This document summarizes an urban planning project to upgrade a slum called Bannyahe in Kigali, Rwanda. The project aimed to improve living conditions through community participation. Key interventions included constructing roads, drainage, water and sanitation infrastructure, and developing nodes for education, administration, commerce, and community/social activities. The master plan implementation was divided into four phases over 25 years to redevelop the area with improved housing, facilities, and public spaces while avoiding relocation. Guidelines were also provided to respect the master plan and sustainable development principles.

1. URBAN PLANNING AND
URBAN DESIGN
NKUMBUYABERA Esdras
Portfolio

2. URBAN PLANNING STUDIO
LOCATION: The site is located in Kigali/Nyarutarama/ Kangondo II.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES: The aims to upgrade a slum know as Bannyahe.
In the neighborhood analysis we identified several features such the topography, the wet-
land which takes the lower part.Many and highly densified houses are in the wetland without
toilet,dranages,.... However there are some facilities; water, electricity, shops, and the road .
The project of Bannyahe upgrading was done through community participation
where we were able to know their preferences and different information of people
living in the neghbourhood.
Many people staying in the neighborhood do not work in it, there is daily movement of people
from the neighborhood to their job,students going to school. Mostly women are found in the
neighbourhood in working days due to that they stay at home taking care of kids(Insecurity)

3. Together with the community we decided to have “a neighbourhood with improved
living condition,which is self reliant and facilitate interaction and recreation of
people” to be our vision for Bannyahe. with different objectives, strategies and inter-
ventions.
We defined different main urban nodes in the neighborhood, where we have transport node at the
main entry,Commecial node, administrative node, educational node and community/social node,
related to their programs; car parking, market,cell office,school and community center respectively.
OBJECTIVES STRATEGIES INTERVENTIONS
infrastructure
SERVICES, FACILITIES AND PUBLIC SPACES
HOUSING
• Promote easy accessibility and movement in the neigh-
bourhood
• Provide a good infrastructures network
• Creation of job opportunities
• Provide recreation area and diversity of services
• Use renewable energy
• Improve safety and comfor, Avoid relocation
• Create main roads and upgrade the existing.
• Improve pedestrian circulation.
• Collecting and recycling water from dwellings
• Creation of cooperatives
• Increase green area and public spaces
• Provide education,administrative and commercial node
• Use biogas and solar energy
• Improve quality of the dwellings
• Unification of plots(clusters) and construction of apart-
ments
• constructio of roads:external and internal roads
and upgrading the existing.
• Construction of water treatment infrastruc-
ture &drainages combined with paths .
• Construction of school,market and community
center;Creation of parks, public plazas
• Construtruction of energy facilities and coop-
eratives’ offices.
• Use of materials which do not have nega-
tive impact on human being at the same
time affordable.
Cattle & pigs
keeping
Parking Garage
Church Carpentry&
Welding workshop
Market
DispensaryE nergy center
(Biogas)
Wetland park AgricultureCommunity
center
Natural park
Mixed use
houses
Medium rise
residential
Low rise
residential
Single
residential
The new land use was defined according to the exixting conditions, where commercial
activities an high density are on the upper part, going down the density decreases from
apartments to single family residential.
Sanitary sewage are treated, using a principle of gravity to remove and treat wastewater and water is
reused.There a Biogas digesters that produce cooking gas and fertilizers, and grey water is re-used for
irrigation and fl ushing. Trash are collected and recycled at the environmental treatment zone(ETZ) and
ETZ’s are located at the bottom of slopes, where gravity brings waste to be treated environmentally.

4. Master plan implementation: PHASING
The implemenation is divided into four phases where the main starategy was to
create cooperatives of plots’ owner (plots to be combined to form cluster) and start
marking where new roads will pass so that people are informed that in next phase
they will be moved and reactivating the existing cooperative of people working in the existing
market. The other action was to start constructing apartments in the vaccant plots found at
the upper part of the neighborhood, where people will be moved to.(to develop new roads and
move people from the wetland. In the fourth phase(After 25 years) all works will
be completed through in-situ upgrading and Bannyahe neighbourhood becomes A
neighbourhood with improved living condition ,which is self reliant and facilitate
interaction and recreation of people.
Some Urban guidelines were designed to respect master plan implementation,such as storm
water collection, sewage treatment, road setbacks to provide linear parkings along streets,
providing spaces for kitchen gardens,....

5. URBAN DESIGN STUDIO
PART I: Travelling for case study, KIGALI_ KAMPALA_ NAIROBI.
PART II: Urban design project in Kigali heritage village(CBD)
The trip stared from Kigali , where we experienced diffferent public spaces, used differently, In
travel I looked at how pedestrians use roads vis a vis vehicular movement, where It was found
that in some roads cars consume pedestrian’s walkway, and it highly affect their confortability.
Kist to town(Kigali) pedestrian walkway is defined by
curbs with paved area and the path big, however there
are bigger trees(Greverea robusta) planted in the mid-
dle of the path, which consume that walkway so that
when two people meet, one should go in the road.
There was an opportunity to experience different
types of road and how they are used, looking at the
relationship public spaces and human being.
Entebbe road(Kampala) is quite big, with pedestrian walkway, and a space reserved for street vendors in
front of shop, however the pedestrian walkway is defined by only line(paint) in the road so that when cars are
overtaking(during traffic jump) they consume it and the road is always full of cars in the morning and the evening
time. In addition some building consumed street vendors space( Florida hotel) which make them to go in the street.
Nakuru to Nairobi road is a bigger road with a system of four one way roads, railway and protected walkways so
that pedestrians are comfortable due to that they are separated by cars by a line of trees and grass.
The experience of high traffic roads was gained, looking at how building along these
roads react to let people get in, some buildins are opened up to three floor fo exhibi-
tion, which gives another quality of space, and make shops part of public space/ road.
In Nairobi city , the analysis was about understanding how pedestrians’s spaces are working in
vehicular setting, The analysis was done on three different public space, but linked together by
green connectors. These are: Bomb blast memorial, Aga Khan walk and Tom Mboya statue.
The facade is opened from
ground floor up to 3rd floor
to diplay different goods
Namirembe road, the street is busy with alot of people and big public cars are
found due to that it is nearby bus terminal.
When you reach open public spaces, you start to have a long view which actually
blocked by tall buildings in other part of the city, and different building with differ-
ent features are found in Nairobi.
Cental park KICC Library
NAIROBI
Bomb blast memorial
Aga Khan walk
Tom Mboya statue
Hilton park
Car parking
Bus stop
Pedestrian connection

