Understanding the Concept of Neighbourhood in Kigali City, Rwanda

Gideon Baffoe, Josephine Malonza, Vincent Manirakiza and Leon Mugabe
Additional contact information
Gideon Baffoe: Centre for Sustainable, Healthy and Learning Cities and Neighbourhoods (SHLC), Urban Studies, School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow, Room 710 Adam Smith Building, 40 Bute Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RS, UK
Josephine Malonza: School of Architecture and the Built Environment, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, Kigali P. O. Box 4285, Rwanda
Vincent Manirakiza: College of Education—Geography, University of Rwanda, Kigali P. O. Box 4285, Rwanda
Leon Mugabe: College of Education—Social Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali P. O. Box 4285, Rwanda

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 4, 1-22

Abstract: Though the relevance of the concept of neighbourhood in both research and policy oriented circles is unquestionable, the concept remains contested and fluid, making its operationalisation a daunting task, particularly in practice. This study explores how the concept of neighbourhood has been operationalised in Kigali city and how the neighbourhood boundaries and typologies are defined. The paper dwells on the review of relevant literature, interviews with 25 practitioners and field observations. It is argued that neighbourhood conceptualisation in Kigali is both theory—it bears the common aspects of neighbourhood definitions—and practice driven, reflecting modernity and context. On the one hand, modernity suggests the desire of planning authorities to follow contemporary planning practices. Context, on the other hand, reflects the desire to tailor local policies to country specific challenges. While boundaries follow subjective, administrative and physical models, typologies tend to be overly physical, focusing mainly on housing structures. The study identified three conventional neighbourhood typologies—planned, informal and mixed types. Given the predominance of informal and mixed neighbourhoods, this study further argues that such areas form the ‘bedroom’ and ‘transit point’ for most lower- and middle-class workers, in addition to serving as a ‘laboratory’ for testing various social interventions. The study recommends a well-serviced mixed classification typology to foster a strong sense of belongingness.

Keywords: urbanisation; neighbourhood; boundary; typology; Kigali (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:4:p:1555-:d:322519

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