Abstract
Urban mobility is one of the most important sectors of city planning. The necessity for citizens to undertake daily journeys is critical for both the life and the function of cities. Access to jobs, services, and to meet people is key to a city’s economic vitality and quality of life. Unfortunately, many cities are experiencing a decline in accessibility due to a confluence of rapid urbanization and motorization trends (Venter C et al, 2019). Nairobi, Kenya is one of the fastest growing urban areas in Sub Saharan Africa. The City has a population of 4.5 million of whom 45% walk as their primary means of mobility (Mitullah and Opiyo 2012). Another 30% use public transport which they access though non-motorized means (JICA, 2014). Urban infrastructure regrettably does not reflect these figures, and more investment continues to be put to motorized means. Kenya committed to reduce GHG emissions by 30% by the year 2030 (Lah and Kodhuka 2017) and with motor vehicles among the greatest contributors of air pollution in Nairobi, the current trend raises questions on both social and environmental justice in planning and infrastructure development. This study attempts to analyse some Nairobi’s attempts at improving non- motorized transport infrastructure. In order to do get a good sample an area that had recently undergone an upgrade in its mobility infrastructure was selected. The site lies within a mixed-use middle-income neighbourhood that is near two informal settlements. The area not only has a large walking population but is also a major transit and economic node. Creative methods were intentionally used for data collection in this study and these included use of photography, videography, participatory mapping, photo expositions, holding urban dialogues and community discussions. Other methods used include user surveys though questionnaires and non-motorized traffic counts. Through this, the public transport services and user experiences were analysed via the 5 Pillars of Socially Just Public Transport. These are: Available, Accessible and Affordable, Inclusive, Human rights and Equity, Sustainable. The output of the work exposed the necessity for a more holistic approach towards urban mobility. Several infrastructure gaps were identified, reflecting on other challenges including road safety, non-usage of infrastructure, environmental pollution and the struggle of vulnerable groups. The results give a low score on both social and environmental justice in urban mobility. The importance of understanding the user-perspective and experience in non-motorized transport infrastructure is also visible. Thus, the necessity for holistic and inclusive approaches at the planning stage that integrate the strengths of existing systems and societal structures. References: Japan International Cooperation Agency (2014), The Project on integrated Urban Development Master Plan for the City of Nairobi in the Republic of Kenya. Lah B and Kodukula S (2017), New Urban Pathways to Better Air Quality and Climate Action: Case Study on Kenya, Country Assessment Report on Nationally Determined Contributions, Urban Pathways, CAF, Mitullah, W. V and Opiyo, R. (2012). Mainstreaming Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) in Policy and Planning in Nairobi : Institutional Issues and Challenges. In Abstracts of the 31st Southern African Transport Conference (SATC 2012). Pretoria, South Africa: South African Transport Conference, pp. 296–307. [online]. Available from: https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/20017/Mitullah_Mainstreaming(2012).pdf. Venter, C., A. Mahendra, and D. Hidalgo. 2019. "From Mobility to Access for All: Expanding Urban Transportation Choices in the Global South." Working Paper. Washington, DC: World Resources Institute. Available from: www.citiesforall.org.
