The future of city planning in Rwanda: contribution of the National University of Rwanda

Abstract

Rwanda Urban and Regional Plans have been always debatable, but designing and implementing master plans for city and urban area is one challenge. With policy of decentralisation, giving power to local governments and population to design their urban and rural development plans; major developments are under process. The central government sees this process as an engine to achieve the habitat and cities of millennium goals as well as of vision 2020. Kigali, the only city of Rwanda, has released and is implementing its Master Plan that categorizes population and activities. Other urban areas and rural districts also have assignments to finish their master plans and be approved. All these ongoing developments of habitat and land use changes throughout the country need a human resource skilled to speed up the process. To support the effort of the government as well as meeting the labour market, since 2006, the National University of Rwanda reviewed its Geography department from former human and physical geography to Urban and Regional planning as well as the Environmental Management Specialisation. This review process was supported by the institutional capacity building program of the Dutch government known as NPT/RWA/071, a four year support to the university from 2005.