Ring roads, revived plans, & plotted practice

This journal article titled Ring roads, revived plans, & plotted practice examines the recent history of Nairobi, focusing on the rapid development of large-scale mobility infrastructures from the Thika Superhighway to the opening of the Expressway. It utilises the newly constructed urban bypass highways encircling the city as a framework to analyse urbanisation and contribute to discussions regarding the nature of the urbanising periphery in Africa. The empirical analysis is divided into three sections: plans, projects, and plotting. It explores how plans function as performative technologies, shaping the perception of how locations fit into broader systems and connect to imagined cores. The article then delves into the array of projects, particularly the bypass roads and associated 'new towns,' which embody remnants of these planning concepts but ultimately evolve into incremental expansions. Lastly, it highlights the significance of plotting, which entails plot-by-plot development driven by small businesses and families, as a major contributor to development activity. These investments facilitate the integration of urban fringes, fostering ongoing dialogue with plans and the highway infrastructures that diminish distances between places and spaces. Collectively, these dynamics illustrate the multifaceted ways in which the periphery gains imagination, substance, and value within the urban landscape.

Abstract based directly on source.