Transcript revitilizing public spaces

CASE OF NAIROBI
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A public space is a social space that is open and
accessible to all which offer important opportunities for
sport and outdoor recreation and can also act as a visual
amenity. This include:
 Parks and gardens
 Streets and pedestrian walkways
 Outdoor sports facilities
 Amenity green spaces
 Children play areas
 Green corridors
 Civic spaces, including civic and market squares
 Natural and semi-natural urban green spaces etc
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Urban Revitalization - support regeneration &
improving quality of life for communities by providing
visually attractive green spaces close to where people
live;
Promotes health & well-being - providing
opportunities to people of all ages for informal
recreation, or to walk, cycle or ride within parks and
open space
Economic Revitalization
A community resource – a place for congregating& for
holding community events; and
A visual amenity – people enjoy having open space
near to them to provide an outlook, variety in the
urban scene, or as a positive element in the landscape.
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World urban population has continued to increase
unprecedently & is projected to grow to around 6.4 billion
by the year 2050.
This change is felt more in cities in developing countries
such as Kenya & has caused various environmental and
urban problems. Cities world over are reinventing ways &
looking for new solutions of tackling the problems
Nairobi’s population continues to grow exponentially
realizing a growth rate of 4.8% annually with the
population growing from 0.8million in 1989 to 2.1 million
in 1999 to an estimate of 4million today.
This growth comes with enormous challenges that
requires city Planners to rethink development concepts
which will not only meet the needs of the present but also
guarantee future generations a livable city.
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In the earlier days the city of Nairobi was known as a ‘’
city in the sun’’ because of its appealing environment.
This originated from the city’s Master Plan of 1948
which viewed Nairobi city from a Garden city concept
However, over time this value has faded as the quality
of environment of the city declined with increased
urbanization.
Cities globally are embracing local reforms to address
their developmental challenges and Nairobi is no
exception. The city appreciates the need to look for
innovative ideas to address its many challenges in
order to make it more habitable place for its residents .
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The City Council of Nairobi is working with
Japanese Government on technical assistance to
support preparation of a new City Master plan.
The new City Master plan preparation process
provides the council an opportunity to embrace
& integrate innovative ideas into the plan such
as the public space initiative among others.
The council is committed to ensure that all
public and green spaces in the city are
enhanced to international standards, ensure
accessibility& diversify their use.
Review the existing framework to ensure
effective management of public spaces
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Seek more collaboration with stakeholders
on rehabilitation of open spaces.
Increase budgetary allocation to finance
interventions on open spaces.
Promote public awareness on the benefits of
well designed, maintained and utilized public
spaces.
Adopt flexible utilisation of public spaces to
accommodate livelihoods for the socially and
economically vulnerable.
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Seek more collaboration with stakeholders
on rehabilitation of open spaces.
Increase budgetary allocation to finance
interventions on open spaces.
Promote public awareness on the benefits of
well designed, maintained and utilized public
spaces.
Adopt flexible utilisation of public spaces to
accommodate livelihoods for the socially and
economically vulnerable.
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During the 23rd Session of UN-HABITAT
Governing Council held in April, 2011 the
Government of Kenya sponsored and agenda on
public space for adoption as a key theme in
urban development.
Following the resolution, the Council requested
the UN-HABITAT for support to access
international experts with diverse experience and
networks on the art of place making and the
agreement is what has culminated into todays
training workshop
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To realize an hands on training, the council chose 2
sites to used a pilot ie Silanga Open space in kibera
informal settlement and Jevanjee gardens along
Muindi Mbingu street
In partnership with the communities within the
precincts of these sites the Council will work towards
upgrading & transforming the degraded open ground
into a multi-functional spaces by;
 Providing support infrastructure
 Environmental improvement
 Provision of support amenities
 Support to youth at risk
END
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