Projects and Events
Center of Excellence – Volvo Research and Educational Foundations
Nairobi Project
Jump to:
• The Context
• The Concept
• CSUD Structure and Timeline
- Phase 1: 2005 - 2006
- Phase 2: 2006 to 2008
- Phase 3: 2007 - 2009
• The Future
Africa is urbanizing at an incredible pace, much faster rate than many other regions in the world. It is a timely moment to study the process of African urbanization and to implement a strategy for this new urbanization. CSUD chose to articulate this project around the following question: how to provoke a policy change toward urban areas at the national government level, through local authorities? This question is the core of CSUD’s work in Nairobi, particularly though the pilot urban planning project in Ruiru, Kenya, to influence a transport policy at the metropolitan scale of Nairobi region. Ruiru is a satellite city of Nairobi and CSUD believes the important work in Ruiru will ultimately lead to the creation of an urbanization template with a social element for other African cities, thus establishing a context for studying the larger urbanization process in the Global South.
Any undertaking of this level means considering an urban planning policy in the Nairobi metropolitan area within the larger political climate in Kenya, and through the geographic and social contexts. These external factors influence the current environment as well as the final results and plan that will come from the work on the ground.
The Political Context
The Kenyan situation is attractive because of active government reforms and the presence of a democratic system since 2002. The reformed democratic government opened the door for greater citizen participation, something CSUD considers essential in its work, as well as increased transparency in the decision-making process of community projects. Extending beyond the local level, there is also the strong desire to maintain Nairobi’s position as the hub for East Africa as well as expanding that role to other realms. Internationally, this means greater participation from the international donor community, with particular focus on Africa as the center of funding, as well as placing Africa at the top of the international agenda for development in general. The establishment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has set the groundwork for this shift and we believe it will continue to push the funding and focus of international development on Africa.
The Geographic and Social Context
In order to redefine urban areas in general, planners must also redefine the relationship between urban and rural areas; defining the economic and social links between the rural and the urban becomes essential to understand the new African city. The formation of a “buffer zone” in peri-urban areas is the dominant development trend currently, reaching the highest urban growth rates in the world. As cities play a necessary and increasingly important role in society; this large role complicates the idea of boundaries and other limiting definitions. Thus the task of defining an urban area must be a reflection of geography, society, economy and polity; and each definition results in a unique character.
Defining the African City necessitates identifying strong trends specific to the African context, such as issues of access, mobility and public space, and linking what those issues mean to individuals, as well as the greater good of society, with the goal of sustained economic development. This definition of an African City must be shaped by African planners and community groups together while continuously communicating with existing institutions.
As part of this defining process, there will need to be a group of urban planners in Africa willing to participate, carry-on the work, and pass on the learning process to future planners. Training the new generation of planners also means fostering an environment where future generations of planners can emerge in East Africa. This shift in the urban planning field requires investment in acquiring and using new technologies, as well as crossing political and social borders to share experiences within the South and learn from them. This group of African planners collaborating on urban projects will be the groundwork for a representative process that can lead to not only the definition of a new African city that Africans can identify with, but also to an environment where urban issues can continue to be addressed as situations change.
CSUD’s strategy for the Nairobi Region Project uses an integrated model based on Columbia University’s resources and the “quasi-neutral” status of the academic world to leverage this knowledge and skill-set within the Kenyan planning context. This means integrating three program components: education, research and implementation. Using the tripartite of education, research and implementation, CSUD hopes to strengthen local efforts at capacity building, thus gaining access to information and knowledge, and establishing a definition of an African urban policy that could be carried on and sustained by the Kenyan team.
Through this project CSUD plans to participate in planning capacity building by promoting exchanges between professors and students from the North and the South. As part of this education process, planners need to focus on training technicians in public health to incorporate environmental factors in the planning process. It has been proven that environmental factors in increased urbanization will continue to not only affect Africa, but the entire world. Also, sharing education acquisition will be done through seminars on specific urban management subjects to flesh-out some of the areas that may be more region or city specific. Finally, there will be training on modeling software so that a forward-looking process can be initiated.
This process requires increased access to information and knowledge which can be achieved through cooperation and communication between the North and the South so that resources are available and used in the South. Relaying information between different projects and regions will also emphasize the importance of a push towards more enforcement of an African knowledge network through the professional and intellectual streams. Strengthening the African knowledge network will also reinforce South-South linkages in general thereby greatly increasing the ability for each project to learn from others’ achievements, setbacks and experiences. Such an interactive and open process can lead the way to joint publications about project work in the South and a groundbreaking environment of knowledge sharing based on the Global South.
