The Alleys in the Central Business District of Kampala: Uses and Implications for Urban Renewal

Subject Areas : Urban Design

Abigail Turinayo ¹ , Fredrick Omolo-Okalebo ²

1 - Graduate Architect, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
2 - Ph.D., Lecturer, Department of Architecture and Physical Planning, School of Built Environment, College of Engineering, Design, Art & Technology, Makerere University. P.O. Box 7062 Kampala, Uganda.

Received: 2015-01-26 Accepted : 2015-03-19 Published : 2015-04-01

Keywords: Alley, Form, Use, urban renewal,

Abstract :

This paper examines the structure and form of the Alley spaces in Kampala Central BusinessDistrict, with purpose to examine their uses, and the potential for urban renewal. The study employed multiplemethodological approaches and procedures including document review, case study approaches and analysis anddeduction of empirical findings, and explanation building. The study findings reveal that alleys in Kampala’s CBDare significant outdoor spaces of linear nature, each with a distinct identity with respect to location, size and qualityinitially designated for municipal service infrastructure but now taken over by the informal commercial enterprisethat sees value of these spaces and from them harnesses a means of survival, henceforth defining their character andquality. The paper concludes that the users most often focus on subspaces of activity concentrations without necessarilynoticing the configuration of the whole space. For effective urban renewal to take place and for the alley to performeffectively, it should be perceived not only as a space for movement but also a place of social interaction of a diverseurban population.

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