Kigali

Kigali’s steep terrain and rapid expansion make mobility, drainage and land use inseparable planning issues. The city’s growth has increased pressure on roads and public transport while development on hillsides and around wetlands has heightened flood risk. Current policy therefore combines denser, mixed-use development with stronger public transport and climate-resilient infrastructure.

The Rwanda Urban Mobility Improvement project targets the Nyabugogo multimodal hub, dedicated bus lanes, sidewalks, cycling routes and electric buses, while urban resilience programmes address storm water and wetland restoration. These interventions point toward a more connected metropolitan structure in which streets are not designed only for cars and drainage is not treated as an afterthought. Kigali’s next phase depends on coordinating transport, development intensity and the city’s hydrological landscape.