Dr Guillermo Delgado

Biography

Guillermo Delgado is currently a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST); where he heads the Institute for Land, Livelihoods and Housing. He was part of the leadership of the team that revised the national housing programme and policy in Namibia, and has served on different committees of projects of national importance there. He has also taught courses on research methods, urbanisation in Africa and housing at NUST, as well as supervised various students in their theses and work-integrated learning. He was previously associate researcher at the Labour Resource and Research Institute (LaRRI) from 2011-14, where he worked on issues of housing and living conditions, and led a feasibility study on the development of an informal market in Windhoek. He has also been a consulting expert for the German Development Bank KFW, the German Cooperation Agency (GIZ), and other international organizations. He holds an architecture degree from the Universidad Iberoamericana (UIA) in Mexico City; a masters in architecture from the Berlage Institute in Rotterdam, the Netherlands; and a doctoral degree from the University of Cape Town (UCT) in South Africa. He has worked in several research, design, and cultural projects focused on issues of land rights, governance, housing, urbanization, social protection, and co-productive spatial practices.

Professional Affiliation 

• American Association of Geographers (AAG)
• Member of the Editorial Collective of the Namibia Journal for Social Justice

Research Focus Areas

• Land rights
• Housing 
• Urbanization
• Co-productive spatial practices

Courses Currently Teaching

Postgraduate

• Supervision of two PhD students at the Department of Architecture and Spatial Planning

Community Development Activities

• Member of the expert team for the ‘Framework conditions to develop a new project of financial cooperation in urban development in Namibian urban areas’ for the German Development Bank, KFW
• Member of the editorial collective, Namibian Journal of Social Justice
• Founding member: Red Global MX - Sub-Saharan Africa chapter. A network of Mexican professionals seeking to establish bridges in the production of knowledge and professional milieu. https://africasubsaharianacem1.web.app/

Selected Publications

Peer-reviewed articles

• Delgado, G., Lühl, P., & Kohima, J. (forthcoming). The production of scale through large private-led housing developments in Windhoek. In M. Rubin, S. Charlton, & N. Klug (Eds.), Urban governance through the lens of housing: Narratives of African cities
• Delgado, G. (2021). Situated modernities: Co-produced spatial production in Namibia. In A. K. Mohan, J. Gomez Aristazabal, & S. Pellissery (Eds.), Theorising Urban Development for and from the Global South. Palgrave.
• Delgado, G. (2021). The horizon for a fuller urban life in Namibia is visible: expanding the nation of the urban housing crisis and changing urban politics. Namibia Journal for Social Justice (1). [Peer reviewed]
• Delgado, G., Muller, A., Mabakeng, R., & Namupala, M. (2020). Co-producing land for housing through informal settlement upgrading: Lessons from a Namibian municipality. Environment and Urbanization, 32(1). https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956247820903981
• Delgado, G. & Lühl, P. (2013) Financializatino and the production of inequality in Namibia, a socio-spatial perspective, Journal fur Entwicklungspolitik (Austrian Journal for Development Politics), 29(4), 46-66.
• Delgado, G. (2012) ‘Towards Dialectic Utopias: Links and Disjunctions between Collaborative Housing and Squatting in the Netherlands’, Built Environment, 38 (3), pp. 430-442

