URBAN DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS THAT INFLUENCE HUMAN ACTIVITIES IN SWAHILI STREETS - THE CASE OF OLDTOWN MOMBASA

Oct 28, 2026

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Mombasa, a city on the East African coast, holds strong historical, architectural, and cultural assets, yet it faces ongoing physical, social, economic, and environmental challenges in protecting these resources for future generations. Streets in Old Town Mombasa form distinctive urban spaces that host varied social and economic activities, though such activity is uneven across the street network. The study identifies urban-space characteristics shaping human activity levels by analyzing urban design elements, building form metrics, and window height patterns through qualitative and quantitative methods, and classifies the resulting activity types.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background and problem context

Urban design study approach

Findings focus: urban-space characteristics and activity types

URBAN DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS THAT INFLUENCE HUMAN ACTIVITIES IN SWAHILI STREETS - THE CASE OF OLDTOWN MOMBASA. Arch. Nadi Omar Hashim, B.Arch. (Hons), MUD, M.AAK, Lecturer, Dept. of Architecture, JKUAT, [nhashim@jkuat.ac.ke](nhashim@jkuat.ac.ke) Supervisors: Prof. Bernard Otoki Moirongo, B.Arch., M.A., Dr. Techn., MAAK, JKUAT, Email: [bmoirongo@jkuat.ac.ke](bmoirongo@jkuat.ac.ke & Prof. Crispino Ochieng)[ & Prof. Crispino Ochieng](bmoirongo@jkuat.ac.ke & Prof. Crispino Ochieng)’ B.Arch.(Hons, UoN), M. Arch (Katholieke Universiteit-Leuven, Belgium), PhD (University of Cape Town, South Africa), MAAK (A), Reg. Arch. Email: [crispinoochieng@gmail.com](crispinoochieng@gmail.com) SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities/A-2063 G1: A high standard of living, quality of life and well-being for all citizens. SDG11 Theme: Inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities and human settlements/A-2063 G1 Theme: Modern, affordable, and liveable habitats and quality basic services. Sub-theme: Universal access to safe, inclusive, and accessible, green, and public spaces. BIOGRAPHY: Arch. Nadi Omar Hashim is a lecturer at the department of architecture. He has served at the department of architecture in various capacities since his employment as a tutorial fellow in 2006 and later promoted to a lecturer position in 2010. He served as the Chairman of the department from 2017 to 2023. He has been actively involved in teaching and mentoring both undergraduate students and graduate architects. His main thematic areas are building technology, architectural conservation, and urban design. He is also a registered architect with over 15 years of experience in the built industry. ABSTRACT: Mombasa is a city along the East African Coast. The city has rich Historical, Architectural and Cultural attributes that make it one of the significant civilizations of the world. Due to these attributes, the city has experienced physical, social, economic, and environmental challenges in trying to preserve itself for future generations. For example, the streets within the old town of Mombasa are unique in nature and provide settings for various social and economic activities. However, these activities are not seen to take place in some parts of the streets within the old town. These streets form part of the urban spaces within the oldtown. The study establishes the characteristics of these urban spaces that influence human activities within the streets. The study combined both qualitative and quantitative research methods to investigate the urban design elements along the streets, the number of columns per meter length of the street, the average building height, and the average height of windows, along the streets influence human activities at different levels. The study also established the types of activities that take place within these urban spaces. Key Words: Urban spaces, Architectural conservation, Swahili culture, Old town.

FAQs

Why are the streets in Old Town Mombasa important to the study?

They provide unique settings for social and economic activities within the city’s urban spaces, though activity is not present in all parts of the street areas.

What methods does the study use to examine urban design elements?

It combines qualitative and quantitative research methods to investigate the design elements along the streets.

Which measurements are analyzed for their influence on human activities?

The study considers urban design elements, the number of columns per meter length of street, average building height, and average window height.

Oct 28, 2026

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