The Economic Benefits of Gentrification Strategy on Kisumu Urban

Abstract

Kisumu, a city located in western Kenya, is experiencing rapid urbanization and economic development. As part of this growth, gentrification has emerged as a strategy to revitalize and transform urban neighborhoods, often resulting in economic benefits for the local community. Gentrification refers to the process of renovating and improving deteriorated urban areas, typically by attracting more affluent residents and businesses. In Kisumu Urban, this process involves the refurbishment of old buildings, creation of new infrastructure, and enhancement of public spaces to attract investment and improve the overall quality of life. However, designing sustainable urban region gentrification projects remains a crucial challenge, particularly in understanding the ways physical planning and social issues interact. This paper therefore investigates the gentrification strategy of urban Redevelopment in the Kisumu housing renewal projects in Kenyan by exploring the connections between sustainable development and physical planning/gentrification strategy. The target population was all the households in greater Nyalenda, Makasembo estate, Kaloleni, and Arena and other stakeholders. The study sample size was 309 households. Systematic sampling procedure and simple random sampling technique was used to select the respondents. The study used content analysis, key informant interview and focus group discussion to gather contextual information on gentrification strategy of renewal housing. The data was then analyzed using SPSS and Stata and presented through graphs, charts and tables. Findings of the four studied household areas indicated that renewable housing infrastructure projects can lead to improved access to facilities and services. In addition, positive effects of the renewable housing infrastructure projects on the socio-economic aspects included more job opportunities and improved commerce in all the communities. Further, reduction in travel time in the four household areas, with improved transit, circulation and connectivity to other household areas was observed. The renewable housing infrastructure projects also brought with them adverse effects such as displacement, protests and insecurity which were felt across the four household areas; in Nyalenda, Makasembo estate, Kaloleni and Arena. The study recommends that policymakers should adopt place-based policies to address the consequences of gentrification and housing renewal projects. Further, infrastructure projects like road construction associated with urban renewal should undergo thorough environmental assessments to evaluate their impacts comprehensively.