Up grading of Akasingenge neighborhood - Mbarara City.

Abstract

The study was carried out in Akasingenge neighborhood which is located in Mbarara city. The parliament of Uganda in 20220 uplifted Mbarara municipality to a city status. This implies that there is urgent need to address the current urban decay in the city in its initial stages. Therefore, to address the gap, a model neighborhood has been identified in the city which is Akasingenge. This neighborhood is currently facing physical planning crisis with uncoordinated developments, absence of open spaces, informality of the buildings and the increasing unsustainable developments in the area. These planning issues need to be tackled and addressed if Mbarara city is to serve the people in a sustainable manner. Fieldwork to the area was carried out in the area in a participatory manner where people provided their desired needs in terms of piped water and enhancing access to the land. Majority of the people provided that there is need for sensitization about the notion of physical planning and how to cope up with it. All this informed the planning vision and goal to guide the future development pattern in the area. Different proposals were advanced in the zoning and detailed phase which encompassed the widening of the roads and ensuring access per plot, ensuring equitable distribution of utilities and services in the area. These proposals were generated from the fieldwork data and the feedback from the community members. In conclusion, an implementation framework coupled with monitoring and evaluation strategies were provided in order to achieve a liveable neighbourhood.