A new master plan, which will lay out Kigali’s development roadmap for the next 30 years, was unveiled in the city on Wednesday as municipal authorities emphasize increasing public transport means by at least 70 percent in urban areas.
According to Fred Mugisha, the Director of Kigali Urban Planning, the proposed Kigali City Master Plan will be implemented in five phases and each of which has been aligned with specific development activities expected to generate at least 1.7 million jobs in the next 30 years.
Among other new features, the proposed master plan also caters for affordable housing units on the periphery of the central business district, which was one of the inputs from the citizens, who said that in the current master plan, low-income earners were being pushed away from urban settings.
“The new master plan takes into account the aspect of inclusion to ensure that everyone feels included and be motivated to implement the master plan,” Mugisha said.
In June last year, the city began a process to review and update the current master plan following widespread concerns by city dwellers on multiple issues, mainly shortage of low-cost housing, open spaces for recreational parks, ease of owning a home and access to public facilities, among other aspects which were inadequately catered for.
The outdated master plan of Kigali city was adopted in 2013 by the Rwandan authorities to improve the city’s environment while also trying to promote social inclusion, sustainable economic development and access to civic facilities.
The most important aspect of the master plan is to provide a road map for Kigali’s future growth.
The master plan guides changes in the city over long term and gives physical form to its strategic vision and values, the authorities said.
CU/as/APA