Addressing traffic congestion headache in Nairobi

UN-Habitat welcomes the conference on “Driving towards Sustainable Urban Transport Systems in Africa” to be held in Nairobi from April 24-25. Given the increasing traffic congestion in cities, this is indeed a very timely topic that affects citizens and businesses and raises many relevant issues some of which are not self-evident.

A study conducted by UN-Habitat, an analysis of the road pattern in Nairobi based on satellite images, shows first that Nairobi has currently 23 different street patterns in its urbanised areas. One reason for traffic-congestion is that streets are not fully connected to their vicinities.

A second finding revealed by this analysis is the amount of land allocated to streets. As an example, in central Nairobi, approximately 12 per cent of the land area is allocated to streets. A functioning traffic system in a modern capital generally requires around 30 per cent of land to be allocated to streets. These two major findings lie at the heart of the traffic jam problem in Nairobi: too many street patterns and too few streets that are adequately connected.

Against this basic analysis, what remains critical is determining the type of intervention that will provide the most efficient results, bearing in mind the lack of financial resources available for wholesale transformations. Therefore for UN-Habitat, the UN agency mandated to work on sustainable urban development, the first priority is the proper connectivity of the different street patterns of the city. Increasing the linkages between the different street patterns and the different neighbourhoods may sound irrelevant in an analysis of congestion.

However, an in-depth scientific approach based on traffic flow analysis demonstrates clearly that the lack of connectivity between neighbourhoods is a primary of traffic congestion. A much smaller investment than the amount lost due to traffic congestion in Nairobi (estimated at Sh37 million) if spent on better street connectivity would solve the congestion problem.

Inextricably linked to the main problem of lack of connectivity is the need to increase the percentage of space dedicated to streets - moving from the current 12 per cent to at least 25 to 30 per cent of space.

This would result in a positive transformation of the current mobility pattern. Going in this direction, an important factor is to make sure that the required legal instruments to properly implement an urban plan are in place. It is only through a comprehensive urban plan and adequate urban legislation that we can achieve a significant improvement in the street fabric needed to ensure the smooth flow of traffic in Nairobi.

A third and highly relevant aspect is related to the costs of increasing the space dedicated to streets. This can be relatively high, for which a proper model of investments is required. The tradition in many cities for creating additional public space has been through expropriation.

But a common problem with expropriation is that it requires large sums of money, which may often not be available, and also often leads to very time-consuming litigation. The solution that many countries have articulated to address this problem of public acquisition of land for street pattern is through Land Readjustment. Land Readjustment is a legal instrument by which an urban plan establishes a clear definition of the street pattern, and the land to implement the street pattern foreseen is given to the public authority, in exchange of enhanced buildability rights to owners of the plots which are in the vicinity of the streets.

Since a good street pattern increases the value of buildings in the vicinity, it is a win-win situation for the owners of the land, urban developers and local authorities. The contribution of land for street pattern is financially compensated through means of development rights.

Land purchase

Then, the means by which public land is acquired by the public sector is not monetary, but in terms of development or buildability rights. This methodology has been established around the world to address the problem of the scarcity of space for a functional street pattern. This can be implemented through legislation that allows for the introduction of Land Readjustment nationally, or the city of Nairobi. There are therefore different options including national legislation or metropolitan legislation, or even local legislation that can address this question.

In that sense, UN-Habitat recommends that due attention is given to the basics of comprehensive urban planning, in order to avoid unnecessary or even counter-productive expenditures that will not necessarily improve traffic flow and may even worsen it. Nairobi has many assets, including as a regional hub, its unique climate and natural conditions, the vitality of its people and its economy.

Therefore Nairobi can become an even more vibrant hub in the region. To reach such a positive destiny, the problem of mobility needs to be addressed by focusing on urban planning fundamentals. Such an investment in streets and better connectivity would greatly increase the urban value generated in Nairobi.

Mr. Dzikus is Coordinator of the Urban Basic Services Branch at UN-Habitat, Nairobi