Empower cities to act, raise ambition, and scale implementation
Knowledge-sharing on a specific topic, method, and/or output
Awareness-raising on a specific topic, method, and/or output
Dr.
Across rapidly urbanising cities in the Global South, youth play in flood-prone river corridors — not by choice, but because high-density settlements offer nowhere else. Meanwhile, these corridors flood seasonally, destroying property and threatening lives. This session explores a water-responsive urbanism approach that turns this conflict into a design opportunity, integrating sports infrastructure into riparian zones designed to flood safely during wet seasons and serve communities during dry ones.
Drawing on Akiba Mashinani Trust’s 9-km Ngong River corridor design in Nairobi — featuring rugby fields with terraced seating, multi-sport arenas, and football pitches — this session shows how ecological restoration and recreational infrastructure can be delivered as a single investment. The design follows Room for the River logic: giving water space while creating safe public assets.
Aligned with the Sports for Nature Initiative and Kenya-championed UNEA Resolution 7/2: Promoting sustainable solutions through sport for a resilient planet, this model demonstrates how sport infrastructure can actively support flood resilience, ecosystem restoration, and inclusive urban development.
Deen Sharp
Jane Weru
Georgina Kasamani
