Research Interests: Urban public spaces and micro-economies, Street vending and informal economies, Slum upgrading and urban resilience, Post-disaster recovery and resettlement planning, Urban governance and participatory planning, Tourism and urban development, Social innovation in the built environment, Refugee integration and displacement planning, Livelihood strategies for vulnerable urban groups, Collaboration between universities, local governments, and communities.
Dr. Andrew Gilbert Were, is a Lecturer and Urban Planner from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Makerere University – Uganda. He coordinates research and graduate studies. He specializes in how streets and public spaces are valorized and the capacity of street spaces to generate livelihood bases for youths and other vulnerable groups in the city micro-economy. His other tutorials and publications have covered tourism and planning, urban informality, slum upgrading, urban governance and management, resilience & risk reduction, post disaster & resettlement planning and action planning, with a focus on how urban managers can improve living conditions of vulnerable groups. He sits on the EPIC-N Board, which promotes a philosophy that enables collaboration between Local Governments, Universities and Communities to solve contemporary challenges. He has also consulted with the World Bank and UN-Habitat on selected development projects that involved refugees and slum dwellers. He is a member of Kampala Metropolitan Development Forum (KMDF).
Were, A. G., Mukiibi, S., Majale, M., & Nawangwe, B. (2024). Social innovation of workplaces in the built environment: How public spaces have become central workplaces – Lessons from Kampala City, Uganda. In Werna, E. & Ofori, G. (Eds). Routledge Handbook on Labour in Construction and Human Settlements. The Built Environment at Work. (Chap. 15, pp. 263-275). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/
Were, A. G. et al. (2021). A spontaneous location theory and how street vendors acquire spaces. The Case Study of Kampala City – Uganda. International journal of Architecture and Urban Design. DOI 10.30495/IJAUD.2021.58555.
Were, A. G. et al. (2021). A moralist theory and persistence of street vending. The case study of Kampala city – Uganda. Published in Proceedings Book of the 7. International Istanbul Scientific Research Congress via this link:
https://drive.google.com/file/
Were, A. G. (2009). Rising to Urban Opportunities. How Low Income Households and Groups Respond to Opportunities, Master Entitlements and Develop Entrepreneurship Skills. Master’s Thesis. Norwegian University of Science and Technology Press. Trondheim, Norway. Retrieved from https://ntnuopen.ntnu.no/ntnu-