Africa’s Urban Fantasy? The Sustainability Question for Konza Technology City

Abstract

Konza technology city has been proposed as a flagship project in the ICT sector that would propel the Republic of Kenya to the status of a newly industrializing, middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens by 2030. It is billed as a sustainable, eco-friendly and smart city. Taking the perspective of the built environment, this paper evaluates the sustainability claims of the project against the sustainable development needs of the African city and its denizens. First, the project’s aim and objectives are laid out followed by a detailing of the project proposals concerning its governance structure, its master plan, its PPP strategy and its smart city prospects. This is followed by an evaluation of the project and the key proposals in the context of sustainable urban development. These include the rationale of the project, the suitability of site, the governance and inclusive development. In the end, a conclusion is reached that Konza’s smart city project proposals are not a set of sustainable solutions in the context of Africa’s urban development needs.