Green City Kigali, Rwanda

Location: Kigali, Rwanda
Project type: Smart Mobility Planning
Year: 2023-ongoing
Client: FONERWA/CGCK Kigali; submitting consultant FBW Rwanda Ltd, leading consultant FCB Studios UK; funder KfW Development Bank Germany
Consortium partners: FCB Studios UK and FBW Rwanda Ltd

The goal of the project is to create a model community in Kigali that demonstrates and establishes a new national and regional standard for sustainable urban development by promoting urban resilience and affordable housing. Building green is “a necessity, not a luxury” and it will feature a range of initiatives, including the use of renewable energy, rainwater harvesting, wastewater management, recycling and reuse of water and sustainable transport solutions. The development will provide much-needed quality housing for low- to moderate-income people. The project site is located on Kinyinya Hill in the northeastern part of Kigali’s central business district and covers an area of about 600 hectares. It will be home to 150,000 residents. The pilot phase of the project is 16 hectares.

MOVE Mobility is part of a consortium tasked with delivering the Kigali Green City project in the Rwandan capital. We have been hired as mobility experts and are engaged in validating the results of the Master Plan, and providing detailed designs for the pilot phase.

Together with the local team of FBW we began the project with communication sessions on “Mobility”. Topics covered included public transport (BRT), walking and cycling, and the expected growth of the private car. What are the ideas of the community about connecting neighborhoods with different modes of transportation and with what kind of roads? What does the community view as their priority and how should the interventions be phased?

We validated the network serving Kinyinya & Kigali. A Kinyinya Upper Loop Road (green) links the centre of individual neighbourhoods across the hill. The multi-modal loop encourages pedestrians, motos, local buses, and non-motorized transport to travel seamlessly around Kinyinya Hill, stimulating localized activities, enterprise, and employment. A Bus Rapid Transport (pink) network provides a quick and reliable public transport network to connect Kinyinya with the wider city. The natural topography of Kinyinya Hill has slopes of 1:4 to 1:8. A network of accessible streets slicing diagonally across the hill of 1:12 gradients has been created.

We have used our tool Move Meter to develop and visualize the networks for all modes in 2022 and 2035.

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National Teachers College, Mubende

Location: Mubende, Uganda
Project type: Renovation and expansion of school campus
Year: 2018-2022
Client: Ministry of Education and Sport, Enabel
Consortium partners: Studio Akeka, Ubuntu, VE-R
Award: ‘Popular Choice Winner’ Architizer A+ Awards 2022

The education campuses in the Ugandan towns of Kaliro and Mubende have undergone major renovation and expansion with the addition of about eight new buildings. Both campus projects are part of a national programme to improve education in Uganda by training a new generation of teachers. Besides educational facilities, also good and healthy housing, leisure activities, nutritious food and natural hygiene are part of this ambition. Offering students and teachers this broad perspective, inside and outside the classroom, creates a culture with natural engagement and balance with the living environment. Besides utilizing facilities, the project is based on a vision of ‘living the example’. The careful integration of the new buildings and the simple but well-thought-out manner of construction gives space to students and teachers and depicts the idea well of the national education programme for Uganda.

This sustainable, holistic vision was the starting point for the renovation and new construction at both locations. Existing trees and planting, working routes and rituals were integrated into the master plan for both. Wherever possible, we made existing qualities visible and strengthened them. Our guiding principles were the old cultural and physical characteristics of the site and current uses, combined with adding the most logical interventations.

The Mubende site for the teachers college was already strongly organized by the central lane. By further enhancing this to become the spine of all activity and connector of the existing renovated buildings and the new ones, the development uses the green quality of the site to its best. The buildings, existing and new, are all naturally ventilated and cooled. Precisely oriented ‘zigzag’ facades minimise the incidence of direct sunlight and heat. Wherever possible, the buildings have been constructed with the help of local craftsmen from local materials such as earth bricks and bamboo. At the Mubende site the new Resource Centre is the most outspoken building with indoor study facilities, transitional spaces under the large roof and it forms the backdrop of the central field in front as outdoor space.

