Abstract Speculative Urbanism and the Urban
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ABSTRACT SPECULATIVE URBANISM AND THE URBAN PLANNING PROCESS IN NAIROBI KENYA: A CASE STUDY OF THE SOUTHERN BYPASS by Topista Nafula Barasa Foreign direct investment into the global periphery funds most of the large-scale infrastructural projects. The presence of foreign investments activates local capital invested in real estate, leading to urban transformation. Domestic investors' speculation in the land for urban production has created a new type of urbanism, termed speculative urbanism. The Nairobi Southern Bypass, Kenya, is a transportation infrastructure that brought forth land-use changes. This research has three objectives. First, it aims to determine changes that have occurred before, during, and after its construction. Second, the processes contributing to these changes, and third, what the transformations mean to Kenya's urban development. The analysis of interviews with real estate developers and planners fulfills the second and third objectives. Results from Google Earth Pro images (2002-2010-2018) of the four residential developments serving as case studies depict urban transformations that have occurred. A review of interviews reveals the availability of local capital investments into real estate by local capitalists. The land records indicate the privatization of land by the state and investors' financialization of the land for urban production. Further, the speculative urbanism framework partially unveils the changing urban morphology. Three recommendations provide a way forward for urban development and future studies. SPECULATIVE URBANISM AND THE URBAN PLANNING PROCESS IN NAIROBI KENYA: A CASE STUDY OF THE SOUTHERN BYPASS Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Miami University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Geography by Topista Nafula Barasa Miami University Oxford, Ohio 2021 Advisor: Ian E.A Yeboah (Professor) Reader: David L. Prytherch (Professor) Reader: John K. Maingi (Associate Professor) ©2021 Topista Nafula Barasa This Thesis titled SPECULATIVE URBANISM AND THE URBAN PLANNING PROCESS IN NAIROBI KENYA: A CASE STUDY OF THE SOUTHERN BYPASS by Topista Nafula Barasa has been approved for publication by College of Arts and Science and Department of Geography ____________________________________________________ Ian E.A Yeboah ______________________________________________________ David L. Prytherch _______________________________________________________ John K. Maingi Table of Contents CHAPTER ONE .........................................................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................1 1.1: Introduction...........................................................................................................1 1.2: Statement of the Problem ......................................................................................2 1.3: Brief history of urban development in Kenya ........................................................3 1.4: Study Area: The Nairobi Southern Bypass.............................................................6 1.5: Methodology .........................................................................................................8 1.5.1: Data Sources and Analysis ..............................................................................8 1.6: Thesis Organization ..............................................................................................9 CHAPTER TWO ...................................................................................................................... 10 LITERATURE REVIEW: ......................................................................................................... 10 KEY WRITINGS IN SPECULATIVE URBANISM, INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT, AND LAND USE CHANGE .................................................................................................... 10 2.0 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 10 2.1 Speculative Urbanism........................................................................................... 10 2.2 Transportation Infrastructure development and Land use change .......................... 14 2.3 Conceptual Framework ........................................................................................ 15 2.6: Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 17 CHAPTER THREE ................................................................................................................... 18 SPATIAL TRANSFORMATIONS ALONG THE SOUTHERN BYPASS ............................... 18 3.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 18 3.2: Amara Ridge ....................................................................................................... 19 3.3 Shree Kutch Satsang Mandir ................................................................................ 20 3.4 The Curve by the Park .......................................................................................... 21 3.5: China Gardens Estate Road ................................................................................. 23 3.6 Discussion ............................................................................................................ 25 CHAPTER FOUR ..................................................................................................................... 26 PROCESSES CONTRIBUTING TO URBAN TRANSFORMATIONS ................................... 26 4.1: Introduction......................................................................................................... 26 4.2: Transnational policy networks. ............................................................................ 26 i 4.3: Sources of Capital ............................................................................................... 27 4.4: Dispossession ...................................................................................................... 29 4.5: Financialization and Monetization ....................................................................... 33 4.6: Eco-city and Smart city-making. ......................................................................... 34 4.7: Land Speculation................................................................................................. 36 4.8: Discussion ........................................................................................................... 37 CHAPTER FIVE ...................................................................................................................... 40 RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE WAY FORWARD .......................................................... 40 5.1: Introduction......................................................................................................... 40 5.2: The way forward ................................................................................................. 40 5.3: Recommendations ............................................................................................... 42 5.4: Limitations of the study ....................................................................................... 43 CHAPTER SIX ......................................................................................................................... 44 SUMMARY, FINDINGS, AND CONCLUSION ...................................................................... 44 6.1 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 44 6.2: Summary and Findings ........................................................................................ 44 6.3: Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 45 References ................................................................................................................................ 47 ii List of Figures Figure 1.3.0: Map of the study area .............................................................................................7 Figure 2.4: Conceptual framework. ........................................................................................... 16 Figure 3.1: Map of the case studies along the Southern Bypass ................................................. 18 Figure 3.2: Amara Ridge spatial changes ................................................................................... 19 Figure 3.3: Shree Kutch Satsang Mandir spatial changes ........................................................... 21 Figure 3.4: The Curve by the Park spatial changes .................................................................... 22 Figure3.5: China Gardens Estate spatial changes ....................................................................... 24 Figure 4.6: A section of Shree Kutch and the Bypass Overlooking the National Park ................ 35 iii List of Tables Table 3.2: Amara Ridge Total Intensity and percentage ............................................................. 20 Table 3.3: Shree Kutch Satsang Mandir Intensity and percentage Increase ................................ 21 Table 3.4.1: Intensity before the Curve 2002 and 2010 .............................................................. 23 Table 3.4.2: The Curve