As this new phase in the process of African urbanization evolves, African cities are struggling to find means to identify a solution, but first a new set of criteria for African cities is necessary using planning, policy and programmatic work. Again, the integration of an African knowledge network will ease this process of identifying the African city as different African cities establish a general set of similarities, thus determining the framework for an identification, and securing the urban network in Africa. Furthermore, international cooperation in this process is vital and this means active participation by international institutions in the network and the process. The ultimate goal is to organize a South-South urban axis that reaches a general consensus on the definition of an African urban policy.
CSUD is currently one of six designated Centers of Excellence supported by the Volvo Research and Educational Foundations (VREF). CSUD brings together expertise from Columbia University as well as introducing partners from other Centers of Excellence and various local partners to provide research and educational background into the creation of urban planning processes and practices. CSUD hopes that research, education and implementation points will provide a solid foundation for the local partners to build local identity and capacity on their own, and even extend the network toward the continent. There are three phases to this project: phase 1 runs from 2005 to 2006, phase 2 runs from 2006 to 2008, and phase 3 runs from 2007 to 2009.
Phase 1 was the first step toward an interdisciplinary study crossing borders and academic fields to address a growing global problem. CSUD took the variety of elements in the social and academic contexts, and decided that the format of a Joint Design Studio with the participation of the University of Nairobi Department of Urban and Regional Planning (DURP) as well as Columbia University was a fitting collaborative environment to meet the research, education and implementation elements of the program. On November 11, 2005 a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between CSUD and DURP in order to strengthen the academic linkage between Columbia University and Nairobi. This MOU articulated both partners’ expectations and also solidified the relationship while ensuring active participation from the local partners. CSUD continues to establish working relationships between itself and any local partner with such letters of understanding but the primary local partner remains the University of Nairobi a at all levels of CSUD’s activities.
Joint Studios
In the spring of 2006, DURP students participated with CU graduate students from the School of Urban Planning, School of International and Public Affairs, and the Mailman School of Public Health in a joint studio dedicated to planning in Ruiru. The joint studios are a means of taking our ideas and encouraging future generations to think about global issues surrounding urbanization; CSUD believes such student participation from Columbia University and the University of Nairobi lays the groundwork for a new generation of urban planners, global health scholars and a more connected community. The purpose of the joint studios was to address urban problems as they currently exist: global, interconnected and multi-disciplinary. Moreover, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will not be met unless they are done so within the major cities of Sub-Saharan Africa by building the local capacity. Addressing this new problem means that academic institutions must be global, inter-connected and multi-disciplinary in response if the MDG challenge is to be met. The joint effort between Columbia and the University of Nairobi is a pilot project for making these important academic connections.
The format of the joint studios is to have one site, in this case Ruiru – the Ruiru Municipal Council being the client – and two different academic institutions, Columbia University and University of Nairobi, tackling the overall issue of urbanization in Africa through a variety of academic disciplines: urban planning, international and public affairs, and public health. Once the academic teams have worked in continuous consultation with the Ruiru Municipal Council, joint presentations to the local stakeholders provide the research teams’ results and lay out options to the Ruiru officials, residents and other interested parties.
Through this interdisciplinary process of research and analysis in the field, CSUD and its partners also began outlining the strategic steps necessary in the Ruiru urban planning process as well as work on a larger metropolitan planning process for Nairobi region. The 2006 joint design studio was preceded by white papers on issues surrounding urban planning in Nairobi, particularly infrastructure and air quality, in order to highlight the issues to the students teams. CSUD has taken the preliminary research for the joint design studios and incorporated both into a larger analysis of Ruiru’s urban development. Secondly, CSUD is currently working on building upon research done on air quality issues in Nairobi by securing additional support of an analysis on air quality at Nairobi’s metropolitan scale. Our ultimate goal is to create an air quality diagnostic and monitoring system to tackle the extremely high morbidity rates attributed to respiratory diseases. This public health piece is to leverage the need for a transportation policy at Nairobi’s metropolitan scale that would address issues of housing, economic development, security, image of the city, etc.
