TSUPU Funding Programme

ImpressIoNs & experIeNce from the fIeld

What represents a city is a complex network of roads, buildings, markets, spatial forms and people who dwell in the city. Like any other city from a developing county, Kampala also faces high population growth and poverty which is perceived by looking at the chaos in the city. When we were walking through one of the settlement in Kampala, the kids were following us and people were strangely looking at us and monitoring our move. When people see strangers in their settlement, they get threatened and this is natural to happen in a settlement that is under eviction threat.

in Walukuba East, when we reached to our proposed site, our presence was announced on loud speakers installed in the small market communication center, as a way of creating awareness in the community about our agenda. This is a system that has been established in this community to create awareness, mobilize the community and avoid any misunderstandings that might arise as we later experienced in other settlements. During the field work, moving with a local leader or a community member from the federation is what enabled us to acquire information from the community without appearing as donors. it is very necessary to know someone in the community and build trust among the people as these communities are really vulnerable.

coNtextuAl coNstrAINts

Viewed as professionals, we were compelled to stretch beyond our capacity as students and develop methods that allowed us to obtain all the information needed in the study. The ideal approach was to give the community a chance to understand their stake in the project and appreciate the fact that the BMTC is as much their responsibility as it is ACTogether and Jinja Municipal council. The question of affordability of the materials produced at the center was one of the fears expressed both in the community and among the Architect and Planning students at Makerere University. The BMTC is targeted to meet the needs of low income earners. But in reality they may not be able to afford the blocks or have the ability to produce them in the short term.

in spite of the size of the site being limited, the community still wanted a community garden to hold social functions. We discussed the design and tried to incorporate their comments and suggestions therein. In the end, we were able to satisfy the needs of the community and other stakeholders.

strAtegIc VAlue

As Planners and Architects, it’s necessary to understand the community and enable them participate in the planning process. The experience from the field work changed our perception and made us think critically over the issues before making decisions. At first, it appeared as a design task but after a deeper understanding of the priorities and needs of the community, it turned to be more than just the design. it was a response to the housing needs, sanitation needs and the need for a community space.