Non peer-reviewed publications

• Delgado, G., & !Gaoses, D. (2021). OSISA/SPII BIG Namibia (BIGNAM) Project. Evaluation of the Namibia Basic Income Grant (BIG) process and the implementation of an Emergency Income Grant (EIG) in the context of social protection responses to the Covid-19 pendemic. Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute. http://spii.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/SPII03-BIGNAM-REPORT-PRINT-FINAL.pdf
• Delgado, G. (2021). ‘Doing things for oneself’: The case of the Dibasen Homeless Committee of Katutura (ILMI Working Paper No. 11). Integrated Land Management Institute. https://ilmi.nust.na/sites/default/files/WP-12-DELGADO-Doing-things-for-oneself-Dibasen-WEB.pdf
• Delgado, G. (2021). National Alliance for Informal Settlement Upgrading: Covid-19 Support Unit. A project to address Covid-19-related emergency measures in informal settlements. Inclusive and Sustainable Urban Development Project (GIZ)
• Delgado, G., & Dempers, U. (2020). The second crossroads in ‘the land question’ in Namibia [Namibia@30 Dossier]. Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung. https://www.rosalux.de/en/news/id/42884/the-second-crossroads-in-namibias-land-question?cHash=6b2f8fee2f8617296dbca6f3b7acd5fb 
• ILMI & One Economy Foundation (2019) Seven Ideas for Informal Settlement Upgrading in Namibia: Practical and implementable insights based on the SDI-UPFI High Level Roundtable, February 2019 (ILMI Document Note 2/2019). Windhoek. (Co-developed with the Office of the First Lady)
• Lühl, P. & Delgado, G. (2018) Urban Land Reform in Namibia: Getting Ready for Namibia’s Urban Future (Policy Paper). Windhoek: Integrated Land Management Institute. Available: http://dna.nust.na/landconference/submissions_2018/policy-paper-urban-land-reform-2018-final.pdf
• Delgado, G. (2018) Housing (Fact sheet 1/2018), Windhoek: Integrated Land Management Institute
• Delgado, G. (2018) A short socio-spatial history of Namibia (ILMI Working Paper 9). Windhoek: Integrated Land Management Institute
• Delgado, G (2017) The Role of Universities in Participatory Informal Settlement Upgrading: experiences from Kenya, Namibia, Uganda and Zambia (ILMI Document Note 1/2017). Windhoek: Integrated Land Management Institute
• Delgado, G. & Lühl, P. (2016) The case for adequate housing for teachers in Namibia (ILMI Working Paper No. 5). Windhoek: Integrated Land Management Institute
• Lühl, P. & Delgado, G. (2016) A critical analysis of the mass housing programme. In Bankie, B.F. & Jauch, H. (eds) Urban housing crisis in Namibia: A youth perspective. Windhoek: National Youth Council of Namibia
• Bayer, C.T.H.; Christensen, A.; Delgado, G.; Hayford, S.; Katjiua, M.; Werner, W. (2015) Land, livelihoods and housing: Research Programme 2014-2018. Windhoek: Integrated Land Management Institute
• Delgado, G. & Habermehl, V. (2014) ‘Doing Public Geography, Making Scholarship Public’, Antipode: Interventions, http://antipodefoundation.org/2014/10/20/doing-public-geography-making-scholarship-public/
• Lühl, P., Delgado, G. (2013). “Mass Housing in Namibia - A Chance to transcend the socio-spatial geography of Apartheid?”. Digest of Namibia Architecture, 11, 16-19
• Delgado, G. (2013) ‘The socio-political context of Namibia’, in Delgado, G. and Jauch, H. (eds.) Trade Unions and the Crossroads. Reflections on the challenges and opportunities facing Namibia’s labour movement. Windhoek: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
• Delgado, G. (2013) Book review of ‘Rogue Urbanism’ (AbdouMaliq Simone, Edgar Pieterse, eds.), Antipode, http://radicalantipode.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/book-review_delgado-on-pieterse-and-simone.pdf
• “Design/Capital”, poster entry selected for upcoming edition of Design Indaba Magazine special on Cape Town Design Capital of the World. With Frieda Lühl and Phillip Lühl
• Delgado, G. (2012) ‘Global crisis and the emergence of socially-relevant spatial practices’, in Luhl, P. (ed.) Digest of Namibian Architecture, 10
• Martinelli, A., Delgado, G. & Lühl, P. (2013) Excursus - Globalization of Urbanity After-Thoughts. Interview with Neil Brenner. In Globalization of Urbanity. J. Acebillo, J. Lévy, & C. Schmid, Eds. Mendrisio: Actar Publishers. 159–168
• Delgado, G. (2010) “The Right to the City in Rotterdam: a contemporary guide through the urban struggles in the city”, in van Leewen, T.A.P. & Henni, S. Platitudes. http://platitudes.nl/pdf/Delgado_Right.pdf
• Delgado, G. (2010) Collaborative Housing at a Crossroad: Critical Reflections from the International Collaborative Housing Conference. In Living together - Cohousing ideas and realities around the world. Proceedings from the International Collaborative Housing Conference in Stockholm 5-9 May 2010. D.U. Vestbro, Ed. Stockholm: Royal Institute of Technology & KollektivhusNU. 212–223
• “Via Casilina: A Project by Guillermo Delgado”, in Aureli, P. V., & Tattara, M. (2010). Rome: The Centre(s) Elsewhere: A Berlage Institute Project. Milano, New York: Skira
• Booklet for the event “Exposing Tarwewijk”, within the “Segregation” chapter of the International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam 2009
• Editor of the research report of the “Decolonizing Architecture” workshop, an internal publication of the Berlage Institute
• Editor of the research report of the “Social In-habitat” program on the case of Caracas, an internal publication of the Berlage Institute, funded by the IFG-Ulm
• “Visionary Power: Producing the Contemporary City” [work credited under Arquitectura 911sc, International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam 2007 exhibition catalogue, NAi publishers, 2007

