March 6, 2017
The Rwandan city of Kigali is the economic, cultural, and transport hub of the country. Kigali is also known amongst African cities for its best practice urbanism and sustainable transport. The city of one million, in the mountainous center of this small, landlocked nation, has made major transformational changes over the past decade. Regulated moto taxis and a city bus system were improved further with the 2016 Smart Kigali initiative, and there are car-free Sundays twice every month. Street improvement measures include everything from beautification to quality footpaths and fully pedestrianized areas of the city center.
ITDP Africa is working with both the city of Kigali and the national government to further grow these successes to the six secondary cities surrounding Kigali, and support these with clear policies at the national level. These include creating non-motorized transport, parking, and traffic reduction policies that can be replicated throughout the nation and region.
