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FINAL PROJECT NAIROBI

UMDSU 1 Planning and Designing a Liveable Neighbourhood

Introduction

 

“[...] there is more land allocated for golf courses in Nairobi than there is for housing. It is pertinent to know that 25% of land in Nairobi city is occupied by low density development” Maduke, J. 2012 Director, International Union of NGO’s (IUN)

 

The Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure have confirmed the statement presented by a coalition of civic organizations, which indicated that land designated for housing for inhabitants of Nairobi is far less than land assigned for golfing activities in the city.

 

Despite being the youngest in the region, Nairobi is the largest city in East Africa. With over 3.2 million inhabitants, 75% of whom are living in areas classified as slums, it has experienced one of the highest urban growth rates in Africa. The slums only cover 5% of the entire city. The high number of slum dwellers can be closely linked to the enormous housing deficit for middle to low income earners in Nairobi.

 

 

In April 2012, under the directive of the Mayor of Nairobi, the ministries above mentioned were asked to set up a taskforce to look into changing land use in Nairobi. After much deliberation and negotiations with key politicians, organizations, corporations and the patron members of the Royal Nairobi Golf Course (RNGC), it was agreed upon and promulgated that the golf course that is located in a key location in Nairobi city should be opened up for development by changing its use from “private recreational” to “housing”.

 

This was a conditional agreement, as a few conditions had to be met, which included that the RNGC management be part of the team that selects the neighbourhood designs that is implemented and that the club house be preserved (left intact) as it is a historical site. The club house building should continue to be used as a club for the former members of the RNGC and parts of it is to be turned into a museum showing the history of golf in Kenya and finally a certain portion of land area be preserved and used as an open park.

Goal

To plan and design the newly opened Royal Nairobi Golf Course for human settlement and create a livable neighbourhood, with mixed income use residents and mixed uses like commerce, housing and service) that uses sustainable measures and preserves the existing vegetation, with accessibility for all. 

 

During the realisation of this change in land use, a number of conditions must be met:
1. The fence that separates the golf course from the slum known as Kibera must be removed.
2. The new neighbourhood must be well connected to the city.
3. The new settlement cannot be a gated community.
4. The club house that belonged to the golf course should be preserved.
5. As the club house which is over 100 years old and a heritage site which dates back to the visit of King George V and marks the history of the golf course in Kenya, should have parts converted into a museum.
6. At least 10 per cent of the residents on the newly developed land should be from Kibera and living in unsafe conditions.
7. The rare and special plant species found on the golf course should be protected.

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