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Coastal Vulnerability & Protection for Monrovia Metropolitan Area

Location: Monrovia, Liberia
Project type: Vulnerability analysis, Feasibility study and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment
Year: 2018-2019
Client: UNDP
Consortium partners: CDR international, IHE Delft, Earthtime Liberia, Dryfeet, Shore Monitoring & Research

Coastal communities and infrastructure in Monrovia are vulnerable to climate change induced coastal hazards. Up to 2018 over 670 households are reported to have been displaced due to coastal retreat, which is the main coastal hazard causing impact. This project encompassed a detailed Vulnerability Analysis, Feasibility Study and ESAR for Climate Resilient Strategies, including adaptive and protective measures for the coast Monrovia.

In the first phase, detailed numerical modelling of ocean conditions and coastal erosion for different climate change scenarios was done. Based on this, the most vulnerable communities were located, namely at Westpoint and New Kru town.

Together with the local stakeholders a Multi Criteria Workshop was done to evaluate several alternative coastal protection schemes. The results of the project has a twofold approach to addressing climate change, including:

• Adaptive measures: measures to help minimise the drivers as well as the impacts of climate change and prepare awareness and capacities for implementation of the protective measures.

These exploit opportunities to safeguard currently sustainable livelihoods that are low consumers of carbon energy, and which consequently promise to give Liberia “green” living approaches for both the current and future generations. The project focuses on the inshore artisanal fishery of Monrovia, which contributes significantly to the city’s food security with very low carbon emissions.

• Protective Measures: measures to help mitigate the impacts of climate change. These are mostly engineered interventions such as the construction of revetments, groynes and beaches to protect against rising sea level and the damaging effects of waves from higher-energy storm events. Some aspects are preventative, such as the development of alternative sand sources to stop mining of the natural beaches, and the promotion of measures to improve infrastructure resilience.

The synergy between both type of measures is of importance. The adaptive measures are important conditions for the effectiveness and sustainability of the protective measures, but they also provide synergies within the strategy. The intention is that both types of measures must go hand in hand with each other. 

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OTP OMUTIMA – Redevelopment of the Old Taxi Park

Location: Kampala, Uganda
Project type:
Year: 2020-2023
Client: KCCA, Invest International (funder)
Consortium partners: VE-R, MOVE Mobility, Rebel group, Studio Akeka, Movares Prome Consult

OTP has been the place of arrival for passengers coming to visit, trade, shop or sell at the numerous shops, market places and arcades around. The character of this place and the value attached to it, make clear the task to sustain OTP as the most important place in the Downtown area and to make a strong spatial and functional plan for the site. Central to the concept of this plan are the symbiotic character of main place of arrival, central public space and a bustling shopping and market area. Strengthening these functionalities will enhance the symbiosis of functions and make the heartbeat of Kampala even more powerful. Therefore, the concept of the Master Plan emanates this heartbeat. As it is named in Luganda: OTP Omutima Gwa’Kampala.

The master plan covers a larger area at Nakasero hill to Nakivubo valley including a drainage improvement in street infrastructure and water catchment capacity of the lowest valley area, to balance the densification of the urban tissue with a green and blue concept for the former railway lands in the valley.

To allow for the coexistence of different functions, OTP is envisioned as a layered complex. This conceptual gesture is further supported by the twelve meter topographical height difference between the two sides of the plot. The transportation hub is located at the top of a deck which at the same time serves as a roof of a multi-leveled shopping center.

From the three main components of the OTP Omutima plan, the first to mention is the public transport terminal. The terminal is central to a nearby network of mobility functions that include the city bus, BRT and coach station and the pedestrianized Luwum Street. Without the public transport facility and terminal, OTP would not be the Omutima, but the reverse is also true: the commercial functions make OTP a very popular destination for many.

That forms the second component of the Masterplan: By adding a shopping mall to the large array of shopping and commercial activities in the city centre, OTP also enhances its attraction as key node to enter the city centre. The complex can be further enhanced by the addition of three high-rises with flexible programme depending on the market opportunities at the moment of implementation.

Thridly, the OTP is a public transport hub not merely consisting of infrastructure, vehicles and buildings. It is first and foremost a place for people. The OTP Omutima embraces the concept of making room again for people: providing space where pedestrians are comfortable moving through, stopping to wait, to meet, or to connect to the core of the city.  Adjacent to the NMT corridor at Luwum Street, there is a comfortable space for people that offers accessibility and a meeting space that enhances social relations and exchanges.

