The second United Nations Habitat Assembly took place in Nairobi from June 5 – 9. Reuben Kyama attended the high-profile event which ended by adopting a historical resolution.
To get cities back on track to avoid building towards a climate crisis, actions must start today. Donovan Storey and Etta Madete Mukuba on sustainable design principles, alternative building materials, and technologies.
Leave on one behind is a catchy phrase which is used in various contexts so often that one might forget it is also a promise. One that is unfulfilled, Franka Bernreiter argues and reminds us that neither slums nor the responsibility to create sustainable cities are exclusive to the Global South.
Access to affordable and clean water cannot be taken for granted in Nairobi's neighbourhood of Mathare. Gacheke Gachihi outlines the structural changes needed to guarantee affordable water for all.
Playing is learning – and a way to teach young children the principles of sustainable urban development. The Toy Library Association of Kenya wants every child and every educational facility to have access to tools for playful education for sustainable development. By Lilian A. Oloo
Nairobi is recognised to be among the rapidly urbanising and growing economies in East and Central Africa. Eunice Jimmy reviews the city's spatial, economic, and social structure, uncovering its dual nature of formal/informal, planned/unplanned, and connected/disconnected fragments, hence Nairobi's spatial fragmentation.
Public spaces are more important than ever – and cities need to find ways to co-create spaces that are accessible for everyone. Public Space Network meets this challenge by spearheading community-based transformation in Nairobi. By Ivy Njambi Maina
Resilience needs to be a priority in shaping the post-pandemic future, argues David Jácome-Pólit, outlining the advantages of system-thinking in urban planning.
High density and poor building materials make informal settlements extremely prone to fire hazards. The Nairobi-based enterprise Kwangu Kwako has developed a housing model that, while being truly affordable, increases fire resilience and thus positively affects many aspects of residents' lives.
The number of children living in urban areas is on the rise. However, this is not reflected in cities' infrastructures. Rapid development is shrinking the amount of suitable and safe play areas for children. Using Nairobi as an example, Peninah Ndegwa, founder of Wow Mom Kenya, reflects on why and how cities should become more child-friendly.
From 27-31 May 2019, the first UN-Habitat assembly is taking place in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi. Reuben Kyama reports directly from the conference.
An oft mentioned phrase in development parlance is “think globally, act locally”. Yet, when the change we seek is improved livelihoods globally, is local action enough? Doug Ragan, Rolf Wichmann, and Raphael Obonyo claim that local action is critical yet can’t be done in isolation of national and international realities. In their article, they explore different interventions that can be utilised to address the issue of improving youth livelihoods through interventions from the local to the global.
"LivelyHoods" forges economic opportunities for youth and women in Kenyan slums – while at the same time promoting clean energy. What are the project's success factors and what challenges does it face?
Until today, women around the world experience harassment and even assault when moving in public spaces, including on public transport services. In Nairobi, Kenya, the Flone Initiative is combatting gender-based violence by supporting victims, and by training service providers to effectively prevent behaviour that compromises women’s safety and right to mobility.
