The
design of street layouts in urban areas in developing countries has been
centered around motorized transportation with little close to no consideration
to non-motorized modes of transport. This has resulted in increased congestion,
poor urban air quality, reduced safety for pedestrians and cyclists and poor health of urban residents. The transport
planning of street layouts, especially within
Nairobi City, has not adequately taken care of non-motorized transport (NMT)
such as walking and cycling and the activities that occur around them
resulting in competing use of pavements and roads, exposing pedestrians,
cyclists, handcart operators and street vendors to insecurity and harassment. Through observation and interview methods,
this study examined the current condition of the street layout along
Luthuli and Haile Selassie Avenues and documented the NMT activities occurring
along the two streets. The study aimed at assessing the impact street layout
has on non-motorized transportation activities in order to determine both the
positive and negative aspects of urban street design, in an attempt to improve
the built environment of identified streets and in any other forthcoming
redevelopments. It emerged that physical form and qualities of a place shape
the way it is used, and the way people and vehicles move through it. Therefore,
this study recommended that urban street design should help create spaces that
connect with each other sustainably
providing the right conditions to encourage walking, cycling and use of
public transport.
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