CRITIQUE OF AGA KHAN WALK

REGENERATION
BY JIMMY KIARIE
The area is 500 metres long
by 30 metres wide. City Hall
Way defines it to the north
and Haile Selassie Avenue
to the south. The Hilton
Arcade connects it to Kimathi
Street
AGA KHAN
WALK
LOCATION
SITE ELEVATIONS
 AGA KHAN WALK STRENGTHS

• 1. EXPOSED POSITIVE VIEWS INTO THE SITE.

• 2. PRESENCE OF INDIGENOUS TREES IN THE
GREEN SPACES.
• 3. HIKING ACTIVITY DURING THE WEEKENDS.
• 4. GREEN SPACES THAT MAKE THE STREET
INTERESTING.
• 5. PEDESTRIANS ONLY STREET HENCE SAFE FOR
PEDESTRIANS.
AGA KHAN WALK WEAKNESSES
• 1. INACCESSIBLE GREEN SPACES ATTRACTING
HOMELESS FAMILIES ESPECIALLY AT NIGHT
• HENCE MAKING IT UNSAFE AT NIGHT.
• 2. MINIMAL INTERACTION BETWEEN THE
EXISTING BUILDINGS AND THE STREET
• 3. LACK OF STREET ACTIVITY FOR ALL AGE
GROUPS.
• 4. STREET EXPOSURE TO THE HARSH WESTERN
SUN.
• 5. LACK OF STRONG CONNECTION WITH THE
NEIGHBOURING STREETS.
• 6. POOR CONNECTION TO KIMATHI STREET.
• 7. LACK OF ADEQUATE SITTING SPACES
• 8. POOR WASTE MANAGEMENT LEADING TO
ODOUR IN THE SITE
DESIGN TEAM
 ENTRANCE PAVILION

• A PAVILION ACCENTUATES THE START OF AGA KHAN

WALK FROM THE HAILE SELASSIE AVENUE.
• IT IS CONSTRUCTED FROM PLASTERED REINFORCED
CONCRETE WITH INTEGRATION OF STEEL PERGOLA.
• THERE IS ALSO PROVISION OF SEATING SPACE ON THE
SAME.
• AT ITS FRONT OVERLOOKING THE WALK IS SQUARE
GARDENS WITH A BROAD CENTRAL YARDS WITH A
SHIFT IN CABRO ORIENTATION.
• IT OFFERS A SPACE FOR PEDESTRIAN NODE FROM
WHICH A PUBLIC ADDRESS CAN BE DONE.
 GARDENS
• GARDENS ARE BEAUTIFUL, THEY ADD
AESTHETIC VALUE TO PEDESTRIAN WALK
AND IMPROVE SERENITY OF URBAN AREAS.
• LOOKING AT THESE GREEN PLANTS AND
NATURE HAS SOME BENEFICIAL HEALTH
EFFECTS SUCH AS RELEASING MUSCLE
TENSION, REDUCING STRESS, LOWERING
BLOOD PRESSURE AND INCREASING
POSITIVE FEELINGS.
• THESE HEALTH BENEFITS ALSO IMPROVE
PRODUCTIVITY AND HEALTH OF PEOPLE
WHO HAVE A VIEW THEM.
• THIS HAS BEEN RESPONDED BY MAKING
THE GARDENS AT HUMAN SCALE WITH
SOME AS LOW AS NEW HEIGHT.
• IT IS HOWEVER A LOST OPPORTUNITY IS
THE GARDEN ARE NOT ACCESSIBLE AS
LAWNS FOR USERS OF THE STREET.
SUB-DIVIDED GARDENS
• REGENERATION HAS SEEN INTEGRATION OF
GARDENS AND THE PEDESTRIAN STREETS.
• THE ORIGINALLY SECLUDED CENTRAL
GARDENS HAVE BEEN BROKEN DOWN AND
CHAMFERED.
• THESE ALLOWS THE PEDESTRIANS TO
ACTIVELY INTERACT WITH THEM.
• IT ALSO INCREASES THE CIRCULATION SPACE
FOR PEDESTRIAN USE.
WALKWAY CABRO INSTALLATION
• AGA KHAN HAS SEEN THE WALKWAYS BEING
CARPETED BY CARBO PAVING BLOCKS.
• THE CABRO IS COLORFUL HENCE DECORATIVE IN
NATURE.
• THE SYTEM OF FLOORING MAKES THE SPACE MORE
VIBRANT AND ACTIVE.
• HOWEVER, THE INITIATIVE HAS MADE ROOM FOR
INCREASED URBAN HEAT EFFECT WITH THE
INCREASD IMPERMEABLE PAVING.
• APPLICATION OF PERMEABLE PAVING WOL HAVE
BEST SUITED THE SCENARIO.
 CHANGE IN LEVELS

