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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Placemaking Week: Can Nairobi create “Places’ out of ‘Spaces’?
Over 30 community groups and professional organizations came together from the 15th to 19th of November 2017 for the second consecutive year to organize what is now the annual “Nairobi Placemaking Week. Although the term “placemaking is still strange to the ordinary city resident, there is nevertheless a deep appreciation and understanding among citizens of the […]
Nairobi City: Moving Backwards in Mobility and Access?
The City of Nairobi is believed to experience some of the longest personal travel time periods globally. This situation applies regardless of the means used; public, private or non motorized. The result is perennial delays in public and personal schedules, time wastage in transit, human stress and occasional accidents as road users try to force […]
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 […]
#MjiWetu: Do Walls improve the Security of our City?
Slightly over two decades ago, most residential fences in middle class areas of Nairobi consisted of natural trees like cypress or key-apple. For a city that doesn’t drain well, this manner of fencing greatly benefited it during the wet season, providing adequate paths for rainwater to flow towards the many small rivers that pass through […]
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 […]
