Nairobians walk narrow paths

When rain pounded Nairobi and floods raged a few days ago, thousands of city residents got stuck in traffic for hours.

Many of them got home well past midnight. But that was not the first time Nairobians were swallowing the bitter pill of the capital’s traffic.

Estimated to cost the economy $1 billion (Sh95 billion), traffic in the city is an ever-present phenomenon - and one that does not occur only when it rains. And it does not seem to go away despite many efforts — like the recent closing of major roundabouts — to ease congestion in the city.

So what ails Nairobi’s traffic flow? According to experts, the main cause is insufficient allocation of land to streets and public spaces.

A new book titled Streets as Public Spaces and Drivers of Urban Prosperity, researched and authored by Dr Gora Mboup, the President and CEO of The Global Observatory Linking Research to Action Corp, says Nairobi city has allocated a mere 11.5 per cent of its land to streets.

This, it says, is far much below the minimum percentage of land that a city like Nairobi requires to develop and provide essentially services to its residents. “The result of little land allocation is few streets and intersections, and the few that exist have not been designed and maintained well,” says Mboup.

The research observes that allocating enough land to streets ensures sustainable, inclusive and prosperous city. “A well connected street network expands multi-modal transport systems, eases eco-efficiency of infrastructural systems, supports density through integrated infrastructure development and economic development, and promotes social interaction, resilience, peace and security,” it says, noting that big cities like Nairobi need at least 20 per cent of land for streets.

Elijah Agevi, a housing and urban planning development expert and CEO of Research Triangle Africa, says that currently, issues bedevilling Nairobi like congestion and flooding are as a result of inadequate land allocations to public spaces.

Agevi argues the city needs to be allocated at least 25 per cent of land for public spaces: “These are not just public open spaces. They are so important because they enable people to exercise their right to the city:”

He cites New York, London, Toronto, Paris, Athens, and Barcelona, as cities thart have allocated sufficient land to streets. “When happiness indices are conducted in developed countries , things that make people happy are great public spaces: Places that are well connected, well managed, places that people feel they own.”

Quality of life

Quality of live associated with health and safety is high with proper connectivity.

But Wafula Nabutola, a building surveyor and the outgoing president of Commission 8 at FIG (International Federation of Surveyors) says land allocation to public space can vary from 15 per cent to 80 per cent. Nabutola blames current limited public spaces in the city to conversion of originally public space into private use, and the archaic urban design. He says initially, Nairobi had been allocated enough land for public spaces.

“Today, instead of building control officers opening up public space or retaining the little there is, are approving more and more compact developments,” he says.

He also accuses planners, saying they have been around when virtually the city was being messed up. They have ignored Kenyan populace who are the biggest shareholders on this country, he says.

“Lack of public spaces leads to disenfranchisement of the citizens, ill public health, and wastage of resources in terms of fuel, time, calm and disgrace,” he says.

The current jammed public spaces shows there a need for them. Unfortunately, there is ‘clique’ of people who sees public spaces as a waste of resources. They warn that putting up buildings everywhere does not augur well for city residents.

Agevi says that public spaces can be good tourist attraction if we make them beautiful.

He cites the “sunken car park on Aga Khan Walk” as a good example of a public space that people and their children look forward to visiting on Sundays to skate, or spectate: “We can have several of such, with each specialising in a particular activity.”

He says there is a lot of land ... “if we want to redo public spaces ... Looking at the masterplan of 1948 based on garden city planning, a lot of spaces had been allocated:”

Also, the 1973 masterplan clearly indicated bypasses, ring roads and where the growth was supposed to be. The land that was left became a dumping ground, and target for grabbing. It can be reclaimed, he adds.

“People who are being moved need not be compensated and should instead be asked how they acquired these parcels of public land. The bypasses being built today were earmarked for construction in the early 70s,” says Agevi.

He says that the Ndung’u Land Commission report was explicit about those issues: “There is a need to implement the report’s recommendations. We would rather hurt a few people today, for the future functionality of the city.”

Mboup says that many African cities have motorised streets and therefore pedestrians have to look for their own space. And that is how we end up with many accidents.

Promote walking

“Lack of bicycle and pedestrian paths is causing many accidents,” he says. Experts say that in the developed world, streets have sufficient land allocated, have paved sidewalks, are well-maintained and street norms and regulations are enforced.

“Since we have majority of people walking, there is a need to cater for that larger population,” he says, noting that by promoting walking and cycling, the incidence of obesity and other lifestyle diseases will decrease.

Mboup explains there isn’t need to demolish buildings that already exist.

“Redesign the street, sidewalks, and put up signs. Secondly, put in proper regulations and laws, and enforce them,” he says, adding: “Advocate for efficient public transport that will ease the use of small vehicles jamming the roads. For instance, efficient public transport has reduced traffic jams in Lagos and Johannesburg.”

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