Networking
As CSUD began its work on the Nairobi Project, it took great efforts to establish a broad network of important stakeholders representing the various public, private and non-governmental entities (as well as the media) with a vested interest in the area and work to be done. Several Kenyan Ministries are participating in the Ruiru project including the Ministry of Lands, Ministry of Housing, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Local Government, Ministry of Roads and the Ministry of Finance. The large number of Kenyan Ministry participants illustrates the inter-disciplinary nature of such urban planning projects. At the local government level, the Nairobi City Council, the Thikka District, and the Ruiru Municipal Council are all active in the Ruiru Project and have assisted CU researchers on the ground. This active participation from the local government demonstrates the level of support at the local level for the project. From the private sector, several firms are represented including the Nairobi Water Company, the Nairobi Water Services Board, the Nairobi Central Business Association, the Matatu Welfare Association, the Matatu Owners Association, and the Kenya Bus Company. Again, the variety of businesses represented show the inter-connectedness of such urban planning projects that affect nearly every aspect of a resident’s life from basic issues of dwellings and water supply to transportation and employment issues.
CSUD is greatly encouraged by the wealth of research centers, NGOs and media officials involved in the project including the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA), Kenyatta University, the Kenyan Institute of Planners, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), Pamoja Trust, the Research Triangle Africa, independent experts and journalists. The strength of these research centers is the backbone of capacity building efforts, as well as the establishment of a South-South and North-South axis where knowledge and experience can be recorded and spread globally on different projects in various areas. Moreover the knowledge and expertise they bring to the Nairobi Project also solidifies the results that CSUD garners from the project. The numerous international institutions and funders invested in the region also have an interest in this Ruiru Project and have been welcome contributors to the background knowledge of the area including UN-HABITAT, the World Bank, Agence Francaise de Developpement, East Africa Community, and the Rockefeller Foundation.
As phase 1 of CSUD’s work drew to a close, it was necessary to take the vital research and knowledge that had been acquired and integrate it into a format easily presented to the local stakeholders. This was the seed for the Development of an Integrated Urban Plan (IUP) which incorporates a Ruiru Strategic Development Plan as well as including Metropolitan Planning. Developing an IUP is a long and time-consuming process that must evaluate a large range of data, include residents’ issues, and emphasize a forward-thinking process. CSUD has introduced five stages to the full development of the Ruiru Integrated Urban Plan: setting the network framework, holding joint studios, leveraging the academic work, increasing community participation, and delivering the IUP.
Stage 1
CSUD established the network framework as part of phase 1, but also understands this is an ongoing process of cultivating relationships while continuing to identify the needs of the Ruiru Municipal Council (RMC) both in terms of delivering and also planning information and education as part of this process. Once those needs were stated, then a letter of intent between CSUD/DURP and the Ministry of Lands was established in 2005 and renewed in 2006. Secondly, another letter of intent was created between CSUD/DURP and the Ruiru Municipal Council. Finally, there is constant contact and consultation with all the stakeholders to ensure proper progression on the project.
Stage 2
Also as part of phase 1, CSUD worked hard to ensure that the work and results from the Joint Studios would produce evidence and results beneficial to the creation of an IUP. Now that the academic work has taken shape, CSUD is working to leverage the academic work which requires merging and formatting the studios’ outcomes into a group of ideas establishing a theme in the IUP. Leveraging the academic work also means expanding upon certain research areas that seem particularly relevant to the establishment of an adequate IUP.
Stage 3 - Research Capacity
CSUD has taken the initial research work and expanded on two major themes as part of the IUP urban planning project: transport and air quality. The transport modeling component will result in the development of a model for the Nairobi Metropolitan area, as well as follow-up training seminars to extend the model for further research and implementation in educational programs at the Kenyan level. CSUD is working with DURP on creating several transport models for the Nairobi Metropolitan Area representing the different possible scenarios. CSUD has contracted with another Volvo Center of Excellence, University of California, Berkeley, to work on the research aspect of the transport data. CSUD and DURP have also established a letter of intent with KIPPRA to collaborate on gaining access to transport data as part of the modeling process. In addition to the various transport models, there will also be several training seminars held at KIPPRA and the University of Nairobi.
The second area of advanced research will be air quality monitoring. This particular venue of research is also expected to lead to an Air Quality Modeling type for the Nairobi Metropolitan Area as well as training seminars. CSUD and DURP have contracted with the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University to work on an air quality monitoring system for the Nairobi Metropolitan Area which could also be applied to other areas in Africa. As part of this creation of an air quality monitoring system, CSUD and DURP will partner with KIPPRA again following the same model than for the transportation piece to ensure the sustainability of the training and monitoring.
