Awakening the city of seven hills: a transportation hub to enhance mobility for wellness in Kampala Uganda

Abstract

In recent years, research studies have shown an increase in stress levels especially among people living in cities. Clear links have been established correlating wellbeing with the environment. Studies show that urban environments increase tendencies of unhappiness and stress among people. This study identifies inefficiency in systems that facilitate mobility as one of the causes of stress among city users. It recognises mobility as a core component of any system that facilitates the efficient flow of things between points. Inadequacy in systems of mobility can therefore cripple a system by preventing the free movement of things from one point to another. Like so many developing cities, the urban environment of Kampala, the capital of Uganda that is undergoing rapid urbanisation and often unchecked development faces challenges regarding mobility. In Kampala, majority of the population either walk or rely on public transportation and yet the inadequate infrastructure and systems of mobility denies them the right to freely and easily access and navigate their city. This both directly and indirectly results in physical and psychological stress in city users leading to frustrations and financial losses and consequently prevents wellbeing. The study focuses on the Old Taxi Park which is the most frequently used public transportation facility for daily short trips around the city of Kampala. Recognising that the failing state of infrastructure and inadequate systems of organising the movement of vehicles and people in and around the park render it one of the black spots that contribute to and often escalate the problems regarding mobility presents the Old Taxi Park as a suitable site for a project to address the city’s navigational challenges. This is aimed at mitigating stress among the people who engage with the city. The project thus proposes a revamp of the Old Taxi Park to facilitate efficient movement of people within Kampala. In order to further enhance wellness, the project draws on the healing and restorative power of nature. Although nature has been linked to improved well being, having been found to have numerous restorative benefits especially for people who constantly interact within densely inhabited fast paced settings, the city centre of Kampala which has the highest population density and fastest pace of life in the entire city critically lacks instances where people can interact with and so benefit from the nurture of the elements of nature. Therefore this research project takes an approach of reintroducing various elements of nature to the urban fabric through the design of the transportation hub and how it integrates with Kampala’s urban fabric. The main objectives for the project are hence to promote efficiency in the systems of mobility and to reintroduce nature within the urban sphere in order to promote wellness for the people who interact with the concrete jungle that was once the City of Seven Hills