The urban fabric initiative (UFI) brings out and supports small or temporary micro-projects, carried by the inhabitants and quickly implemented, on the sites of urban projects. Citizen Project Laboratories in cities like Ouagadougou, Abidjan, Dakar, and Tunisian cities, funded by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), are promoting participatory urban initiatives in order to address the disconnect between public infrastructure and user needs by fostering inclusive decision-making and collective ownership. In Dakar, for instance, the Urban Fabric Project involves residents in co-designing and maintaining new transport facilities. This has led to enhanced local involvement and improved management of urban spaces, and aims to further integrate traditional and transitory urbanism and build on participatory tools.
Kibera Public Space Project (KPSP)
Since 2006, KDI has been actively advancing the Productive Public Space model in the form of the Kibera Public Space Project (KPSP), an ongoing and growing network of 11 public spaces.
Each public space has become a well-used community space. By leveraging the Productive Public Space approach of inclusive participation and community governance, the collective network has addressed complex regional challenges, including watershed management, climate resilience, social cohesiveness, and economic opportunity.
Comparison between UFI & KPSP
` | UFI | KPSP |
Stakeholders in partnership | Government & Community | Community |
Demand-driven process | CFI | RFP |
Operations | Hybrid management between the County and CBO | Managed by CBO, with local admin approval |
Scaling Opportunities | Through government initiatives | Through CBO, CSOs and NGO uptak |