• • 16 May 2016
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  •  Kubai Koigi
• Shelfie , Articles Books & Magazines , Selected Works , Editor's Choice ,

Thumb! Thumb! Thumb! The strong, audible pumping heartbeat of the city of Nairobi can be felt as I rummage through the stethoscope designed by German precision and Kenyan innovation; Learning from Nairobi- Mobility.

This book is a publication result of a cultural library project done where a collaboration between 20 students from  Koln International School of Design, Cologne and University of Nairobi, Nairobi, three international research partners and experts from various disciplines (design, architecture, city planning). This project was facilitated by Goethe Institute -Kenya.

Nairobi’s culture has been analysed dynamically as a process that is ever evolving, captured accurately in high frequency frame shots showing different precepts of the city analysed by different lenses. The results, and the manner in which they are presented in this book, show, yet again, the problem-solving potential that design has, due to its interdisciplinary approach.

By asking the relevant questions such as; what are the decisive factors that shape the urban space in the centre of Nairobi? Or what opportunities does current information technology offer to improve the situation of the job seekers who gather every day at certain spots in the city? Or through details that enable the reader to get a handle on complex inter dependencies; what can Sukuma-Wiki, a staple Kenyan vegetable, tell us about mobility structures?, those taking part in the project and the project authors have sketched out both the relevant issues and opportunities for intervention with regards to the theme of mobility at the micro- as well as at the macro level.

The focus of the book, mobility, as a paradigm of innovation which binds antagonistic textures of a society, both the rich and the poor are at par on the context of discussion, the street, shows Nairobi as a site for emerging trends in modernisation through appropriation and cooperation as themes of resilience especially in low-income neighborhoods.

The result and the nature of this German-Kenyan collaboration, which was based on reconsidering existing solutions and developing new ideas. (Moments of interaction) – Not only intercultural, but also interdisciplinary – are visualised in this book in a lively and engaging manner. The book piques the readers’ interest in understanding the interdependencies and in finding out about the different ways of looking at the issues facing developing cities. Readers will be invited to join the discussion and ask questions. By providing links to the project’s website culturallibrary.com with further information on themes, places and cultural dimensions, we will show the wider context regarding the questions and the snapshots illustrated in the book.

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