Built Environment

Department of

Built Environment

About the Department

The department of Built Environment formerly known as Land Management was established at Mzuzu University in 2006. The establishment was a response to the recommendations of the National Land Policy which was approved in 2002. The approval of the National Land Policy and subsequent reviews of land related laws in 2016 and 2022 presented further need and demand for trained Built Environment professionals. By 2022, over 100 graduates had been produced by the department and most of them were absorbed in the public sector. Specially, with regard to the land reform goal of devolution, the government is establishing and staffing land registries serving 4 Cities, 4 municipalities, 8 Townships and 28 District Councils apart from land management profesionals to work in the 270 Traditional Authorities (TAs) to facilitate land administration. This has also become pertinent with the Sustainable Development Goals especially goal 11 which calls for making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. The Malawi Vision 2063 has since recognised this importance through the urbanisation pillar under which 8 secondary cities have been identified for development as per the Malawi Secondary Cities Plan and the proposed Secondary Cities Development Corporation. The review was also informed by alumni and stakeholders during curriculum review workshops held in Chintheche and Mponela where the renaming of the programme, introduction of new courses and topics were proposed in order to improve the employability of graduates from the programme.

Research and Publications

Our department and research teams actively publish in peer-reviewed journals, contributing valuable insights to the fields Built Environment. These publications reflect our commitment to academic excellence and our drive to address pressing global challenges.

Research Publications

Bauer, W.,Titz, A. & Manda, M.C. (2024) ‘Tracing the urbanisation of risk in Malawi: A multilevel analysis’, Journal of Disaster Risk Studies, 16 (1), a1668.https://doi.org/104102/jamba.v16i1.1668

UN-Habitat (2020). Breaking Cycles of Risk Accumulation in African Cities”. United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Nairobi HS Number: HS/059/19E ISBN Number (Volume): 978-92-1-132851-6. un_report_2019_ebook_high_res.pdf (unhabitat.org)

Brown, D, Manda, M and Mwalyambwile, T (2024). “Lilongwe: City report”. ACRC Working Paper 2024-13. Manchester: African Cities Research Consortium, The University of Manchester. Available online: www.african-cities.org ISBN: 978-1-915163-12-7

Pelling, M.; Barcena, A; Leck, H; Adelekan, I.; Dodman, D.; Issaka, H.; Johnson, C.; Manda, M.; Mberu, B.; Nwokocha, E.; Osuteye, E. and Boubacar, S. (2021). ‘Uncertain pasts and risk sensitive futures in sub-Saharan urban transformation,’ in: Keith, M; Aruska, A ; Santos, de S and Parnell, S (Eds) African Cities and Collaborative Futures . Manchester, University Manchester Press. pp. 53-72. ISBN: 9781526155368

Allen, A., Koroma, B., Manda, M., Osuteye, E. and Lambert, R. (2019), “Urban risk readdressed: Bridging resilience-seeking practices in African Cities”, in: Burayid, M.A., Allen, A., Twigg, J. and Wamsler, C. (Eds), The Routledge Handbook of Urban Resilience, London: Routledge.pp.331-348. ISBN: 9780429506666

Manda, M. (2014), “Bicycle taxis in Mzuzu City: a business venture misunderstood”, in Duminy, J. et al (Eds.), Planning and the case study method in Africa, Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan, pp. 102-128.

Bauer, W., Titz, A. & Manda, M., 2024, ‘Tracing the urbanisation of risk in Malawi: A multilevel analysis’, Jàmbá: Journal of Disaster Risk Studies 16(1), a1668. https://doi.org/10.4102/ jamba.v16i1.1668

Mwalwimba, I.K., Manda, M. & Ngongondo, C. (2024). ‘Measuring vulnerability to assess household resilience to flood risks in Karonga district, Malawi.’ Natural Hazards . https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-024-06416-4

Chingamtolo, C. & Mtafu, M. (2024) ‘Constraints to property taxation in Malawi’, Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance, (29).

