Urban Planner & Lecturer, University of Makerere (Uganda)
I am very passionate about mobility issues in African cities. I find it unfortunate that most African cities are designing and implementing very expensive, irrelevant and (kind of) destructive solutions to address our current mobility challenges. African cities, for instance, are particularly still lucky because of the huge walking population, with mostly pathetic walking infrastructure. Regarding my passion for orderly and planned physical development for sustainability, vitality and inclusiveness is no secret anymore, particularly to those who have worked and interacted closely with me, in my country Uganda. Having studied urban planning at undergraduate level, I realized what an opportunity I had to contribute towards Uganda’s sustainable urban development. And that’s my goal. Urban and regional planning has a big implication on the development of any country because of its spatial effect on efficiency, equity, conservation of the environment and meaningful use of scarce land resources.
I have, overtime, realized that our spatial challenges majorly arise from an uncoordinated land use and mobility planning. There is also a real need for investing in attitude change and getting our priorities right. Being in academia, I find myself always seeking to link theory and practice in order to make an impactful contribution to our societal growth. This calls for a strong and reliable network of professionals and partners. My professional skills and attachment have been greatly enriched by the several international fora I have been exposed to, both as a participant and a keynote speaker; all about this subject. I have also been lucky to engage and work with researchers, consultants, planning experts, politicians and policy makers here and abroad. I am glad I always have the ability to simply communicate complex urban development matters to an array of stakeholders.
Amanda Ngabirano
I am very passionate about mobility issues in African cities. I find it unfortunate that most African cities are designing and implementing very expensive, irrelevant and (kind of) destructive solutions to address our current mobility challenges. African cities, for instance, are particularly still lucky because of the huge walking population, with mostly pathetic walking infrastructure. Regarding my passion for orderly and planned physical development for sustainability, vitality and inclusiveness is no secret anymore, particularly to those who have worked and interacted closely with me, in my country Uganda. Having studied urban planning at undergraduate level, I realized what an opportunity I had to contribute towards Uganda’s sustainable urban development. And that’s my goal. Urban and regional planning has a big implication on the development of any country because of its spatial effect on efficiency, equity, conservation of the environment and meaningful use of scarce land resources.
I have, overtime, realized that our spatial challenges majorly arise from an uncoordinated land use and mobility planning. There is also a real need for investing in attitude change and getting our priorities right. Being in academia, I find myself always seeking to link theory and practice in order to make an impactful contribution to our societal growth. This calls for a strong and reliable network of professionals and partners. My professional skills and attachment have been greatly enriched by the several international fora I have been exposed to, both as a participant and a keynote speaker; all about this subject. I have also been lucky to engage and work with researchers, consultants, planning experts, politicians and policy makers here and abroad. I am glad I always have the ability to simply communicate complex urban development matters to an array of stakeholders.