Determinants of the expansion of commercial building zones in Nairobi county, Kenya
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the determinants of commercial building
zones expansion in Nairobi County, Kenya. It was guided by four research objectives.
They included establishing influence of infrastructure on commercial building zones
expansion in Nairobi County; determining influence of participatory planning on
commercial building zones expansion in Nairobi County; to examine the influence of the
changes in regulations on commercial building zones expansion in Nairobi County; and
establishing influence of environment on commercial building zones expansion Nairobi
County. The study used a descriptive survey design and purposive sampling in selecting
the respondents. The target population for this study was 1637 comprising of 1200
architectural firms (Board of Registration of Architects and Quantity Surveyors), 330
registered estate agents (Estate Agents Board), and 107 property developers (Kenya
Property Developers Association). Proportionate stratified sampling was used to select a
sample size of 384 respondents from 4 zones out of 20 zones in Nairobi County.
Developers, real estate agents and architectural firms formed the strata for proportionate
stratified sampling in this study. The sample was drawn proportionately from each of
these three strata. Purposive sampling was used in selecting the five (5) officials in the
Nairobi County Department of Planning who were interviewed as key informants for this
study. A pilot study of 12 respondents was carried out in Kikuyu Town. This study used a
structured questionnaire to collect data. Data was collected using structured
questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data and Statistical package for
social sciences (SPSS) was used as an aid for analysis. Results of analyzed data were then
presented in frequency tables. Infrastructure development was found to have influenced
expansion of commercial buildings zones. Urban planning was found to influence
expansion of commercial buildings in Nairobi County. The findings of this study have
shown that changes in legislative framework and regulations influenced development of
commercial buildings. Environmental issues were found to have influenced expansion of
commercial buildings in Nairobi County. The study revealed that there is expansion of
commercial building zones. Residential buildings being converted to commercial
buildings and new commercial buildings illustrated this expansion. This study concluded
that increased infrastructure development will lead to expansion of commercial building
zones. The study also concluded that increased participation by various stakeholders in
urban planning will lead to expansion of commercial building zones. The study
concluded that changes in legislative framework will slow expansion of commercial
building zones in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study also concluded that the more the
congestion, obstruction and hazards an area is, the less the expansion of commercial
building zones. This study recommends that the National government of Kenya should
ensure that there is infrastructure development according to needs in the city to support
commercial buildings zones. The study also recommends that Nairobi County should
embrace participatory planning in urban development. The study also recommends that
Kenyan parliament and the Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban development should
ensure that laws and regulations in place adequately meet and serve commercial buildings
zones. This study recommends that National Environment Management Authority should
have clear guidelines to address environmental issues influencing commercial buildings
zones.
Publisher
University of Nairobi
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesUsage Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/Collections
- Faculty of Education (FEd) [5964]
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