Revitalization of Aga Khan Walk in Nairobi, Kenya.

University of Nairobi, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture and Design

Project idea

PROBLEM STATEMENT
Nairobi, like many other cities, has invested heavily in car-centric development, building highways and expanding road networks. Little attention to the safety of other road users has led to high crash rates and dangerous streets. Nairobi’s historic focus on roads stands in contrast to how people actually get around the city; just 12 percent of households own a private vehicle and most people use public transit.
The walking population is increasing day after day with increase in rural urban migration and yet nothing has been done to the streets to accommodate the growing pedestrian population This has led to overcrowding, insecurity, accidents, fatigue and deaths.

PROJECT CONTEXT
Aga Khan Walk, which is located inside the Nairobi C.B.D. and the only fully pedestrianized street in Nairobi. The walk starts from City Hall Way to Haile Selassie Avenue.

SITE WEAKNESSES
Despite it being fully pedestrianized, Aga Khan Walk has not yet achieved its full potential. It lacks street activities for all age groups, exposed to the western sun, unsafe at night, odour due to poor waste management, poor street- building interaction due to presence of grills around buildings, lack of enough shaded sitting places, green inaccessible spaces that attract homeless families and no nightlife.

Project description

PROJECT IDEA
The project is meant to replace the green inaccessible spaces that attract homeless families with a development that will house different activities meant to transform the street into a lively street. To maintain the site visual lines, the development is sunk to the basement and will be 1200mm high above the ground level, same height as the existing hedge.
To improve building –street interactions, some activities in the surrounding building will be spilled over to the street. To provide more sitting spaces, the roof is accessible with a variety of green and sitting spaces. The grills are replaced with green spaces which serve the same purpose without compromising on the views into and out of the street.

Technical information

Master Plan, Layout Plans, 3D Visualizations, Technical Drawings and Construction Drawings.
The site is divided into three sectors/zones in response to the existing activities.
Sector one is made up of restaurants and shopping spaces like Maasai Market to provide a permanent selling place to Maasai traders, who normally selling in a nearby parking on weekends. To solve the hawkers menace in Nairobi, a permanent selling place for them is also provided.
Sector two is made up of recreational spaces in response to the skirting activity in the surrounding area.
Sector three is made up of more formal activities in response to the formal nature of the surrounding spaces.

Documentation

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