Andrea, K.; Tembo, M. and Manda, M. (2023), ‘Community Awareness of dental fluorosis as health risk associated with fluoride in improved groundwater sources in Mangochi district.’ Journal of Water and Health. https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2023.210

Bwanali, W. and Manda, M. (2023), “The correlation between social resilience and flooding in low-income communities: a case of Mzuzu City, Malawi”, International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJDRBE-09-2022-0093

Andrea, K; Manda, M and Tembo, M. (2023). ‘Tariff setting for the sustainability of communal water points in Mangochi District in Malawi,’ Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development (2023) 13 (9): 625–634. https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2023.183

Mwalwimba, I.K., Manda, M. & Ngongondo, C. (2024) Flood vulnerability assessment in rural and urban informal settlements: case study of Karonga District and Lilongwe City in Malawi. Natural Hazards. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-024-06601-5

Munthali, C. Manda, M. and Bwanali, W. (2021) Assessment of Socio-Economic Vulnerability to Flooding in Mweniyumba Neighbourhood, Karonga Township Environment Pollution and Climate Change, Vol 5 No 3. pp.1-13

Gondwe, J & Manda, M. (2021). “Localizing children’s play spaces through the child friendly city lens: Reframing tools for children’s inclusivity in Mzuzu City, Malawi,” Journal of Inclusive Cities and the Built Environment, Vol1 No.1 pp.81-89

Dodman, D., Adelekan , I., Brown, D., Hayley, L., Manda, M., Mberu, B., Pelling, M., Rusca, M., Satterthwaite, D. and Taylor, F. (2018), “A Spectrum of Methods for a Spectrum of Risk: Generating Evidence to Understand and Reduce Urban Risk in Sub‐Saharan Africa”, Area, Vol. 51, pp. 586 – 594. doi.org/10.1111/area.12510

Hayley, L., Pelling, M., Adelekan, I., Dodman, D., Issaka, H., Johnson, C., Manda, M., Mberu, B., Nwokocha, E., Osuteye, E. and Boubacar, S. (2018), “Towards Risk-Sensitive and Transformative Urban Development in Sub Saharan Africa”, Sustainability, Vol 10 No 2645, pp.1-21. doi:10.3390/su10082645

Wanda, E; Manda, M; Kushe,J.;Msiska, O.; Mphande,C.;Kamlomo, D, and Kaunda, J (2017). ‘Using Citizen Science Approach to monitor water, sanitation and hygiene Related Risks in Karonga Town, Malawi,’ African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, Vol.11 No 6, pp. 304-323. doi.org/10.5897/AJEST2017.2308

Gondwe, J; Manda, M. & Kamlomo, D (2017) ‘Discriminatory land use planning and flood risk Management in Karonga Town, Malawi’ International Journal of Human Sciences, Vol 14 No. 4 pp 1-13 https://www.j-humansciences.com/ojs/index.php/IJHS/article/view/4706/2334

Manda, M. and Wanda, E. (2017), “Understanding the nature and scale of risks in Karonga, Malawi”, Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 29 No. 1, pp.15-32.

Manda, M. (2016). ‘Growth Centres as a strategy for Rural Development, ‘in LDF Discussions on Local Economic Development in Malawi: Compendium of Studies, Lilongwe, LDFTT

Manda, M. and Matidza, I. (2017), “Tracer study of Mzuzu University Land Management Students, 2010-2015”, Education and Society in Southern Africa, Vol. 3 No 3, pp.45-67.

Blair, N. and Manda, M. (2016), “A partnership-based model for embedding employability in urban planning education”, Urban, Planning and Transport Research, Vol. 4 No. 1, pp.46-63.

Adelekan, I., Johnson, C., Manda, M., Matyas, D., Mberu, B., Parnell, S., Pelling, M., Satterthwaite, D. and Vivekananda, J. (2015), “Disaster risk and its reduction: an agenda for urban Africa”, International Development Planning Review, Vol. 37 No. 1, pp.33-43

Manda, M. (2014), “Where there is no local government: addressing disaster risk reduction in a small town: case of Karonga in Malawi”, Environment & Urbanization, Vol. 26 No. 2, pp. 1-14.

Manda, M (2013), “Reflections on planning education in Malawi”, Education and Society in Southern Africa, Vol. 1 No.1, pp 58-74.

Osuteye, E., Johnson, C., Brown, D., Manda, M. and Gondwe, J., (2016), August. Governance of urban development and its influence on risks in Karonga Town. RGS-IBG Annual International Conference.

GNDR (2018). Views from the Frontline Handbook for National Coordinating Organisations. Global Network of Civil Society Organisations for Disaster Reduction (GNDR). London, UK

Malawi Government (2015). Training Manual for Disaster Risk Management, Department of Disaster Management Affairs

Allen, A., Lambert, R., Manda, M. and Osuteye, E. in collaboration with Hamilton, A. (technical platform assemblage) and Bwanali, B, Manda, F., Gondwe, J. and Gondwe, M. (coordination community-led data collection) (2018) ReMapRisk Karonga. Online platform produced for Urban Africa Risk Knowledge (Urban ARK) [https://www.urbanark.org/] ESRC/DFID Grant No. ES/L008777/1.

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