Evaluating the effectiveness of urban growth limit guidelines in Kampala city.

Abstract

The expansion of urban areas due to population growth is a prevalent phenomenon in many countries, including Uganda in Sub Saharan Africa. The urbanization rate in Uganda is estimated at 5.2% per annum, with Kampala city experiencing rapid growth at a rate of 3.9% per year. Unfortunately, much of this urbanization is occurring without proper planning. Kampala city is undergoing significant unplanned land use changes influenced by various factors, such as political, social, economic, and environmental pressures. Urban growth limit guidelines are policies implemented in Kampala to manage urban growth and development, with the aim of controlling urban sprawl and promoting sustainable and equitable growth. These guidelines involve setting limits on the amount of land that can be developed within a specific area and have positive impacts on traffic congestion, environmental quality, economic development, and social equity. However, there is still a need for further research to better understand their impacts and potential limitations. The effectiveness of these guidelines in controlling urban growth and addressing issues such as congestion and environmental degradation needs to be evaluated in Kampala. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of urban growth limit guidelines in Kampala City. This research employed a nonexperimental design of research because it allowed the researcher to gather data from a large sample size without manipulating any variables. The survey nature of the research design allowed the researcher to collect data in a structured and systematic way, ensuring that all participants were asked the same questions. Additionally, the use of numerical data allowed for statistical analysis to be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of urban growth limit guidelines. The study population was Kampala city and a purposive sampling strategy was used. Qualitative data collection methods used in the research included secondary data such as shape files from KCCA and NFA, semi-structured questionnaires whereas quantitative data collection methods used in the research included GIS analyses. The respondents were asked a number of questions that provided insights of the effectiveness of the guidelines such as their perceived effectiveness of the guidelines, the challenges faced and their recommendation to implement them better. An area detection analysis was carried out to determine land-cover changes over the years (2010- 2019). The questionnaires data was analyzed quantitatively using SPSS and Microsoft Excel to come up with inferential and descriptive statistics. According to the findings, there has been tremendous changes in the land cover of the city over the years, the various stakeholders have faced a couple of challenges that need to be addressed. Overall, the guidelines are passably effective which lives room for so much improvement. Recommendations to implement the guidelines better were obtained from respondents and the literature reviewed. To achieve the intended goals of the urban growth limit guidelines in the city effectively, this study is worth looking at.