The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. It aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Hope for Slums proposes an innovative approach and masterplan that contributes to the achievements of Agenda 2030. The Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya is used as a test bed.
City of Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital city of Kenya and lies at the southern end of Kenya’s agricultural heartland. The city currently experiences overwhelming housing demand particularly in the middle and low-income categories although output has favored the moderate and high income markets. This high demand is supported by a stable macroeconomic environment and continued infrastructural improvements. Therefore, private rental investment is lucrative and private landlords dominate the housing market in the city with rental accommodation being the main form of housing.
Nairobi has experienced uneven spatial development since the colonial era, creating social exclusion of the urban poor (and residents of informal settlements) through urban design and land-use decisions which cater mostly for the middle- and upper-class citizens severely limiting the space that is currently available to the urban poor.
Kibera Slum
Kibera is one of the largest slums in Africa with an average population of approximately 200,000 people. Kibera is located approximately 5 km southwest of Nairobi City centre and stands on 2.5 km2. The slum is divided into 13 villages—Kianda, Soweto West, Raila, Gatwekera, Kisumu Ndogo, Makina, Kicchinjio, Kambi Muru, Mashimoni, Lindi, Laini Saba, Silanga and Soweto East. Buildings in the Kibera slum are mostly mud-walled and are roofed with corrugated iron sheets. One structure contains several single rooms of approximately 12 ft by 12 ft, each occupied by a single household.
Most of the residents in Kibera live in abject poverty and rely heavily on their engagement with the city’s informal economic sector, particularly buying and selling goods in local markets [17] and within the slum. Others work in either Nairobi’s city centre, Nairobi’s industrial area, or as domestic servants in Nairobi’s affluent estates near Kibera. Because of Kibera’s central locality, most residents walk to these places of work.
Kibera Slum Bitesize Videos
Watch the video below for a brief introduction to Kibera’s characteristics by Dr Bernard Nzau, Land Economist, Kenya.
Watch the video below for an introduction to Nairobi’s property market by Dr Bernard Nzau, Land Economist, Kenya.
Hope For Slums: Kibera 2030 