Learning From COVID-19 Tactical Urbanism
Challenges and opportunities for ‘infrastructure-lite’ in sub-Saharan African cities
Abstract
This paper investigates why tactical urbanist approaches were rarely considered in SSA cities as a pandemic response, and considers further why ‘infrastructure-lite’ approaches to public and non-motorised transport, more generally, might not find favour in local contexts. Pilots, in this form, could have particular value for resource-constrained authorities that have multiple and contested demands on budget allocations, and a need to demonstrate the legitimacy of cycling and public transport spend. The paper synthesises a series of research reports led by both authors: ‘Learning from COVID-19 pop-up bicycle infrastructure: an investigation into flexible and user-led bicycle planning in Cape Town, Nairobi and Kampala’, and ‘Fast-tracking public transport priority: Investigating the potential of Tactical Transit Lanes in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 in cities in SubSaharan Africa’.
This is an output of the High Volume Transport Applied Research Programme
Citation
Jobanputrai, R and Jennings, G (2021) Learning From COVID-19 Tactical Urbanism: Challenges and opportunities for ‘infrastructure-lite’ in sub-Saharan African cities