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Disruptive adaptations: An urban design approach to youth socio-economic resilience, a case of Havana in Katutura, Windhoek - Namibia
The youth in marginalized communities, such as Havana in Katutura, grapple with substantial unemployment due to limited formal opportunities. To sustain their livelihoods, they resort to the informal economy, working as street vendors or establishing small survivalist enterprises for income. Through...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics
2025
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| _version_ | 1867614474981081088 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Nangula, Soini En |
| author2 | Ewing, Kathryn |
| author_browse | Ewing, Kathryn Nangula, Soini En |
| author_facet | Ewing, Kathryn Nangula, Soini En |
| author_sort | Nangula, Soini En |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | The youth in marginalized communities, such as Havana in Katutura, grapple with substantial unemployment due to limited formal opportunities. To sustain their livelihoods, they resort to the informal economy, working as street vendors or establishing small survivalist enterprises for income. Through a qualitative research methodology, this study delves into the stories of informal youth vendors to understand the innovative strategies they employ daily as they navigate the challenges they face, how they appropriate public spaces to meet their needs, and how they create socioeconomic opportunities for themselves, even though these may not be sufficient. The analysis and exploration of the study bring to light aspects related to the negotiation of space in highly contested spaces, as well as the power dynamics inherent in urban design, planning policies, and urban developments. Havana, as an urban informal settlement, is experiencing rapid growth accompanied by the complexities that come with urban expansion, including a lack of basic services, inadequate sanitation, improper waste management methods, and insufficient infrastructure and public spaces, particularly youth centered. This study seeks to address the question of whether urban design can serve as an effective approach to creating improved socio-economic opportunities for the majority of residents in Havana Informal Settlement. The approach adopted is incremental, and through the design process of this study, an adaptive urban design framework has been developed—one that is flexible and adaptable to address the identified challenges. In conclusion, the study presents a set of spatial guidelines that can be implemented in similar contexts. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/41097 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:52:37.738Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics |
| publisherStr | School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/41097 Disruptive adaptations: An urban design approach to youth socio-economic resilience, a case of Havana in Katutura, Windhoek - Namibia Nangula, Soini En Ewing, Kathryn Urban Design The youth in marginalized communities, such as Havana in Katutura, grapple with substantial unemployment due to limited formal opportunities. To sustain their livelihoods, they resort to the informal economy, working as street vendors or establishing small survivalist enterprises for income. Through a qualitative research methodology, this study delves into the stories of informal youth vendors to understand the innovative strategies they employ daily as they navigate the challenges they face, how they appropriate public spaces to meet their needs, and how they create socioeconomic opportunities for themselves, even though these may not be sufficient. The analysis and exploration of the study bring to light aspects related to the negotiation of space in highly contested spaces, as well as the power dynamics inherent in urban design, planning policies, and urban developments. Havana, as an urban informal settlement, is experiencing rapid growth accompanied by the complexities that come with urban expansion, including a lack of basic services, inadequate sanitation, improper waste management methods, and insufficient infrastructure and public spaces, particularly youth centered. This study seeks to address the question of whether urban design can serve as an effective approach to creating improved socio-economic opportunities for the majority of residents in Havana Informal Settlement. The approach adopted is incremental, and through the design process of this study, an adaptive urban design framework has been developed—one that is flexible and adaptable to address the identified challenges. In conclusion, the study presents a set of spatial guidelines that can be implemented in similar contexts. 2025-03-04T12:25:32Z 2025-03-04T12:25:32Z 2024 2025-03-04T12:19:39Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters MUD http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41097 eng application/pdf School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Urban Design Nangula, Soini En Disruptive adaptations: An urban design approach to youth socio-economic resilience, a case of Havana in Katutura, Windhoek - Namibia |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Disruptive adaptations: An urban design approach to youth socio-economic resilience, a case of Havana in Katutura, Windhoek - Namibia |
| title_full | Disruptive adaptations: An urban design approach to youth socio-economic resilience, a case of Havana in Katutura, Windhoek - Namibia |
| title_fullStr | Disruptive adaptations: An urban design approach to youth socio-economic resilience, a case of Havana in Katutura, Windhoek - Namibia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Disruptive adaptations: An urban design approach to youth socio-economic resilience, a case of Havana in Katutura, Windhoek - Namibia |
| title_short | Disruptive adaptations: An urban design approach to youth socio-economic resilience, a case of Havana in Katutura, Windhoek - Namibia |
| title_sort | disruptive adaptations an urban design approach to youth socio economic resilience a case of havana in katutura windhoek namibia |
| topic | Urban Design |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41097 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nangulasoinien disruptiveadaptationsanurbandesignapproachtoyouthsocioeconomicresilienceacaseofhavanainkatuturawindhoeknamibia |