81316788-Strengthening climate-sensitive urban planning and institutional frameworks for social housing in Rwandan cities

Rwanda is currently experiencing one of the fastest rates of urbanisation in Africa. Between 2002 and 2016, the urban population grew from 9 % of the total Rwandan population to 18.4 %, and to 27.9 % in 2022. Further growth is politically desired. Since the first strategy cycle of the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1, 2017 - 2024), the government has been pursuing the goal of developing Rwanda into a middle-income country; cities are considered a driving force for economic growth. The urban population share is set to increase to 70% by 2050. However, urban development is not progressing as intended. Over 60 per cent of the urban population - some 3.7 million people - live in unplanned settlements without adequate access to infrastructure, services or housing. The majority of urban households are low-income, and most residents cannot afford to own property. Instead, they live in poor conditions in rented accommodation. Some 57% of urban households live at a monthly household income of less than 200,000 Rwanda Francs (roughly EUR 130), which exacerbates the issue of inadequate living conditions. Compounding the challenge, Rwanda currently faces a shortfall of more than two million homes. The project "Climate-Sensitive and Socially Just Planning and Housing" (CSPH), has started in September 2024 as the first bilateral project of the Rwandan-German Technical Cooperation in the area of urban development. It runs until August 2027 and intends to strengthen the institutional and planning framework conditions for better access to climate-resilient, socially-just housing for poor households in Rwandan cities (module objective). Its main political partner in Rwanda is the Ministry of Infrastructure of the Government of Rwanda. Furthermore, the project works together with the Rwanda Housing Authority, the National Land Authority, the City of Kigali, the District of Kamonyi and the NDC Partnership. To establish the necessary institutional and planning frameworks for improved access to climate-resilient and socially-just housing, the project addresses three priority areas: - Integrated urban planning: The project supports participatory urban planning processes in selected cities (City of Kigali and District of Kamonyi) and implements them in a climate-sensitive and socially equitable manner. Together with the two cities and the residents of the neighbourhoods, the project will develop detailed physical plans, identify and implement climate-sensitive communal small-scale infrastructure for the direct benefit of the community. - Social housing: The project develops a conceptual framework for climate-resilient rental housing for low-income households, especially taking the needs of women into account. The project will develop a targeting mechanism and criteria for the definition of the target group for low-income rental housing and design two models for the financing, climate-sensitive construction, operation & management of rental housing for low-income groups. The goal is to draw up a new structure for socially inclusive, climate-sensitive housing in Rwandan cities. - Capacity development: The project provides trainings to enable Rwandan urban planners to pursue integrated urban planning and housing development that is both socially-just and climate-resilient. To achieve that the project will design and implement practice-related trainings/curricula in climate-sensitive planning & housing and together with its partners implement technical urban development conferences and seminars.