A sound business case proofs the preliminary feasibility outcomes positive. Further in-depth development of the plan will target the development agreement with a master developer party to implement the layered complex and lift Old Taxi Park into a next century of place of arrival for many.

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Non Motorized Transport Corridor Pilot Kampala

Location: Kampala, Uganda
Project type:
Year: 2010-2016
Client: KCCA, Directorate of Engineering and Technical Services
Consortium partners: MOVE Mobility, Goudappel Coffeng

Congestion, chaos and air pollution are at very high levels in the capital of Uganda. In collaboration with various organisations and the city authorities organisations have been working for several years to get the city centre traffic organised and resolve many of the problems in the process of overarching traffic management. An example is the Kampala City Centre Pilot Project, which introduces sustainable urban transport. UNEP (the United Nations Environment Program) has been part of the project team from the start. MOVE Mobility finished the detailed design and KCCA implemented the NMT pilot project at Luwum Street and Namirembe Road in downtown CBD of Kampala.

Kampala City Centre Pilot Project

The Non-Motorized Transport (NMT) pilot route was developed during this stage for Luwum Street and Namirembe Road, the extension Speke Road – Shimoni Road was designed later. MOVE Mobility worked from ‘big to small’. First, the networks for cycling and cars on a city level were studied (and designed) and then the work focused on the Central Business District and the two streets that could transform from being part of the car network to become for pedestrians and cyclist only. Once the (future) functions of the roads were clear, the design integrated:

• Car accessibility
• Cycling and walking infrastructure
• Public transport; BRT lines
• Quality of urban space
• The green structure

The NMT pilot for Luwum Street and Namirembe Road has been executed and in full operation since 2022. The city changed by making these central streets in downtown CBD pedestrianized and a more comfortable place to stay and enjoy in the heart of the most busy commercial area is now offered. Extension of the NMT network and further boosting of the cycle as transport mode is in process at the municipal offices.

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Spatial Development Framework for Kajjansi Junction

Location: Kajjansi, Wakiso District Greater Kampala, Uganda
Project type: Wakiso District, Kajjansi Town Council , ULGA
Funded by RVO Netherlands via Impact Cluster Program
Year: 2016-2019
Client: Wakiso District, Kajjansi Town Council , ULGA
Funded by RVO Netherlands via Impact Cluster Program
Consortium partners: VE-R, MOVE Mobility, Studio Akeka, TwentyOne

Kajjansi is a town in Central Uganda. It is one of the urban centres in Wakiso District and part of the wider influences of the emerging metropolis of Kampala. The Kajjansi area is not only well-known because of its regional market, the area holds many different large industries, institutions, housing estates and companies. The new Junction connecting Entebbe-Kampala Road to the Southern Bypass and Entebbe Expressway created a major change and opportunity in the area. In conjunction with the planned Bus Rapid Transport System with its endpoint at Kajjansi and the recent status upgrade from a village to a town is a promising perspective for Kajjansi, At the moment the energy, waste, drainage and water issues in the area, combined with the major infrastructural, spatial and mobility interventions in the close vicinity of the market and the presence of a variety of local businesses, can become a huge challenge. However, it can also present a great opportunity to develop Kajjansi in a sustainable, circular and inclusive way, so that the area can become a growing economic engine for the community and potentially develop into the second metropolitan node of the Kampala region. This requires an integrated spatial strategy and a highly skilled and experienced team that oversees each component of the strategy.

The Kajjansi Junction Program had the development of this fast growing urban area in Uganda as objective in such a way, that it creates value for the local businesses and communities and at the same time make use of the potential this location has to become a more dense, multi-functional and mix-use Transit Oriented Development hub.

The preparation stage of the program was highly participatory, with the relevant stakeholders fully involved in the process of project identification. This was continued after this inception stage in a two fold development phase: First a thorough analysis of the local situation has been made in which mobility, infrastructure, environmental assets and constraints, current business development and obstacles and spatial opportunities were given insight and full comprehension by all stakeholders. The second phase consisted of design sessions in which the Spatial Development Framework (SDF) was drafted with the key stakeholders.

