Once again thanks to your loyal readership, this blog has been nominated in the Kenyan blog Awards by the Bloggers Association of Kenya under the category ‘Best Environmental Blog’ Please your vote by following this link: https://vote.bakeawards.co.ke/vote Thank you for your comments and feedback!
Terrorism: A Key thought on Urban Resilience
Cities and towns offer people better lifestyles but their organic nature also heralds an unparalleled diversity of challenges. Cities experience extremes in poverty indices, environmental concerns such as air quality, river and riparian preservation, security concerns at personal and social levels, and varied mobility needs. These dynamics contribute to various levels of stresses on the […]
The Otherwise Podcast Episode 77: The Problem With Our Roads
The Otherwise Podcast looks at ways of understanding and possibly changing the situation in Kenya. As the guest in this weeks’ episode we looked at ‘Road Safety and Urban Planning.’ This followed the recent directive by the Ministries of Transport and Interior. We discussed the aspects of the paratransit industry, link between land use management […]
Putting People at the Core of Design
In today’s world it is common for us to associate cities with features like buildings, roads, cars and spaces. It is, however, important that we don’t forget the most important element in a city – its citizens. What is a city without its citizens? Probably a ‘lost city’ or ‘abandoned ruins’. Yet, more often than […]
Africa: Only 2 BRTs North of Limpopo and South of the Sahara!
The recent increase in Africa’s urban motorized population has brought about several discussions on the need for sustainable and inclusive urban mobility. Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Aerial Cable Cars, Monorail, Metro Systems and improved Non-Motorized Transport are now common terms in African newsrooms and professional transport conversations. Unlike cities in other parts of the world, […]
‘Riparian’ and ‘Regeneration’ – The new words in Nairobi City
The City of Nairobi has recently undertaken a vigorous initiative aimed at reclaiming wetlands. This is part of a wider city regeneration campaign by the Central Government. The campaign includes improving of the urban transport system, affordable housing and cleaning the Nairobi River basin. The strategy is well intentioned although critics disagree with the manner […]
NTV Press Pass: Riparian Demolitions or No Demolitions?
As the Nairobi Riprian Area Demolitions continue, Mark Masai hosted Constant Cap an urban planner, Emma Miloyo – President, Architectural Association of Kenya, Vincent Ng’ethe Deputy Editor Kenya, Africa check and Dr. Lawrence Esho Chair of Kenya Institute of Planners on how the media has covered the riparian land issues and the ongoing demolitions and if […]
Riparian Lands: Nairobi starts demolitions
Short Discussion on Citizen TV The City of Nairobi has started demolishing constructions on Riparian lands. Riparian zones are vegetated strips of land on each side of a watercourse or adjacent to a water body. The laws on riparian lands give a range of 6m to 30m for rivers. The distance oceans, lakes and dams […]
Modal Shift in Nairobi City – Bus Rapid Transit or Not?
A few months ago, a Senior Nairobi County Government official stated that ‘Bus Rapid Transit cannot work because of the current population of the city.’ The statement drew a lot of attention and debate among the urban planning and design community in the city. Coincidentally, it was made around the same time that the Nairobi […]
Can Creative Methods set the tone for Urban Planning?
The recent past has witnessed a mass influx of mega-projects in several African cities. Evidence of these are the by-passes, light rail services, mass housing schemes and highways coming up. The projects are mainly funded by foreign ‘development partners’ via loans or grants. However, it is clear that during this time there has been minimal […]
