Brown is beautiful: what Namibia’s capital Windhoek can teach African cities as they get hotter and drier

0 September 17, 2026 11:22

New research shows how Windhoek’s ‘Brown is Beautiful’ approach could use its dry landscape to protect the city from heat, drought and floods.

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Many African cities have started drawing up climate plans. These promise cooler streets, urban forests and green roofs on buildings. This urban climate adaptation has become an urgent priority.

Windhoek, Namibia’s capital, is a fast-growing city spread across hills and valleys. Its suburbs stand alongside expanding informal settlements. But life in this dry city is becoming harder. Rainfall is low and unpredictable and temperatures rise as high as 40°C.
Sparse vegetation and heat-absorbing roads and buildings make parts of the city even hotter.

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Similar conditions are found in other dry cities, including Gaborone in Botswana. The city experiences intense heat, scarce water and regular droughts. Sudden heavy rains can also cause flash floods. Limited vegetation makes the heat even worse.

We are landscape architects who design towns and cities to work with nature rather than against it. Nature-based solutions are central to our work. They use trees, plants, wetlands and other natural features to cool urban areas, manage floods and help people cope with climate change. They can also protect wildlife and create healthier places to live for people.

We wanted to find out why Windhoek is not making greater use of natural ways to deal with climate change. We looked at whether these approaches were missing from government plans or included but just not put into practice. We also explored how local knowledge could help the city prepare for climate change.

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We reviewed all the national and city policies on climate change and resilience. We also interviewed municipal officials, urban planners, academics, architects, landscapers, environmental specialists and community representatives who were involved in permaculture and informal settlement upgrading, to find out whether the government’s climate plans and policies were resulting in real life projects.

Our research found that locals could use the phrase “brown is beautiful” to describe Windhoek.

In other words, people value Windhoek’s dry landscape as part of its natural and cultural identity. But this isn’t talked about. Namibia has good climate policies on paper, but they’re focused on climate risks and disaster management. Using nature-based solutions for Windhoek to adapt to climate change doesn’t feature in conversations.

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As a result, there is limited guidance on how nature-based solutions should be included in urban planning in dryland cities. For example, the policies give cities little guidance on using trees, wetlands and natural waterways to reduce heat and absorb floodwater. Windhoek therefore continues to depend on grey drains and concrete flood barriers that focus on disaster management. The focus should also be on preparing the city for worsening heat, drought and floods for improved living conditions.

Our research recommends that Windhoek work with its dry landscape to tackle heat, drought and flooding.

Urban plans should include bioswales (plant-filled channels that collect and filter rainwater), contour swales (shallow channels that slow water flowing downhill), berms (raised banks of soil that guide or hold water), indigenous and drought-tolerant plants, and xeriscaping (gardening that needs very little water). These solutions must be designed for Windhoek’s particular landscape and the needs of its communities and wildlife.

Local ideas can change cities, if city officials pay attention to them

Nature-based solutions feature strongly in global climate policies. But dry countries such as Namibia need solutions designed for scarce water and fragile desert ecosystems. This is especially important in Windhoek. Informal settlements are growing by 6.5%-7% a year, compared with 4% in the formal city. One person we interviewed said basic infrastructure cannot keep pace. Drainage systems are often overwhelmed when floods hit, leaving informal settlements exposed to floods of sewage water.

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We see community-driven initiatives as very important tools of climate adaptation. In Windhoek, grassroots practices such as permaculture gardens, local water harvesting systems and citizen-led environmental monitoring are all happening. They combine ecological principles with local knowledge. The result is improved food security, water conservation, social learning, and a sense of belonging in your community.

Nature-based solutions are working on a local level. We believe they should be scaled up and become part of city planning. For example, our study came up with an advocacy theme for Windhoek: “Brown is Beautiful”. Campaigning for climate adaptation around this theme would encourage people to see the dry, dusty landscape of Windhoek not as lifeless or ugly, but as natural and valuable.

As one person we interviewed said:

Brown is living, there are stunning brown plants and infrastructure. We need to retrain people’s mindsets to see that brown is beautiful. Highlighting arid designs with indigenous species can reshape this conversation.

Windhoek also has “municipal champions” working within the city administration. These are people who advocate for nature-based solutions to become part of city planning. Their efforts suggest that change is possible from within government, especially when they share knowledge and work together across different fields.

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However, one of the problems is that all these projects aren’t connected. For example, there are no city guidelines on how to landscape green areas in a way that cools Windhoek down and helps the city cope with global warming.

There’s a lack of dedicated landscape architecture input. Projects are designed separately rather than as part of a coordinated city-wide approach. To make a bigger impact, they need formal backing from the city.

What needs to happen next

To bridge the gap between policy and practice, we believe that communities, policymakers and researchers should all work together on urban planning. City design can include everyone and suit Windhoek’s context.

This approach could also work in informal or shack settlements. The residents there are at the mercy of the weather and have valuable insights into the local environment and how to survive bad conditions.

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For Windhoek to prepare for a hotter, drier future, systems must change. Nature-based solutions must move from good ideas to everyday city planning, officials must be given the skills and resources to work with nature, and government departments, communities and experts must be pulled into one group to work together.

By working with nature, Windhoek could show other dry cities how to tackle heat, drought and floods in lasting and affordable ways.
Christina Breed receives funding from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Gaby Hansen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Tags: Academic Journalism, The Conversation, The Conversation Academic News