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Urbanisation and the environment in Namibia : policy implications of the rural-urban relationship

Includes bibliography.

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Liber, Briony Frances
Other Authors: Parnell, Sue
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: Department of Environmental and Geographical Science 2014
Subjects:
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access_status_str Open Access
author Liber, Briony Frances
author2 Parnell, Sue
author_browse Liber, Briony Frances
Parnell, Sue
author_facet Parnell, Sue
Liber, Briony Frances
author_sort Liber, Briony Frances
collection Thesis
description Includes bibliography.
format Thesis
id oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/9569
institution University of Cape Town (South Africa)
language eng
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:34:32.198Z
license_str Not specified — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
publishDate 2014
publishDateRange 2014
publishDateSort 2014
publisher Department of Environmental and Geographical Science
publisherStr Department of Environmental and Geographical Science
record_format dspace
source_str UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository
spelling oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/9569 Urbanisation and the environment in Namibia : policy implications of the rural-urban relationship Liber, Briony Frances Parnell, Sue Environmental Science Includes bibliography. Central to a policy for sustainable urbanisation in Namibia, is the recognition of rural-urban relationships. The cross cutting spatial and sectoral issues, of circular migration need to be incorporated in an urbanisation policy. Government policies based on the assumptions of linear development theories such as 'urban bias', which isolate rural from urban as two mutually exclusive areas, mask the fact that poverty is experienced by urban and rural dwellers alike. At the crux of sustainable urbanisation in Namibia, is the ability of urban areas to absorb rapidly urbanising populations by way of provision of adequate urban infrastructure and services, housing and employment opportunities. In tum, this requires appropriate urban local governance, management and planning. The adoption of approaches which embody flexibility, adaptability, cooperation between the urban roleplayers, and speed of response are key to a sustainable urban environment. In the absence of urban conditions which can support a rapidly increasing population, migrants and the urban poor are forced to maintain a foothold in both rural and urban areas as a mechanism of risk diversification and survival. Mere survival, as embodied in circular migration in Namibia, does not suggest a process which can attain economic, social and biophysical sustainability. The implication is that the longer the conditions of circular migration remain entrenched in Namibia, the less likely the attainment of conditions of sustainability, and the more likely the further degradation of the environment, which ironically would probably further necessitate the split of households across the spatial continuum. Policies, such as Namibia's National Resettlement Policy, which target beneficiaries spatially and sectorally, tend not to have the expected benefits of poverty alleviation, and instead, often unintentionally, have the disbenefit of further entrenching poverty and circular migration. Fundamental then, to the sustainability of urbanisation in Namibia, is the integration of rural, urban and environmental policies, in turn requiring multi-sectoral and multi-spatial policies based on a thorough understanding of the forces underpinning circular migration. 2014-11-11T20:10:26Z 2014-11-11T20:10:26Z 1998 Master Thesis Masters MPhil http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9569 eng application/pdf Department of Environmental and Geographical Science Faculty of Science University of Cape Town
spellingShingle Environmental Science
Liber, Briony Frances
Urbanisation and the environment in Namibia : policy implications of the rural-urban relationship
thesis_degree_str Master's
title Urbanisation and the environment in Namibia : policy implications of the rural-urban relationship
title_full Urbanisation and the environment in Namibia : policy implications of the rural-urban relationship
title_fullStr Urbanisation and the environment in Namibia : policy implications of the rural-urban relationship
title_full_unstemmed Urbanisation and the environment in Namibia : policy implications of the rural-urban relationship
title_short Urbanisation and the environment in Namibia : policy implications of the rural-urban relationship
title_sort urbanisation and the environment in namibia policy implications of the rural urban relationship
topic Environmental Science
url http://hdl.handle.net/11427/9569
work_keys_str_mv AT liberbrionyfrances urbanisationandtheenvironmentinnamibiapolicyimplicationsoftheruralurbanrelationship