What is your vision for an ideal streets in Nairobi? This is the question The GoDown put to a group of young women and girls earlier this year as part of the Godown HerCity HerStreets Project for the redesign of Dunga and Dundori Roads in Industrial Area. The roads are both adjacent to the main GoDown Arts Centre space which is currently under redevelopment.
Yesterday, The GoDown presented the model of the redesigned streets to the project participants who have been using digital platforms, including Minecraft, to document their vision for more usable and inclusive streets.
Their feedback, which they finally saw in digital model form during an online event hosted by The GoDown yesterday, was aggregated into a model of a truly 21st century African street.
It can be seen how greenery, which topped the participants’ list of priorities, will completely transform the microclimate of the area around The GoDown. Benches, recreational areas, zebra crossings, toilets, street art, coloured pavements, waiting areas and street lighting, would all contribute to the emergence of user-centred streets which are multipurposed and inclusive.
The participants also indicated the need for clean, potable tapped water, water fountains, trading spaces, food kiosks and, importantly, bicycle parking.
Yesterday’s presentation was a virtual event held on Zoom and Facebook platforms, with a small group of young women gathering at the Mukuru Youth Initiative Hub to access the live broadcast.
The HerStreets engagement is part of The GoDown Transformation Project which will not only see the redevelopment of the GoDown space but envisions an inclusive city arising out of inclusive design processes and creation of accessible, multi-purpose, public use spaces in Nairobi. The project engagements have included stakeholder gatherings, street data collection exercises, an ideation workshop using the Methodkit tool, and a Minecraft design and presentation workshop. The process has emphasized the value of cultural infrastructure in the development of inclusive cities, and the role of cultural spaces in facilitating robust community engagement and partnerships.
The project is being delivered through a partnership with UN Habitat, Her City, The Block by Block Foundation and more. The GoDown’s redesign process has seen the engagement of numerous stakeholders including local architects, PLANNING Systems Services Limited and Swedish architectural firm, White Arkitekter.
Follow this link to partner with The GoDown in our redevelopment. www.godowntransforms.org