dc.description.abstract | The development of the urban fringes is an inevitable consequence of urbanization given that as cities continue to
grow, urban activities spread outwards in waves towards the rural areas. The rural
-
urban fringes of cities thus, are
the exit points for
residents relocating from major urban built areas, and entry points for rural migrants into the
towns. Firstly, rural
-
urban fringes are determined by two major factors; that is, administrative boundaries and the
differences in the intensity of built up ar
eas and the farmland. Secondly, policy and legal guidelines exhibit
inadequacies in handling the dynamism of the fringes and thus the failure by planning agencies in managing the
impending growth, resulting in the development of land in an un
-
sustainable m
anner. Thirdly, prospective land
developers, businesses and communities fail to anticipate the results of development because they lack information
on potential or approved development plans. This research paper
applies urban development theories to explai
n the
drivers of growth at the rural
-
urban fringes. In this regard, this study draws heavily from a paper by Alonso and
Wingo‟s explanations on the spatial structure in terms of how the market allocates space to users according to
supply and demand; von Th
unen‟s agricultural land use model whose building blocks are economic rent, distance
from the centre and individual decision making explains how the urban structure is influenced by the locational
behavior of households in the city. A sample of 134 respond
ents, drawn from the five (5) neighborhoods located
within the Nairobi
-
Kiambu development corridor informed the research. This was further informed by the rather
heterogeneous nature of the neighborhoods in terms of physical characteristics, livelihoods an
d historical evolution.
Observation, questionnaires, focus group discussions and interviews were the main methods applied in the collection
of primary data. A synopsis of the findings reveals that, contrary to conclusions in studies carried out elsewhere i
n
Africa that periphery development accommodates low income residents, the Nairobi
-
Kiambu corridor presents an
area interspersed with low and high income households; households locate at the fringes so as to take advantage of
relaxed regulations and theref
ore engage in land use practices that are allowable | en_US |