By Khalifa Hemed
Published November 24, 2020
“Public space has emerged as a critical lifeline for cities and their residents. It has proven to be a timeless risk-reducing infrastructure, an essential urban service and an infrastructure of opportunity especially in times of crisis,” says a new report on the status of public spaces in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city.
The report, titled Nairobi Public Space Inventory and Assessment Report and published by United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) in collaboration with Nairobi City County Government, says a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic “has exposed critical gaps in the accessibility, flexibility, design, management and maintenance, connectivity and equitable distribution of public space in Nairobi.”
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Saying Nairobi Public Space Inventory and Assessment Report “highlights the gaps in the distribution, accessibility and quality of public open spaces in Nairobi, and provides a starting point to develop an evidence-based strategy and policy for the protection, revitalization, creation, management and enjoyment of public spaces, and restoration of the city image as the ‘Green City in the Sun’,” UN-Habitat calls for these gaps “to be addressed incrementally in order to improve health equity across the city, help the city build-back better and future-proof itself and its citizens.”
The report laments what it refers to as social and economic inequalities regarding access to the 826 public open spaces that occupy a combined area of 3106.4 hectares in Nairobi City County.
RELATED:Â “Equitable distribution of public spaces across the city,” UN-Habitat says, “is an important element for creating a cohesive city, balancing growth and revitalizing impoverished communities and inner city neighbourhoods.”
Only 19.8 per cent of the 826 public open spaces in Nairobi have inclusive infrastructure.Though more than 47 percent of Nairobians commute to and from work on foot, for instance, “only 75 of the 826 public open spaces have dedicated walkways connected to them”, “only five and 24 of the public spaces, respectively, are connected by a bicycle lane and have matatu stops within 400 metres” and entry fees are limiting access to public spaces.
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The study, UN-Habitat says, shows that “316 public spaces have lighting, of which only 108 paces have their lamps in good condition, making more than half of the public spaces no-go zones at night. The assessment further revealed that only thirty-six public spaces have seating, of which, only nine have seating that are in a good condition. Such basic amenities as washrooms are available in only fifty-four public spaces, of which the ones in good condition are in just thirteen public spaces. It is also worth noting that in the entire city, water points are available in only five public spaces, and not a single public open space has a bicycle parking rack.”
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The report calls on authorities to:
1). protect and revitalise public spaces
2). Create more public spaces to meet the ever growing need
3). facilitate accessibility, inclusiveness and safety of public spaces
4). heighten public awareness on the co-benefits of public spaces
5). promote partnerships and collaborations around public spaces
6). enhance institutional capacity and knowledge on public space
7).reclaim and recover all land that was set aside as public space
8). restore and strengthen the citywide network of green and public spaces.
