Transforming the Nairobi River:

A case study of grassroots placemaking to reclaim socio-spatial justice

This is a team project as part of the course “Globalisation and Urban Development” at NTNU. In this project, with other teammates from India and Denmark, we tried to analyze a case study in Global South to understand the challenges of bottom-up transformation of public spaces.

The research focuses on the space transformation in Korogocho, along the Nairobi River, facilitated by Komb Green NGO.

It is undertaken with the aim of interrogating:

How can bottom-up placemaking processes be a tool for advocacy of socio-spatial justice in urban river regeneration?

First, it introduces the case and the process through which the initiative has come into being, the Changing Faces Competition. Then it gives an overview of Korogocho, before it moves on to a discussion about gamification and the sustainability of this model. Finally, it discusses top-down versus bottom-up processes in urban development.

To get closer to answering the research question, the paper includes interviews with three people from organisations that have been actively involved in the Nairobi River restoration; Christopher Waithaka, Co-Founder of Komb Green, Annabel Nyole, former Programme Manager from Public Space Network, and Simon Sticker, Head of Communications from Dreamtown.

Team:
Ami Joshi
Stine Kronsted

Role
_ Group discussions and analyzing different relevant resources.
_ Writing, editing, and final review of different parts of the project.

Timeline
2 Months

Date Completed
May 2023