Kibera is an island. An urban settlement on the socioeconomic fringe of Nairobi. The land that Kibera is built upon is highly contested: owned by the government, built upon by the middle class, and rented by the urban poor, who subsequently have no legal tenure rights. The homes have no running water or toilets. If they have electricity, it is ofte... read more

Kibera is an island. An urban settlement on the socioeconomic fringe of Nairobi. The land that Kibera is built upon is highly contested: owned by the government, built upon by the middle class, and rented by the urban poor, who subsequently have no legal tenure rights. The homes have no running water or toilets. If they have electricity, it is often procured illegally. Politically, the land and up to 1,000,000* people are forgotten.
Rapid urbanization, a response to a growing urban economy and decreasing rural opportunities, puts increased pressure on an already dense and degraded environment.  Kibera, with cheap rents and a strategic location, is often an urban frontier for rural-to-urban migrants. 
Many of these migrants depend on the booming economy in Nairobi, but the city also relies on this influx of cheap labor to sustain its rapid growth. The sad irony is that Kibera’s marginalized and excluded population is such a fundamental part of Kenya’s economy.
People living in informal, neglected urban environments can be pioneers, capable and deserving of improving their own surroundings. What they lack are time, money, and technical expertise.

As a solution to these challenges, the design team will enact the following design principles:
• Provide flood protection• Enhance functionality and commercial activity• Maximize constructed open space• Reuse ‘waste’ materials

*exact population unknown; estimates range from 250,000 to 1,000,000 collapse