Mixed-use development and its implications to development control : the case of Kololo IV Parish, Kampala Capital City.

Abstract

Mixed-use development (MUD) has emerged as a dominant urban transformation trend in rapidly urbanising cities, driven by land scarcity, market dynamics, and changing socioeconomic needs. In Kampala, high-value residential neighbourhoods such as Kololo IV Parish have experienced accelerated conversion from low-density single-use residential development to complex mixed-use configurations, often outpacing existing development control mechanisms. This study examined the form and evolution of mixed-use development in Kololo IV Parish and evaluated its implications for spatial development control within Kampala Capital City. Adopting a case study research design grounded in a pragmatic philosophical paradigm, the study employed a mixed-methods approach that integrated GIS-based spatial and temporal analysis, structured questionnaires, key informant interviews, field observations, and document and archival record review. Stratified spatial sampling was used to analyse 131 buildings across the parish, while analytical frameworks drawn from Hoppenbrouwer and Louw, Leinfelder and Pisman, Booth’s discretionary planning theory, and Mitnick’s regulatory compliance theory guided interpretation. The findings revealed significant spatial transformation between 2000 and 2024, with built-up land increasing from 21.81 hectares to 48.36 hectares and widespread conversion of low-density residential plots to commercial, institutional, and high-rise residential uses. Mixed-use development manifested in diverse horizontal, vertical, temporal, and sharedpremises forms across building, plot, and street scales, driven primarily by rising land values, demand for flexible live–work environments, lifestyle changes, and policy and regulatory ambiguities. However, development control was constrained by inconsistent zoning enforcement, discretionary approvals, fragmented institutional coordination, and the absence of explicit statutory definitions of mixed-use development, resulting in selective compliance and contested planning outcomes. The study concludes that while mixed-use development has enhanced urban vibrancy and land-use efficiency in Kololo IV Parish, it has simultaneously exposed structural weaknesses in Kampala’s development control system. It therefore recommends revising regulatory frameworks to explicitly accommodate mixed-use development, strengthening institutional capacity and inter-agency coordination, and adopting context-sensitive, evidencebased development control approaches to support sustainable and orderly urban transformation.