Important conditions related to demand for light rail among middle and high income neighborhoods of Waiyaki Way, Nairobi, Kenya.

Abstract

Large cities in developing nations have to deal with the repercussions of years of urbanization on their transportation systems. When the population outgrows infrastructure capabilities, congestion and lack of mobility result. Most research on this problem focus only on the poor and low-income members of society; the author seeks to include middle- to high-income individuals to the current literature. In Nairobi, plans exist to build a light rail service along the Waiyaki Way corridor, bisecting an affluent area of the city the author termed Brookside. Using formal and informal interviews, and a survey of existing data, the demands of middle- to high-income travelers in Nairobi were isolated. The findings reflect the need for accessible and safe transit options. The author concludes that further research is needed to understand the demands of this demographic.