As urban areas continue to grow, so do their benefits and challenges. One major challenge that has become increasingly apparent in most emerging African cities is the growing gap between the rich and the poor. This phenomenon was vividly portrayed by the award winning AfricanDrones project entitled ‘Unequal Scenes.’ The project used drones to visually […]
Nairobi: Will the new boss make the city work?
Nairobi’s new administration under Governor Johnson Sakaja faces an uphill task at ensuring the just principles of Dignity, Equity and Diversity, Rights and Responsibilities, Democracy for the citizens. However, a lot is achievable.
Paratransit: A look at Nairobi’s Public Transport Relocation Plans
A major topic of discussion in Nairobi, Kenya, over the last few months revolves around the proposed relocation of paratransit vehicles (known as matatus in Kenya and minibus taxis in parts of the continent) to the fringes of the Central Business District (CBD). ‘Nairobi Metropolitan Services’ (NMS), the newly formed authority that has taken over […]
MIT CO-Lab: De-Colonizing Air Pollution
Follow this New conversation on Decolonizing Air Pollution Science in the context of different African countries! This Edition features the amazing Atmospheric Scientist Rebecca Garland, Epidemiologist Kofi Amegah, Scientist Noemi Tousignant and Urban Planner Constant Cap. Read the summary or listen to the whole episode! https://www.colab.mit.edu/colabradio-more/decolonize-science-ep4 Thanks @MITCoLab
CNBC Africa: COVID-19 exposes Africa’s urban planning challenges
Constant Cap talked to CNBC-Africa on some of the Planning and Mobility Challenges facing people in African Cities during Covid-19. He talked about efforts being put by Governments and further insights in the field. Click to watch. Share any feedback that you think can be passed to those in charge. #streetsforpeople
African Cities: Development Control and Zoning
The rate of Urban development in African cities is at levels never experienced before. Sub-Saharan Africa is the least urbanized region globally, however, it nevertheless has the highest rate of urbanization. Small towns, municipalities, cities and metropolises are expanding at extremely high rates. Only three decades ago, Nairobi had a population of slightly over 1 […]
No Progress without Accepting Prevailing SocioEconomic Conditions!
The Governor of Nairobi recently stated in a local talk show that it is his desire for Nairobi to be an ‘International City.’ This can be presumed to mean a city that is attractive to foreign investment, conferences and tourism. These attributes are not new to the City of Nairobi. A large percentage of Nairobi’s […]
Vote for This Blog: Best Environmental Blog
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 […]
