Hybrid infrastructures, hybrid governance: New evidence from Nairobi (Kenya) on green-blue-grey infrastructure in informal settlements

Abstract

In expanding informal neighborhoods of cities in sub-Saharan Africa, sustainable management of storm and wastewater drainage is fundamental to improving living conditions. Planners debate the optimal combination between "green" or natural infrastructure, traditional "grey" infrastructure, and "blue" infrastructure, which mimics natural solutions using artificial materials. Many advocate for small-scale, niche experiments with these approaches in informal settings, in order to learn how to navigate the intrinsic constraints of space, contested land tenure, participation, and local maintenance. This paper reports the benefits and limitations of implementing and managing local green, blue and grey infrastructure solutions in an urban informal setting. We studied ten completed public space projects that featured urban drainage infrastructure in the informal neighborhood of Kibera, Nairobi. The analysis drew from ten surveys with project designers and seven semi-structured interviews with site managers. The studied spaces featured different combinations of green, grey, and blue drainage infrastructure that have evolved over years of operation, maintenance, and change in the settlement. All projects featured participation in design, mixed design methods, hybrid infrastructure, and community governance models with potential to interact successfully with municipal actors. Results show that involvement in the co-development of small-scale green infrastructure changed people's valuation, perception, and stewardship of nature-based systems and ecosystem services. These results have implications for the larger scale adoption, integration, and management of urban drainage infrastructure. They also suggest that hybrid systems of infrastructure and governance constitute a resilient approach to incremental and inclusive upgrading.

Nature-Based Solutions for Water Management in Peri-Urban Areas: Barriers and Lessons Learned from Implementation Experiences

“…Also, cultural values were mentioned with terms such as recreation [13,18,24,41,42,[44][45][46]48]; aesthetics [13,36,48]; social cohesion [42]; educational and therapeutic activities [47]; and cultural and historical heritage [18]. Local knowledge was slightly mentioned in educational activities [24]; [22], in activities to increase awareness [44]; and in bottom-up initiatives [31].…”

“…To avoid uncertainty, systemic implications of NBS require taking into account the benefits, services, and the potential risks or unintended consequences of their up-take [14]. Limitations to this purpose could be financial but could also extend to the lack of technological capacity or deficiency in infrastructure, as shown by the region-wide gap in groundwater monitoring systems and data [38]; or that affect institutional capacity [29,31]. These also affect the NBS market uptake and the creation of alternative business models and practices that support it, and thus, limiting partnerships and involvement.…”

“…This could lead to difficulties due to inhabitant resistance to changes [29,35], passive involvement, and insignificant increase of social cohesion [8], fear of the unknown, and uncertainty [16,17]. Some NBS functions could lead to disservices, which are perceived negatively or affect safety perceptions, i.e., fire risks on green spaces or drowning risks in SUDS [31]. In this sense, the cases revealed how social dynamics in terms of behavior and practices are shaped through socio-cultural values, traditions, and perceptions [16,31]; and how they influence the uptake and use of NBS [26].…”

Green Infrastructure Practice and a Sustainability Key Performance Indicators Framework for Neighbourhood-Level Construction of Sponge City Programme

“…Moreover, efficient adaptability is of great importance for economic performance, according to relevant literature and interviews. Indicators including facility adaptability and efficient land use are the four KPIs for the efficient adaptability sub-criterion [67] [97] [99] [103]. Facility adaptability is measured by the level of GI measures operation effect according to local soil, plants and horological conditions.…”

Using Different Levels of Information in Planning Green Infrastructure in Luanda, Angola

“…Green and grey infrastructure integration and social inclusiveness are recognized to a very limited degree in planning documents and in practice [51]. Informal settlements in Nairobi (Kenya) can benefit from green and blue infrastructure (GI), so a robust design is needed to assure the contribution to development and valorization of GI [52].…”