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 […]
‘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 […]
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 […]
Interview: The State of Urban Planning in Nairobi
NTV Kenya’s Victoria Rubadiri conducts an interview on ‘The State of Urban Planning in Nairobi.’ The interview appeared live on NTV Kenya on the 16th of January 2018
Upper Hill, Nairobi: Growing as Africa’s Financial Capital!
Nairobis Upper Hill District is a slightly elevated highland area in Nairobi that borders the hot and dry Kapiti plains. In the early 20th Century, it was established as a serene residential area, then known as “The Hill area, for senior railway staff. As the city has grown and expanded, Upper Hill has gradually transformed […]
#MjiWetu: Mixed Land Use is not Random Land Use
Recent trends in urban development have encouraged cities to transform in a more “people oriented approach. This trend places emphasis on the importance of cities to be commuter friendly (walkability and connectivity), environmentally sustainable and to create opportunities for human interaction and cohesion. A strong sense of place in cities and communities has also emerged. All […]
Nairobi: Mixed Use Zones are Redefining the City
Both Homer Hoyt’s Sector Theory of Urban Development and Ernest Burgess’ Concentric Zone Theory highlight how cities grow outward from a core district (the Central Business District) towards the periphery with distinct land use zones. Without good land use management, cities run the risk of growing too far out, a concept known as urban sprawl. Sprawl […]
Is Nairobi Central Business District DEAD?
The Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) has undergone a gradual transformation in the last few years that has seen it turn into a large bus yard and parking area for public transit vehicles (towards the east), a queuing zone for authorized buses (around the centre) and a large taxi park (towards the west). Retail stores […]
Nairobi, Kenya, faces a Growing Challenge of Noise Pollution
Noise Pollution is defined as a form and level of environmental sound that is generally considered likely to annoy, distract or even harm other people. The sounds we hear become noise when they are unwanted, that is, when they interfere with thinking, concentrating, working, talking, listening, or sleeping. By virtue of rapid and continuous growth, […]
Any Future for Nairobi’s Dandora Dump Site?
The Dandora Municipal waste dumping site is Nairobi’s main (and only official) solid waste disposal site. The former quarry comprises a 30 acre expanse located to the east of Nairobi, about 8 kilometers from the city centre. The dumpsite is surrounded by both working class estates like Kariobangi North, Dandora and Babadogo as well the […]
