diff --git a/packages/basemap/setup.py b/packages/basemap/setup.py
index 3a16d3d64..44b5d039a 100644
--- a/packages/basemap/setup.py
+++ b/packages/basemap/setup.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 import glob
 import warnings
 from setuptools import setup
-from setuptools import find_packages
+from setuptools import find_namespace_packages
 from setuptools.command.sdist import sdist
 from setuptools.extension import Extension
 
@@ -223,13 +223,10 @@ def run(self):
         "maps",
         "plots",
     ],
-    "namespace_packages": [
-        "mpl_toolkits",
-    ],
     "package_dir":
         {"": "src"},
     "packages":
-        find_packages(where="src"),
+        find_namespace_packages(where="src"),
     "ext_modules":
         ext_modules,
     "data_files":
diff --git a/packages/basemap/src/mpl_toolkits/__init__.py b/packages/basemap/src/mpl_toolkits/__init__.py
deleted file mode 100644
index b5cd40f18..000000000
--- a/packages/basemap/src/mpl_toolkits/__init__.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,6 +0,0 @@
-from __future__ import (absolute_import, division, print_function)
-
-try:
-    __import__('pkg_resources').declare_namespace(__name__)
-except ImportError:
-    pass # must not have setuptools
diff --git a/packages/basemap_data/setup.py b/packages/basemap_data/setup.py
index 2286b7419..42863fca7 100644
--- a/packages/basemap_data/setup.py
+++ b/packages/basemap_data/setup.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 import os
 import itertools
 from setuptools import setup
-from setuptools import find_packages
+from setuptools import find_namespace_packages
 
 
 def get_content(name, splitlines=False):
@@ -108,13 +108,10 @@ def get_content(name, splitlines=False):
         "maps",
         "plots",
     ],
-    "namespace_packages": [
-        "mpl_toolkits.basemap_data",
-    ],
     "package_dir":
         {"": "src"},
     "packages":
-        find_packages(where="src"),
+        find_namespace_packages(where="src"),
     "package_data": {
         "mpl_toolkits.basemap_data":
             data_files,
diff --git a/packages/basemap_data/src/mpl_toolkits/__init__.py b/packages/basemap_data/src/mpl_toolkits/__init__.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 02de4115d..000000000
--- a/packages/basemap_data/src/mpl_toolkits/__init__.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-try:
-    __import__('pkg_resources').declare_namespace(__name__)
-except ImportError:
-    pass  # must not have setuptools
diff --git a/packages/basemap_data/src/mpl_toolkits/basemap_data/__init__.py b/packages/basemap_data/src/mpl_toolkits/basemap_data/__init__.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 02de4115d..000000000
--- a/packages/basemap_data/src/mpl_toolkits/basemap_data/__init__.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-try:
-    __import__('pkg_resources').declare_namespace(__name__)
-except ImportError:
-    pass  # must not have setuptools
diff --git a/packages/basemap_data_hires/setup.py b/packages/basemap_data_hires/setup.py
index 5dc8009ad..9b8630ff5 100644
--- a/packages/basemap_data_hires/setup.py
+++ b/packages/basemap_data_hires/setup.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 import os
 import itertools
 from setuptools import setup
-from setuptools import find_packages
+from setuptools import find_namespace_packages
 
 
 def get_content(name, splitlines=False):
@@ -86,13 +86,10 @@ def get_content(name, splitlines=False):
         "maps",
         "plots",
     ],
-    "namespace_packages": [
-        "mpl_toolkits.basemap_data",
-    ],
     "package_dir":
         {"": "src"},
     "packages":
-        find_packages(where="src"),
+        find_namespace_packages(where="src"),
     "package_data": {
         "mpl_toolkits.basemap_data":
             data_files,
diff --git a/packages/basemap_data_hires/src/mpl_toolkits/__init__.py b/packages/basemap_data_hires/src/mpl_toolkits/__init__.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 02de4115d..000000000
--- a/packages/basemap_data_hires/src/mpl_toolkits/__init__.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-try:
-    __import__('pkg_resources').declare_namespace(__name__)
-except ImportError:
-    pass  # must not have setuptools
diff --git a/packages/basemap_data_hires/src/mpl_toolkits/basemap_data/__init__.py b/packages/basemap_data_hires/src/mpl_toolkits/basemap_data/__init__.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 02de4115d..000000000
--- a/packages/basemap_data_hires/src/mpl_toolkits/basemap_data/__init__.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-try:
-    __import__('pkg_resources').declare_namespace(__name__)
-except ImportError:
-    pass  # must not have setuptools