6. Some roads are one way to increase pedestri-
ans’ walkways( Mamangina Street)
The walk is located nearby the bus stop so that some people use it
while waiting for bus or their relatives especially when it their first time
in the city(reference point).
Creation of linear parkings along streets and
pedestrians’ paths have been made bigger .Integration of Green connectors( Sheltered
pedestrians’ paths connecting public spaces).
Car parkings serving public spaces
and nearby buildings.
BOMB BLAST MEMORIAL TOM MBOYA STATUE
Nairobi has alot of vehicular traffic, especially in pick hours hen people are going to
work in the morning and in the evening when they are going back to their homes after
working hours.
These public spaces are found helpful in the urban context, for they help people to relax and
enjoy urban area, spaces are used as resting area, reading area, conversation, and gathering,
In addition many people prefer to walk in city than using cars for transport.
AGA KHAN WALK
PART II: Urban design project in Kigali heritage village(CBD),
The project aims at creating a passage connecting two different blocks that are separated
by road( proposed to be pedestrianised by Kigali Master Plan) and within a block there is
no continuous path.
These blocks has a religious landmark(Inkurunziza church) and it is bounded by the road which
connect other two important element of the city;Market in West and future city hall in East.
These three elements are found to be important and it relevant to create a passage which connect
them.
EXISTING LAND USE
Nyarugenge market
City hall
Church

7. Many houses in these blocks are only ground floor and others are one story, There is a
road with a bus stop and many people are standing while waiting for the car. Buildings
facing the road have porches which are used differently, sitting,display and
walking and stairs are used as seats. There are different features within blocks that can be im-
proved and create good spaces,including courtyards, corridors,...However some of them needs
programs that may activate them, and others have poor quality of houses.
The road Kazi ni kazi courtyard
The corridor is directly
connected to the pe-
destrian street,but it
is not active because
buildings along it are
storages.
This view seems to be an entrance
from the pedestrian street to a
block with Inkurunziza church,
with a small building which defines
privacy of residential building
which is on one side.
The courtyard has a garden with storages and an office
and at its entrance there a small canteen which make it
active.
Kazi ni Kazi Entrance
They attached a wooden truc-
ture that is used as exhibition
along the corridor.
Three important elements of the city were identified(Main gathering spaces) and the
concept is to connect them and create another gathering space; place for traditional
ceremonies, which will add value to this neighborhood.
The passage is defined by connecting the road to internal and existing courtyards through
existing corridors, some poor quality houses identified are replaced, and along the path there
are different activities.
CONCEPT
The main driving ideas is to create a passage which connects
three important elements of the city(Market, Church/Inkurun-
ziza and Town hall) Which are considered as main gathering
area, by integrating a new gathering area where traditional
ceremonies will take place such as Umuganura,wedding, Hero
day celebration,meeting and other activities that bring people
together such as Gacaca. And also integrating shaded paths
that connect these four elements(Market,Traditional ceremo-
nies area,Church/Inkurunziza and Town hall.
Audiences space with treelike
canopy.
Back in the history
Rwandans used to meet
or gather under a canopy
of tree especially Umu-
nyinya tree, with light
filtered through leaves,
and very beautiful shade.
DESIGN STRATEGIES
space can be used as relaxing area,
reading,people meeting their friends,...
The same ideas is reflected in creating
a sheltered path(porchlike path).
Creation of a sheltered path
in between buildings.
A: Entrance from the bus
B:Entrance that allow access for people with disabilities
A
B
NEW LAND USE

8. The neigborhood is made vibrant due to the new gathering space integrated; space
for traditional ceremonies such as Hero day, Umuganura(celebration of harvest,....)
and there are some support programs such as restaurant(catering), offices, changing
rooms, integrated bookshelves for reading, Restrooms,relaxing area, exhibitions of tradition art-
craft.
D
E
K O
P
L
M
N
I
J
C
F H
C: Circulation
H: Corridor I: Open air restaurant
L: Open air restaurant M: Open air restaurant N: Pedestrian street
O: Entrance to the other block O: Corridor to the Church
J: Open air restaurant K: Corridor to pedestrian street
D: Ceremonial space
E: Resting and conversation F: Corridor with book shelves
The ceremonial space is designed to facilitate different activities; dancing, catering,
and other support programs. In addition the space can be used as relaxing areas, res-
taurant, reading,... when there is no ceremony taking place.
Considering before and after, the neigborhood is highly changed in term of functionality, there
is a continuous movement created, different activities along the path; open air restaurants,
exhibitions, shops, book shelves,......
F
Floor plan
A_A Section
A
A
B
B
D
D
B_B Section D_D Section
Before
Before
Before Before
After
After
After After
Flow of people