Page 54 - Engineering in Kenya Mag
P. 54
What makes Konza a Smart City?
TKEY NUMBERS
HE Konza Technopolis project was conceived in 2008 during the development of Kenya Vision 2030. The mission behind
engineering Konza Technopolis as a city of the future is the desire by the government to develop a sustainable smart city, mainly an innovation ecosystem – contributing to Kenya’s knowledge-based economy.
Essentially, the smart city is being engineered by Konza Technopolis
Development Authority to become a leading global technology and innovation hub. The ambitious development stands on 5,000 acres.
Konza City technopolis will accomodate approximately 250,000 residents upon completion, with Phase I set to take in pioneer 30,000 residents, about 17,000 anticipated to be the city’s labour force earning a living from opportunities within the smart city ecosystem.
The technopolis is fashioned as a
mid-density urban environment. With a population of quarter a million, the Konza smart metropolis will compare favourably with Tokyo’s Ku area of the Japanese Capital that has a population of 275,420 under 13.771 square kilometres.
STREETSCAPES
The Technopolis is engineered to be criss-crossed by three major tunnels, running under boulevards. The longest of these tunnels is the auto boulevard,
52
Engineering in Kenya Magazine Issue 002
