
4. Together with the organized community of the settlement, it has as an objective to build a shared vision so that the settlement is legalized and, in this way, shape a concrete intervention that improves their living conditions and their weather resistance.
5. To address issues such as inclusion, representation of minorities, accessibility, gender sensitivity, interactivity, flexibility and attention to the demands of the communities.
6. To counteract the effects of climate change by employing mitigation strategies to deal with waste management and stormwater: the construction of a bioswale system in order to create a water retention area that can filter contaminated water or greywater and convey stormwater runoff as well as to reorganise the current waste collection system of the community
7. The bioswale system also addresses the urban green infrastructure which deals with the restoration of a degraded ecosystem peri-urban expansion in Windhoek encroaches into natural areas such as riverbeds, hilly slopes, and other marginal lands, causing environmental degradation
8. Growing different local species to restore the ecosystem surrounding the settlement: vegetables, riverbed vegetation, shrubs, riparian vegetation (3) (1,2,3,5,6)
Quantitative targets
Improving the life quality of 600 people from Onyika dispersed in 148 households (as of 2009, according to the City of Windhoek) (5)
Organising 3 community workshops tailored for the residents of Onyika
Organising 3 community workshops tailored for the residents of Onyika
Monitoring indicators defined
Number of people benefiting from the intervention
Number of workshops organised
Type of vegetation used (3,5)
Number of workshops organised
Type of vegetation used (3,5)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Climate change adaptation: What were the goals of the NBS?
Climate change adaptation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
What types of restoration goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
What activities are implemented to realize the restoration goals and targets?
Implementation activities
The intervention was initiated in July 2019 under an Urban Living Lab project. Throughout the rest of 2019, community workshops were organised to plan interventions with a focus was on the public spaces of Onyika, especially those near the local river that floods frequently. During the three community workshops, the following were used as participatory methods with the help of models and images of settlement drones: participatory mapping (brainstorming driven by the community about the opportunities and risks within of the settlement), systems circles (participatory methods to identify the problems and how climate change it can affect the community), cross-sectoral route (identification of different areas with problems and opportunities), collaborative spatial planning (conceptualization of an ideal future by drawing aerial maps of the concentrating on public spaces and darkening private areas). Afterwards, the community with the help of the architects established 5 working groups that decided on different construction projects, including stormwater management - bioswale. The components of the bioswale are a combination of grey infrastructure with green infrastructure. Covid19 pandemic has slowed down the project however sources mention that residents started growing vegetables and maintaining the bioswale (3)
3. NBS domains, ES and scale
4. Governance and financing
5. Innovation
Type of innovation
Please specify technological innovation
Onyika is a deprived informal settlement lacking in basic public services such as sanitation. Introducing a bioswale as a way of counteracting floods and lack of vegetation is a product innovation character. By creating a prototype project in close collaboration with local change agents, the “Urban Living Labs” fostered both innovation and local entrepreneurship. (3)
Novelty level of the innovation
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
It was ambiguous if the innovation has a precise example in a previous initiative, especially one happening in Namibia, as sources were not mentioning any connection.
Replicability/Transferability
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
While the "Urban Living Labs" serve as a prototype within a clearly defined neighbourhood, they also offer many ideas to replicate the practices in different spatial areas. This precise Urban Living Lab and intervention documented the results and lessons learned, which would facilitate their subsequent adaptation to other zones. The zones are not mentioned, however. (3)
