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@bswud argues Kenya's rare multi-storey urban buildings stem from aggressive…
Brief
Kibera, Nairobi's informal settlement, houses over 1 million people in roughly 2.5 km² and faces extreme overcrowding, rudimentary mud/chapa housing, scarce/expensive potable water, shared toilets (sometimes one per ~30 families), no formal sewerage, and a contested legal status on government-owned land. The government proposes a $60M Vivienda Kibera redevelopment with ~4,500 units, a school, a health center and recreation; @bswud links Kenya's taller buildings to 1950s formal land titling, unlike Ghana.
Why it matters
@bswud argues Kenya's rare multi-storey urban buildings stem from aggressive formal land titling carried out in the 1950s, contrasting Ghana's predominantly corrugated-iron, one-storey sprawl; cites @Birdyword's point that land rules cast long shadows over policy and economic outcomes.
Key details
- Néstor Siurana reports Kibera holds >1 million people in ~2.5 km²; the Kenyan government plans a $60 million 'Vivienda Kibera' project with ~4,500 housing units, a school, a health center and recreational facilities; current conditions include extreme overcrowding, mud walls with corrugated/wood roofs, limited/expensive potable water, sometimes one toilet per ~30 families, no formal sewerage, and contested legal status because the government owns the land and does not officially recognize the settlement.