ADDRESSING URBAN CHALLENGES IN NAIROBI CITY, KENYA: THE SCOPE FOR COLLABORATIVE PLANNING APPROACHES IN ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
Mwaniki Bernadette W.
Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya
Gakuya Daniel W.
Department of Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nairobi, Kenya
Mwaura A. Munyua
Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of the Built Environment, university of Nairobi, Kenya
Muthama Nzioka J.
Wangari Maathai Institute for Peace and Environmental Studies, University of Nairobi, Kenya
ABSTRACT
Urban planning is increasingly seen as having a critical role in confronting the unique and serious challenges of the 21st Century generated by man-made drivers that cause pressures on the environment creating life threatening impacts. Governments and scholars in the global North have formulated innovative and technologically based urban planning models and strategies that deliver greener, more efficient and sustainable growth generating cities. The study aimed to examine international urban planning models that deliver the most open spaces and the strategies used in the delivery process. It additionally examined the state and structures of urban planning in Kenya and Nairobi, endeavouring to explore what holds urban planning in Nairobi City from maximum service delivery and its potential role in environmental enhancement and protection alongside the sustainable development goals (SDGs) proposed to world governments by the United Nations. Data was collected through a general questionnaire survey (N=400) and key respondents questionnaire survey (N=20). Key respondents interviews, participant observation and document reviews were used to acquire in-depth local knowledge of the issues under empirical investigation. The results point towards plausible recommendations for more organized open space planning, legal frameworks and operational tools accompanied by a deliberate and decisive paradigm shift towards new collaborative planning models that deliver more sustainable cities.