Conference presentations & invited talks

• Presenter at the African Union for Housing Finance: Namibia Public Seminar. “Supporting Affordable Housing in Namibia and the Africa Region”. Title of presentation: “Adequate Housing in Namibia: An Introduction”
• Panellist at the “Reimaging Housing - The Possibilities and Challenges” Public Discussion organized by the Namibia Institute for Democracy and the Hans Seidel Foundation
• Guest lecturer at seminar on ‘Critical Perspectives from Southern Urbanism’ at the MSc program Integrated Urbanism and Sustainable Design, University of Stuttgart; led by Prof Astrid Ley. Title of presentation: “Socio-spatial Co-production in Namibia”
• Presenter at the “Sustainable Urban Development Focal Area - Strategy Workshop” organised by GIZ and KFW Namibia Offices. Title of presentation: “Namibia’s Urban Future”
• Panellist at the “Intersectional Solidarity / Queer Ecologies” Book launch, screening and discussion of “Conversations Across Place Vol.1”, with Hildegard Titus, Ndapwa Alweendo, and Nicola Brandt. Website of project: https://www.conversationsacrossplace.com/
• Moderator: "Dialogues on architecture, urbanism and housing: Current situation in Southern Africa" a dialogue with young professionals in Namibia and South Africa, organized by the Mexican Embassy in South Africa, with support from the University of Johannesburg and the Namibia University of Science and Technology: http://ilmi.nust.na/node/117
• Presenter: “Where cities and social justice meet”, webinar organised by the Urban Lab (University of the Witwatersrand, TU Berlin, and University of Lagos) and the Association of African Planning Schools. With George Onatu, Tobias Kuttler, Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri
• Respondent: “SPII-FES Basic Income Grant (BIG) Webinar II: Global BIG Pilots since 2000: An Annotated Summary of Lessons for South Africa” organised by the Studies in Poverty and Inequality Institute and the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, South Africa
• Panellist in “Water Energy Food Nexus & Foreign Aid Basic Income” at the FRIBIS Conference 2021, with Prof. Michael Jacobson and Tobias Jäger. https://www.fribis.uni-freiburg.de/annual-conference  
• Moderator: “Locating the intersection between the basic income grant and urban livelihoods/development in Namibia: a conversation with practitioners, academics and traders”, online discussion hosted by ILMI. Summary available: https://ilmi.nust.na/sites/default/files/20200915-ILMI-BIG-Urban-development-livelihoods.pdf
• Presenter: “Seeing Namibia’s urban present: lessons from a Southern African urban milieu” at the Urban Planning and Policies program at the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS), Erasmus University Rotterdam, with Nangula Shilongo
• Presenter at the Southern Africa City Studies Conference, at the “Land: Markets, Justice, Contestations I” Session. Title of presentation: “Locating Spatial Justice and Land Distribution Practises in Namibia’s Urban Areas”, with Dr. Alexander Jachnow. Website: https://sacsc.witsevents.co.za/
• Moderator at the SDI-UPFI High-Level Round Table on Informal Settlement Upgrading at State House
• Coordinator of the Urban Forum 2019/20 Research Programme; activities have included:“New modes of livelihoods for Namibia’s urban future” Workshop with Prof James Ferguson, Stanford University > “’Traditional’ and ‘modern’ forms of capital and security: value production and circulation” Seminar with Dr John Mendelsohn
• Speaker at the Second National Land Conference, title of presentation: “Urban Land Reform in Namibia: Getting Ready for Namibia’s Urban Future”, with Phillip Lühl
• Speaker at the “Short course for journalists on land matters” on the topic “Housing”, organised by the Integrated Land Management Institute (ILMI) and the Namibia Editors Forum (EFN)
• Urban Forum 2017: Namibia’s Urban Future “Re-thinking Housing and Urbanisation” Chair of the following sessions:Community-based strategies and social innovation. Speaker: Sheela Patel, Founder and director, Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC), India.  The right to adequate housing. Speaker: Cecile van Schalkwyk, lawyer, Legal Resource Centre, South Africa
• Speaker “The case for adequate housing for teachers in Windhoek”, with Philip Lühl, Department of Architecture and Spatial Planning, NUST
• Speaker “The production of housing in Namibia: setting a research agenda”, Association of African Planning Schools (AAPS) Conference, Cape Town, South Africa
• Speaker “The right to adequate housing for workers” at the Teachers Union of Namibia (TUN) Congress
• Speaker “Designing In(equality)”, lecture at the New Media Institute, College of the Arts
• Presenter at the “SADC-side Basic Income Grant”, organized by Studies on Poverty and Inequality (SPII) in Johannesburg, South Africa
• Delegate at the ‘Institute for the Geographies of Justice’, Durban, South Africa. Organized by Antipode Foundation
• Speaker ‘Unitary urbanism, towards maximal difference’, with Phillip Lühl. Center for Civil Society, University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban, South Africa
• Panellist ‘Towards inclusive cities’, at the National Art Gallery of Namibia
• Workshop ‘Knowledge Production and Research Collaboration in the Global South’, Johannesburg, South Africa. Organized by Urban LandMark and the Association of African Planning Schools
• Panellist at the ‘Design Diplomacy: South Africa and Namibia’ discussion, University of Westminster, London, UK
• Delegate “Globalization of Urbanity” Urban Systems and Urban Models - Summer School 2010. Organized by the i.CUP at the Universitá della Svizzera Italiana, the Facutly of Architecture at the ETH Zurich, and the Chôros Laboratory at the EPFL. Lugano, Switzerland
• Speaker: “Exposing Tarwewijk” at the “New domestic revolution” event, organized by Casco Projects, Utrecht, the Netherlands
• Speaker on the “Right to the City” movement action areas, within the event “Van wie is de stad?” (in Dutch “To whom does the city belong?”, with Miguel Robles-Duran, at the debate program at De Unie, organized by the Confetti collective. Rotterdam, the Netherlands
• Delegate: First International Collaborative Housing Conference at the Stockholm University, KTH. Stockholm, Sweden

https://ilmi.nust.na

https://urbanforum.nust.na