Beneath the Flyover: Contested Grounds of Mobility in Nairobi – VE-R
The Nairobi Expressway is a 27-kilometre toll road that runs straight through the Kenyan capital Nairobi. The road aims to reduce traffic congestion and speed up journey times in a city known for daily traffic jams. At the same time, the Expressway road is the subject of debate. According to VE-R, the construction has resulted in unsafe and poorly accessible public space. Car traffic is given priority and street-level connections have been severed. This is problematic in a city where the majority of residents rely on walking and cycling. The project Beneath the Flyover: Contested Grounds of Mobility in Nairobi – a collaboration with Women Shaping Cities and Critical Mass Nairobi – explores this inequality in mobility and identifies how infrastructure can reinforce exclusion. On a 10-kilometre stretch under the Expressway, the study examines how this exclusion arises and is perceived. This approach uses mapping, field observations and personal testimonies. The research has three intended outcomes: a Visual Research Atlas, a policy brief and a video. In the first phase, spatial evidence and experience stories will be collected, with the aim of raising awareness and supporting policy dialogues on safer and more inclusive public spaces.
