UrbanShift Kigali Geospatial Planning Analysis Lab

Alongside the City of Kigali, UrbanShift hosted the third of nine planned Geospatial Planning Analysis Labs for UrbanShift member cities. The UrbanShift Kigali Lab focused on the theme of “Assessing the resilience of new neighborhood developments in Kigali” and was held from Tuesday 20 to Wednesday 21 June, at the Kigali Marriott Hotel in Rwanda. During this 2-day, hands-on strategic planning workshop in Kigali, city representatives and stakeholders had an opportunity to collaborate on evidence-based approaches to assess the resilience of new neighborhood developments to climate risks, and determine the connectivity of these newly formed areas to essential infrastructure services such as public transport. Participants gained exposure to novel insights from global and local datasets, were exposed to the benefits of a data-driven approach to integrated planning decisions, and were able to participate interactively to discuss the challenges and bottlenecks that need to be addressed and how the data can be used to inform public policy decisions. The World Resources Institute UrbanShift team delivered the Lab using latest data and tools available to the city of Kigali, which were workshopped during the Lab and complemented by a site visit to a newly planned development area called Nunga. 

The Lab was organized by the World Resources Institute (WRI), with the support of C40 Cities, WRI Africa and the World Bank.  

Speakers:  

• Dr. Merard Mpabwanamaguru, Vice Mayor, Urbanization and Infrastructure 
• Esther Mutamba, Senior Consultant, World Bank 
• Jessy Appavoo, Head, UrbanShift, C40 Cities 
• Pablo Lazo, Director, Urban Development, World Resources Institute 
• John-Rob Pool, Manager, Knowledge and Partnerships, UrbanShift, WRI 
• Gorka Zubicaray, Senior Technical Specialist, Urban Development, WRI Mexico 
• Solange Muhirwa, Chief of Urban Planning, City of Kigali 
• Edward Kyazze, Director General in charge of Urbanization, Human Settlement & Housing Development, Ministry of Infrastructure 
• Martine Uwera, Programme Manager, RUDPII, Rwanda Environment Management Authority 
• Marc Manyifika, Country Lead for Urban Water Resilience Initiative and Head of Cities in Rwanda, WRI Africa 
• Eric Mackres, Senior Manager, Data and Tools, WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, WRI 
• Faustin Nsengiyumva, RUDP II Project Coordinator, Ministry of Infrastructure