Stage 4
Once the additional research and results have been gathered, CSUD has ensured that the work and the strategic development plan will be presented to the Ruiru Municipal Council with ample time and resources for feedback from the community. It is also important to assess and record the comments and reactions from the Ruiru Municipal Council. Finally, there needs to be continued consultation with all the stakeholders.
The emphasis on community feedback, from the, local government, private and non-governmental organizations, maintains a connection with the pulse of the community. However, CSUD found that adequate community participation required a setting where the local partners would be open and willing to communicate their ideas and understand the planning process. CSUD decided that setting focus groups for the five wards and one general focus group would achieve this result as a first large consultative effort. This consultative effort was lead by the Ruiru Municipal Council and helped build the legitimacy of the planning process. Secondly, there was great attention paid to the scientific recording of the process and methodology. Once these reactions were recorded from the focus groups, then the outcomes from the focus groups are to be submitted in a final document.
Stage 5
As part of delivering the strategic development plan CSUD plans to present it to several important government agencies for feedback and the RMC will present it to the Ministry of Lands following the procedure from the Kenyan Planning Act. RMC will present the plan to the community and people of Ruiru during the 60-day period of feedback required by the Planning Act to ensure full understanding and communication regarding this planning initiative. Moreover, there will be an important seminar on Metropolitan Planning with all the stakeholders where RMC will present its experience of the planning process. Finally, we will continue to record the outcomes of the seminar for the Metropolitan Planning Board, which reports to the President of Kenya directly, an authority newly created to take on this specific task.
Phase 3 of the Nairobi Project will entail taking the proposed IUP through the implementation process with original and new funding mechanisms. Secondly, such exciting work, as well as the entire learning process, needs to be presented to the development world in a forum where those lessons can be used as a sounding board for continued learning and collaboration.
In order to truly implement the IUP, CSUD will need to assist the local community with finding a means of financing the Ruiru IUP. Making the IUP attractive to possible funders through ‘manageable’ funding phases and identifying “urban funding agencies” is a tactic often used with such large-scale projects. But CSUD is also looking into possibilities to fund the Ruiru IUP with full Kenyan resources. A beneficial means of advertising the IUP will include focusing on the documentation of the process and publishing those results for the global community to see. The documentation will not only be a wealth of information for the development world, but it will also be insightful to those governments. CSUD believes that the work achieved through the Nairobi Project can lead to policy recommendations for local and central governments in the Global South.
The larger context for CSUD’s work is to help develop and initiate an institutionalized process into local and international networks that will achieve a broader goal of reaching the MDGs in Africa. The results of CSUD’s research and partnerships will include transport modeling scenarios, an air quality monitoring system, and education/training programs; all of which will be extremely helpful to rapidly expanding urban areas in the developing world. The documentation of the project process and evaluation is key to future researchers, planners and officials and the lessons learned will be put toward the development of a tool kit to organize community participation in future undertakings.
International Conference
The major culminating event for CSUD will be an international conference to be held in Nairobi focusing on the New Frontiers of Planning. One of the highlights of this international conference will be the presentation of the Nairobi Project and how that work can be applied to Africa and the Global South. The conference objectives will include an environment for sharing experiences with open access to information, as well as discussion of similar projects, addressing the question of scaling-up small projects, and the creation of publications and recommendations. The materials CSUD will produce include outcomes from the CSUD Nairobi Project, several documented processes, and other cases. The format of the conference will consist of a 3-day workshop with presentations, discussions and consultations. CSUD envisions a broad range of participants including representatives from VREF, from other VREF Centers of Excellence, from the University of Nairobi, Kenyan stakeholders, other African stakeholders, individuals from other UN agencies, staff from other development agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private foundations.
The work CSUD is currently undertaking in Nairobi is just one element of a broader theme the group plans to continue to investigate. Urbanization of Africa is a key issue that not only opens a door to the end of poverty but also raises the issue of sustainable and clean development. CSUD believes that there is an important role for the academic world by not only sharing knowledge but also training future generations. Projects such as this one can contribute to this debate raising the question of how to link the knowledge of community groups with the governmental level in order to institutionalize processes.
Project Manager:
Julie Touber
jtouber@ei.columbia.edu
Project Contact:
Jennifer Schumacher-Kocik
JSchumacherKocik@ei.columbia.edu