• AS THE NAME REFERS TO; AGA KHAN WALK- IS A HIGH FOOT MOVEMENT AREA WITHIN THE CBD.
• THE WALK HOWEVER HAS A VARIATION OF LEVELS AT SOME POINT.
• INITIALLY THE CHANGE IN LEVELS WAS MITIGATED BY PROVISION OF STAIRCASE.
• THE REGENERATION HAS SEEN THE CONSTRUCTION OF A RAMP TO CATER FOR THE DISABLED AS WELL.
• THE IS ALSO A SECONDARY PAVILION AT THE POINT OF LEVEL CHANGE FROM WHICH A NODE CAN CONVERGE
FOR AN ADDRESS.
 SEATING SPACES
• THE URBAN FABRIC DICTATES PROVISION OF SEATING SPACE FOR A PARK OR OPEN SPACES WHERE NODE OF CROWDS OCCUR.
• THE REPOSNSE OF THE REGENERATION PROGRAM ALONG AGA KHAN WALK IS INTERGRATION OF GARDENS FROM WHICH THE CURB WALLS WOULD
BE CONSTRUCTED AS SEATING SPACES.
• THERE IS AN INCREASE IN PEDESTRIAN SEATING SPACES.
• SOME OF THE SEATING AREAS OVERLOOK GARDENS WITH CURBS AS LOW AS 350MM.
• THE SEATING SPACES ARE WELL INTEGRATED WITH THE GARDENS , WITH SOME FACING DIRECTLY AT GARDENS.
 NON MOTORIST STREET
• AGA KHAN WALK IS A FULLY DEDICATED
PEDESTRIAN NETWORK.
• TO PREVENT MOTORISTS FROM ACCESSING THE
STREETS THERE ARE ERECTION OF CAST IN SITU
CONCRETE BOLLARDS.
• AGA KHAN WALK CROSSES THROUGH HARAMBE
AVENUE, WHICH IS A NODE OF INTERACTION
BETWEEN PEDESTRIAN AND MOTOR TRANSIT.
• AN INTERVENTION OF PEDESTRIAN CROSSING
LIGHT HAS BEEN INTEGRATED.
• WHEN IN OPERATION THIS WOULD ENSURE
SMOOTH INTEGRATION OF THE TWO MODES OF
TRANSIT.
 SERVICE INSTALLATION
• THE REGENERATION PROVIDED N OPPORTUNITY
TO PROVIDE PROPER SERVICES CHANNELING
WITHING THE STRETCH.
• THIS IS IN REGARDS TO DRAINAGES AND
PASSING OF TELECOMMUNICATION CABLES.
• THERE IS A NUMBER OF MANHOLES VISIBLE ON
SITE THAT WERE INSTALLED TO ALLOW THE
PASSING OF THESE MODES OF
COMMUNICATION.
WASTE MANAGEMENT

• IN LINE WITH GUIDELINES ON SUSTAINABILITY , THE

REGENERATION HAS MADE CONSCIOUS MEASURES TOWARDS
WASTE MANAGEMENT.
• THE SYSTEMS IS COGNIZANT OF THE RECYCLE REUSE CYCLE
WITH PROVISION OF DIFFERENT BINS.
BALANCE BETWEEN “DEVELOPMENT”
WITH “CONSERVATION.”

• THERE WAS AN OUTRAGE BY THE SITE OF CHOPPED UP TREES

ON AGA KHAN WALK.
• THIS IN EFFECT CAUSED A LOT OF OUTCRY FROM
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATIONISTS.
• THE DESIGN HOWEVER MITIGATED THE FELLING OF TREES
WITH A DESIGN THAT INCORPORATES NEW TREES, HOWEVER
THE SPECIES WOULD NOT PROVIDE THE SHADE THE PRIOR
HAD.
 MISSED OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE REGENERATION
• THE REGENERATION PROCESS HAS NOT ADEQUATELY
INCORPORATED AN ECONOMIC ASPECT WITHIN THE STRETCH.
• THE APPROACH WOULD HAVE MADE A MORE VIBRANT STREET
AS COMPARED TO THE CURRENT STREET CONSTITUTION.

SPILLING OVER THE ACTIVITIES

INTO THE STREET TO ENHANCE
THE SURROUNDING
CONNECTION TO THE
WALKWAY. JAVA WOULD HAVE
BEEN A BEST CASE.
• THE ABSENCE OF AN ACTIVE NIGHT LIFE.
• AN URBAN STRREET SHOULD NOT ONLY BE
DESIGN TO SERVE A DAYTIME FUNCTION OF
PEDESTRIAN TRANSITING FROM ONE AREA OF
THE CBD TO THE OTHER, BUT ALSO SHOULD
INCORPORATE NIGHTLIFE.
• THIS SHOULD BE COGNIZANT OF THE
DIFFERENT AGES THAT INTERACT WITHIN THE
SITE.
• SHADING OF THE STREET FROM WESTERN SUN
• BARREN AREA AROUND AGA KHAN WALK HAS A HIGH
URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT DUE TO THE FELLEN TREES.
PLANTING OF THICK TREE VEGETATION ALONG THE
BOUNDARY WALL SEPARATING THE WALK AND THE
PRIVATE CAR PARK TO SHADE THE STREET FROM
WESTERN SUN.
 REFERENCES

• NJERU, A. M., & KINOSHITA, I. (2018). EVALUATING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF CAR-FREE STREETS IN
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: THE CASE OF NAIROBI, KENYA. ASIAN JOURNAL OF BEHAVIOURAL
STUDIES, 3(14), 13-29.
• MOIRONGO, B. O. (2002). URBAN PUBLIC SPACE PATTERNS: HUMAN DISTRIBUTION AND THE
DESIGN OF SUSTAINABLE CITY CENTRES WITH REFERENCE TO NAIROBI CBD. URBAN DESIGN
INTERNATIONAL, 7(3), 205-216.
• COUNTY, I. I. N. (2020). BASELINE ASSESSMENT OF THE NON-MOTORIZED TRANSPORT
FACILITIES AND INFRASTRUCTURE IN NAIROBI COUNTY.