Town planning in Africa

An interview with Mairura Omwenga, International Society of City and Regional Planners (Isocarp) Coordinator, Africa Chapter.

By Peter Muiruri

1. As Isocarp’s Africa region coordinator, what are your duties?

Africa is the least urbanised at about 20-30 per cent, yet it is experiencing the highest rate of urbanisation in the world. Indeed, the United Nations has reported that Nakuru town is experiencing the highest rate of urbanisation in the world.

My duty is to oversee this urban development in Africa. This includes bringing together town planners to discuss and deliberate on town planning and development issues. The objective of Isocarp is to develop sustainable and livable cities and towns in Africa as well as sustainable rural and urban regions.

2. What then are the main challenges facing our urban centres today?

They include inadequate development planning and population growth without commensurate economic growth, resulting in low standards of living. Others are inadequate supply of housing and community services, insufficient infrastructure services, poor urban transport system, environmental pollution and degradation.

3. Given a chance, which one of these would you tackle first and why?

I would start by preparing the required development plans for all towns, cities and metropolitan regions then put in place effective governance and management systems. This is because adequate planning and governance systems form the foundation for sustainable town and country development.

4. How does Kenya compare with other countries in the region as far as urban planning is concerned?

It’s not impressive at all. Uganda, for example, recently prepared development plans for many of its towns. Kenya does not have updated and approved town development plans, even for main towns such as Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru.

This is in spite of Kenya having a better economy, a large pool of town planners and more training facilities. Kenya should be the leading country, considering that it is the home of UN-Habitat and United Nations Environment Programme (Unep).

5. Where is the disconnect?

There may be many qualified planners, but their input is not visible. The country had a better-planned system in the 1970s than now.

The Government has not placed planning as a priority in the development agenda and adequate resources have not been allocated. Many town and country planners remain unemployed yet demand for planning services is high.

6. How are Kenyan cities losing out economically due to poor planning?

Some newly planned mega cities like Johannesburg in South Africa are providing a more attractive investment climate because they are well planned and have functional governance and management systems.

Unplanned and poorly managed metro-regions like Nairobi continue to lose out on investment opportunities. Indeed, a number of investors have closed down business in Nairobi and relocated elsewhere in Africa — South Africa in particular.

7. Tell us some of Isocarp’s success stories in Africa...

For a long time, Isocarp activities were concentrated in Europe, but in the last three to five years it has made major strides in Africa. Some of its success activities include: The 2008 opening of a Nairobi liaison office to link up with UN-Habitat and UN agencies based here; the appointment of Isocarp’s coordinator for Africa region; the increase in membership in many African countries and of course the 46th Isocarp International Congress that was held in Nairobi in September, 2010 — the first of its kind in sub-Sahara Africa.

8. In what areas will Isocarp partner with Kenya as per the recent pledge made in Wuhan, China?

Isocarp will partner in many projects and in different sectors including: Preparation of national physical/spatial development plans, preparation of national and regional infrastructure and transport plans; review of policy on metro-regional development; urban planning and housing; development of data and information infrastructure system for planning; and the establishment of a training institute for capacity building at the University of Nairobi.

9. Thika Superhighway will soon clog an already congested city. is it a Wasted effort?

The Government effort to improve the transport infrastructure, roads in particular, are commendable. These investments may, however, not be effective if comprehensive development planning is not done for the whole city and Nairobi metro region.

Thika Superhighway is carrying heavy traffic to the old and congested Nairobi Central Business District.

10. Why was Kenya chosen to host the 2011 Isocarp Africa chapter?

Nairobi and Kenya for that matter is a strategic location globally. It is the only city in the southern hemisphere that is the headquarters for UN-lead agencies — UN-Habitat and Unep. These UN agencies are the home agencies for human settlements, town planning and the environment.