URBAN GREEN SPACES STATUS AND CHANGES OVER TIME: THE CASE OF KISUMU AND ELDORET TOWNS.

Abstract

Despite their indispensability, green spaces especially in urban environments are under severe threat particularly from urbanization, non-operationalization of urban plans and socio-political factors. Unfortunately, not much is known about how these factors play a role in this decline, more so in the cities of Sub- Saharan Africa (SSA). Consequently, this study sought to fill this gap by studying Kisumu and Eldoret towns of Kenya as cases. The main objectives of this study, therefore, were to assess the status and attributes of urban green spaces, to determine the effect of urban physical expansion on green space availability and to determine per-capita availability of urban green spaces in the two towns. The first objective was to establish the current status of urban green spaces and two tools were used namely the observation checklist matrix and questionnaire. The observation checklist matrix was used to collect the data on the green spaces facilities. A questionnaire survey technique was employed to elucidate data on green space use patterns and the challenges they face. The second objective was to determine urban growth trends and spatial-temporal changes of green spaces, a supervised classification, multi-temporal data was extracted from Landsat images from 1989-2019. In terms of percentages, Kisumu and Eldoret towns expanded seven times in the period between 1989 and 2019. Urban green spaces in both towns were rapidly disappearing and decreasing over the years with Kisumu town decreasing by 50.92% while Eldoret experiencing an increase in 1999 and 2009 although it declined between 2009 and 2019, it increased by 32.11%. Per-capita availability of public and private urban green spaces was also on the decline and the current per-capita was below 1 metres square in the two towns against 9m2 as recommended by WHO. Physical expansion was found to be the main reason behind the loss of urban green spaces in Kisumu and Eldoret towns and this occurred from conversion of green spaces into built-up areas. This study demonstrates that urbanization is a threat to urban green spaces and deliberate spatial planning interventions are needed urgently so that green spaces and associated benefits are protected to promote sustainability of urban areas.