Discussion Paper No. 90 of 2008 on Environmental Sustainability and Policy Implications of Urban Building and Construction in Kenya

Abstract

The trend of urbanization and population growth has exerted excessive pressure on natural capital, with scientific evidence showing an overshoot beyond sustainable limits. Ensuring ecologically sustainable cities and metropolitan regions with a high quality of life is a prime development goal, in Kenya and worldwide. The proportional contribution of the construction sector to environmental degradation has been estimated at a global average of 30 per cent to 40 per cent. This study reviewed existing best practices, conceptual frameworks, and empirical evidence of the benefits of environmentally sound and sustainable building and construction. It applied a weighted summation model and additive utility concepts in Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) to analyze the views of Kenyan stakeholders on the relative importance of nine selected environmental criteria and ten commonly applied strategies for environmentally sustainable building and construction. Slum upgrading, regeneration of brown fields, the 3R philosophy of waste re-use, recycling and reduction, and harmonizing new construction developments with neighbourhoods emerged the four leading strategies in environmental sustainability in the urban building and construction sector. Health and safety, and air quality were the criteria most highly ranked by the stakeholders. Ecology received a uniform weight as an important criterion. Noise pollution, energy efficiency, and air quality emerged to be the factors impacted on least by a combination of all the strategies considered. In Kenya's scenario, the results implied a greater need for participatory development of policy and technology for sustainable urban built environment, and ensuring strict implementation of spatial planning and environmental policy agenda, economic incentives that can motivate research, and innovative measures to achieve high environmental standards, by particularly improving strategic performance on the criteria of noise pollution, air quality, and energy efficiency. Policy recommendations focus on facilitating the four identified leading strategies and role of education in increasing environmental awareness and efficiency in the management of water, waste, and energy in building and construction activities.