Local and international urban planners, and architects are working on a green urbanisation model that will use new construction technologies and innovations, which could be replicated in various parts of Kigali and secondary cities to make them sustainable.

The model incorporates the use of local building materials, renewable energies, citizens’ consultation, affordable housing and electric transportation to reduce air pollution to make cities environmentally friendly.

The Green City Pilot project managed by Rwanda’s Green Fund (Fonerwa) and its partners will serve as a “blueprint” for the country’s green urbanisation plan and introduce new types of smart neighbourhoods that will allow low-income earners to live in decent residential houses and develop sustainable infrastructures with limited impact on the environment.

Deus Kayumba, a senior urban planner said the challenge for green urbanisation in Kigali is buildings’ system and transportation.

“If we reduce pollution in building models and transportation we will have solved a big problem,” said Mr Kayumba, who added that despite challenges posed by urbanisation, Kigali is more environmentally friendly than many African cities.

In April, the Cabinet approved the Green Building Minimum Compliance System, which was gazetted to promote green urbanisation.

The green building indicators address the basic green features any building should possess such as appropriate orientation, day lighting, natural ventilation, rainwater harvesting, efficient plumbing fixtures, low-impact refrigerants, greenery protection and paint that is not harmful to the occupants among others.

The Green City Pilot will be developed in Kinyinya sector, Kigali on 620ha. The number of houses for the 18ha pilot site is estimated at about 1,670.

With an annual urban growth rate of four per cent, the city requires efficient planning for sustainability.

“We are looking for cities that are socially inclusive, where all people have jobs, environmentally sustainable, which means that we are minimising the ecological footprint,” said Ilde Lambrechts, an urban planner from Sweco, a European engineering and architecture firm.