This resulted in a development plan around a new Public Transport Interchange hub in combination with redevelopment areas with raised density and mix-use functions. The SDF also hold the smaller scale of regeneration in a phased stage of the existing market, in which the current vendors are being supported and the new profile of Entebbe Road made beneficial to the market vendors, costumers, taxi’s and boda’s. The third level is the large, more regional scale, in which the Urban Accelerator function of Kajjansi Junction is explained and guided through wetland restoration and robust ecological design and new town developments like Nakigalala Eco-City.

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National Teachers College, Kaliro

Location: Kaliro, Uganda
Project type: Renovation and expansion of school campus
Year: 2018-2022
Client: Ministry of Education and Sport, Enabel
Consortium partners: Studio Akeka, Ubuntu, VE-R
Award: ‘Popular Choice Winner’ Architizer A+ Awards 2022

The education campuses in the Ugandan towns of Kaliro and Mubende have undergone major renovation and expansion with the addition of about eight new buildings. Both campus projects are part of a national programme to improve education in Uganda by training a new generation of teachers. Besides educational facilities, also good and healthy housing, leisure activities, nutritious food and natural hygiene are part of this ambition. Offering students and teachers this broad perspective, inside and outside the classroom, creates a culture with natural engagement and balance with the living environment. Besides utilizing facilities, the project is based on a vision of ‘living the example’.

This sustainable, holistic vision was the starting point for the renovation and new construction at both locations. Existing trees and planting, working routes and rituals were integrated into the master plan for both. Wherever possible, we made existing qualities visible and strengthened them. Our guiding principles were the old cultural and physical characteristics of the site and current uses, combined with adding the most logical interventations.

For the spread out landscape of the Kaliro site this meant connecting the more remote dormitory buildings with the educational halls in the central part. The buildings, existing and new, are all naturally ventilated and cooled. Precisely oriented ‘zigzag’ facades minimise the incidence of direct sunlight and heat. Wherever possible, the buildings have been constructed with the help of local craftsmen from local materials such as earth bricks and bamboo. At the intermediate open spaces of the campus in Kaliro the study shades made of bamboo are the most visible result of that.

The careful integration of the new buildings and the simple but well-thought-out manner of construction gives space to students and teachers and depicts the idea well of the national education programme of Uganda.

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Flood Management Feasibility Study for Msimbazi Middle Catchment Area

Location: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Project type: Feasibility study and Environmental and Social Impact Assessment
Year: 2020-2021
Client: GIZ (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)
Consortium partners: CDR international, VE-R, WEMA, Deltares

The Msimbazi River Basin (170 km2) is located in the city of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and for the last decade this is the city’s worst hit area by serious degrees of flooding nearly every rainy season. The floods are impacting the basin’s inhabitants and environment on different levels, like loss of lives, destroyed homes and assets, traffic interruption, siltation of areas and negative health effects of contaminated flood waters and stagnant ponding after the events. Flooding has become one of the main environmental issues in the basin and it is expected that the situation will get worse if no action will be taken. This assignment for the middle basin area follows the Msimbazi Opportunity Plan strategy and builds on the agreed principles.

After the identification and testing of efficiency of a set of prioritized measures, a flood risk management strategy was developed that was complemented with an urban strategy. These strategies were based on short-term component focussing on removing hydraulic bottlenecks and resettlement of the worst affected assets and people and a long-term component proposes a transformation of urban land use by making room for the river, urban regeneration to accommodate resettlements, and reforestation and re-greening of the catchment.

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Msimbazi Opportunity Plan

Location: Msimbazi River Basin, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Project type: Vulnerability analysis, strategy and spatial plan
Year: 2018-2019
Client: World Bank (Tanzania) with PO-RALG
Consortium partners: Ecorys, VE-R, CDR International, Wema

The Msimbazi Opportunity Plan is a project in which the participatory design process had a central position in a series of charrettes with the stakeholders and communities that have an interest in and/or who live in the Msimbazi River Basin. This highly urbanised area in the heart of Dar es Salaam, with high percentages of unplanned development, is highly affected by flashfloods during the wet season, and draughts during the dry season.

Generally, flooding in the Msimbazi Middle River Basin is directly caused by five main factors;

1. Insufficient hydraulic capacity of the Msimbazi River profile at certain locations,
2. Back water effects and piling up of water upstream of structures, e.g. bridges, with an insufficient hydraulic capacity,
3. Inadequate urban drainage infrastructure and inadequate solid waste management
4. Decrease of ‘green areas’ in the catchment has resulted in reduction of infiltration of precipitation and a direct run off response and
5. Settlement in the natural floodplain area.

