Windhoek could strengthen its response to heat, drought and flooding by making better use of its natural landscape, according to researchers examining climate adaptation in Namibia’s capital.
Their work calls for measures suited to a dry city, including native plants, water harvesting and landscape features that help manage stormwater. It also highlights a gap between broad climate commitments and practical action on the ground.
The proposals are recommendations from researchers. They do not amount to an announcement that the municipality has adopted or funded a new citywide programme.
Research identifies a gap between policy and practice
Landscape architects Gaby Hansen and Christina Breed examined how national climate policies translate into local action in Windhoek.
The study combined a review of policy documents with interviews involving people connected to planning, environmental management and community initiatives. It found that ambitious goals often lacked locally tailored measures and practical targets for nature-based solutions.
As a result, the city remained reliant on conventional infrastructure and short-term responses to disaster risks, according to the research abstract published for the Land Use Policy study.
The findings suggest that the problem is not simply whether climate change appears in official plans. It is whether those plans identify usable approaches, responsibilities and routes to implementation.
Dry conditions require locally suited solutions
Windhoek faces limited, unpredictable rainfall and periods of intense heat. Its roads and buildings can add to the heat experienced in urban areas, while sudden rain can create flooding problems.
The researchers argue that climate responses should reflect those conditions. A landscape plan that requires large amounts of irrigation could create new pressure on scarce water supplies.
Their proposals therefore include drought-tolerant native plants and xeriscaping, an approach to landscaping designed to reduce water needs. They also recommend features that work with the shape of the land to manage runoff.
The central idea is to treat the dry landscape as something to understand and work with. Success need not mean making every open space look like a lawn or a densely planted garden.
Managing rainfall where it lands
Among the proposed measures are bioswales, contour swales and berms. In practical terms, these include planted channels, shallow landscape depressions and raised banks used to guide or slow water.
Their purpose is to help manage rainfall across a site, rather than depending entirely on hard drainage structures. Appropriate vegetation can form part of that approach.
However, the suitability of any measure depends on its location and design. A recommendation for nature-based planning does not mean that the same intervention should be placed on every slope or street.
The research calls for local adaptation, which requires attention to terrain, water movement and how residents use the space. Conventional drains and other protective infrastructure may still have a role.
Informal settlements need particular attention
The issue is especially pressing in informal settlements, where rapid growth can outpace drainage and other services. Residents may face flood exposure even in a city more often associated with dry conditions.
Climate planning in these areas needs to consider everyday use of land as well as physical hazards. A water-management feature must fit around homes, routes and community activities.
That makes residents’ knowledge valuable. People who live in an area can identify recurring problems, places where water collects and routes that become difficult to use after rain.
The researchers’ emphasis on community participation reflects this practical need. Consultation can help planners understand whether a proposed measure responds to a real local problem.
Connecting community projects with municipal planning
Windhoek already has grassroots initiatives involving activities such as permaculture gardens and water harvesting. The concern raised by the researchers is that these efforts remain insufficiently connected.
Individual projects can demonstrate useful approaches, but wider benefits require coordination. A successful garden in one area does not automatically become a model that other neighbourhoods can maintain.
Municipal planning can help identify where support, technical advice and resources are needed. Community groups can contribute local experience and help shape priorities.
The city’s published climate strategy provides an existing policy setting for this discussion.
Turning recommendations into measurable progress
The next step would be to translate general proposals into site-specific projects with clear responsibilities. Maintenance and monitoring would matter as much as initial installation.
Useful measures of progress could include whether a project manages runoff as intended, whether plants survive and whether residents find the space safer or more usable. Those are evaluation questions, not outcomes already demonstrated by the study.
Windhoek’s experience offers a wider planning lesson for dry African cities. Climate adaptation can build on local terrain and community knowledge, but lasting results require those ideas to become practical, coordinated work.
