Integrating health to urban areas and cities to make them cool again

Vehicles parked along the pavements forcing residents to fight for space with vehicles [Photo:James Wanzala/Standard]

Kenya has been experiencing high urbanization and urban sprawl in towns. The main focuss has been housing projects developers putting up with little concern on health of the residents at the expense of maximizing their profit margins being the concept of a rational economic man.

Urban planning requires provision of infrastructure facilities and services to emerging population from the proposed developments in an area which has not been the case mainly due to the attitude of some rogue developers not willing to comply with stipulated standards and regulations.

Facilities such as commercial, recreational, educational, security installations among other facilities are vital in comprehensive development schemes or neighborhoods.

There has been attempts from lobby groups such as the neighborhood associations to restore such sanity especially in low density areas.

In high density areas without such organized groups, their voices are less heard which displays the high level of inequality across different social classes which ought be addressed by the Urban Planning Sector coupled with good political will.

The problems associated with such inadequacies have been evident with high rise of life style diseases, respiratory diseases, conditions such as obesity due to unleathly living occasioned by lack of recreational facilities, insecurity among many other ills.

These challenges would have been addressed through planning for all land uses within walkable distances, designing safe and appealing green spaces that gives a neighborhood, town or urban area and image of the city.

Many should ask why children would walk several kilometres and you find them happy than walking in streets or journies, sad, tired, bored and exhausted? Why do many people go for vacation or holidays in cities where they can walk rather than drive? Recent research indicates that you are more likely to be happier doing excercises rather than having huge sacks of money.

So would it be possible to design streets to look like adventure parks to encourage people to walk rather than driving? Why do many people enjoy walking through Uhuru Park to Upper-Hill? Why do people prefer walking  around Mama Ngina Street/Agha Khan Walk? Such are the Rhetoric Questions Planners/Urban Managers must digest and find the solutions to their implementation. Is it lack of financial muscle or Political Good will?

The much needed push to implement the affordable housing project across the country in Urban areas gives the opportunity to integrate these ideas of promoting health of people and make them happier in such environment.

It would be unfortunate for our children and grandchildren to look back and see how their fore-fathers missed the golden opportunity to make the world merrier for them by designing the City and urban areas with humans in mind.

This will given them opportunity to play with their friends and walk safely to school and urban areas  rather than being glued in-house watching cartoons and exercising their fingers on video games on phones and tablets. It is arguable than safe urban areas can only be safe if the children, women, the sick, disabled and elderly can walk alone at night and cross the streets on their own.

Recreational facilities will also reduce the prevelance of obesity among young children, mental illness and physical inactivity  and make them creative and active, confident and boost their self-esteem.

The allocation of recreational spaces in plans, ensuring their appropriate and innovative design, implementation and protection by physical or urban planners will improve health of many generations to come.

Dennis Abuya is an Urban Planner by profession