The objective of this project is to facilitate a design process that tackles the multiple social and environmental issues that this basin is facing by aligning the different stakeholders and to collectively design i) a strategic and management framework for the entire catchment area and ii) a detailed plan for the Lower Basin within the catchment. This has resulted in the Msimbazi Opportunity Plan, a basis for all further development and implementation projects and processes in the coming years in the river basin.

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Lower Msimbazi Upgrading Plan

Location: Msimbazi, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Project type: Feasibility study and detailed design
Year: 2021-2023
Client: PO-RALG (Presidential Office, Regional Administration and Local Government of Tanzania
Consortium partners: CDR International, VE-R, Deltares, Norplan, Deltares, Shore

The Lower Msimbazi Upgrading Project (LMUP) is a crucial initiative aimed at improving the resilience of the city centre of Dar es Salaam. The focus of the project is on the lower Msimbazi river and its tributaries which are prone to severe flooding that poses a threat to livelihoods, properties, and critical infrastructure. The consortium was hired to conduct the Feasibility Study based on the Msimbazi Opportunity Plan strategy and prepare preliminary and detailed designs with cost estimates. Objective is to make a robust flood resilient solution and to incorporate a City Park, infrastructure solutions and new floodsafe urban development areas.

The most essential flood protection principles and measures designed for the LMUP are:

Increase hydraulic capacity

Through widening and deepening the river channel by means of excavation, the overall hydraulic capacity will be increased. Furthermore, a higher and wider bridge has been designed to replace the existing Jangwani Bridge, preventing traffic disruptions, while lowering the extreme water levels upstream of the bridge.

Creating room for development by creating room for the river

It is proposed to largely restore the floodplain area to a more natural state. To achieve this, the current bus depot and a large part of the building stock will have to be moved to new areas and the sediment accumulated in the floodplain will be removed. With the dredged material from the river and floodplain, flood safe terraces will be created that are suitable for relocation, urban development and recreation. The transitions from the flood safe terraces to the floodplain areas will be fixed with bank protections.

Rehabilitation of natural hydrological system

These measures have the purpose to mitigate flooding along with associated (additional) benefits, hence making the impacts of climate change less severe. In the LMUP it is envisioned this will be mainly achieved by reforestation of the upper basin area and rehabilitation of vegetated areas. This will reduce the sediment load in the long-term while providing additional benefits.

Adaptive operations and maintenance

Operation and Maintenance activities are essential to ensure the long-term effectiveness of the proposed interventions. These activities are formulated as a set of recommendations that go hand in hand with the implementation and execution of the sediment management plan.

Feasibility study

The feasibility study served as the basis for securing investment financing. The Spatial Framework was developed as a central tool while working with a multidisciplinary team on the variety of tasks and subjects. It spans 200 hectares, including the river and tributaries, floodplains, urban agriculture, public park, sand depots and mangroves. Preliminary designs were made for embankment protections, resilient transport infrastructure, urban greening and nature revitalization and the City Park. The public park is divided in high and low activity zones and connected by a Non-Motorized Transport network. An urban plan was also set up, including diverse neighborhoods with a mix of affordable, social, mid-end and high-end housing.

The detailed designs focus on the park’s structural elements, such as the path systems, drainage systems and vegetation layers. The vegetation plan includes ca. 100 different species of trees, carefully chosen to match the specific characteristics of the site. The urban agriculture terrace will provide ideal conditions for farmers with establish coconut trees, fruit trees and water bodies to increase water security. The Non-Motorized Transport network will connect the surrounding neighborhoods to the park, accessible for pedestrians, disabled individuals and cyclists. The boulevard, between new neighborhoods and the City Park will offer a versatile space for walking, biking, running, relaxing and gathering with beautiful views over the Msimbazi basin. Reference designs were made for various park facilities, including kiosks, washrooms, sport and play fields, promoting physical and mental health and serving as gathering places for the community. The festival terrain remains a central destination that can accommodate thousands of visitors and is accessible by bus and green car-parking space.

Links: https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/video/2022/11/22/strengthening-climate-change-adaptation-and-resilience-in-flood-prone-dar-es-salaam

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