Located in Kibera, Kenya, this innovative project brings basic needs and new opportunities to the heart of one of the largest slums in the world. The Kibera Town Centre started with a drive to bring potable water to the area and quickly spawned into the creation of a hub for growth and sustainable development for a well-deserving community. Leveraging simplicity and flexibility, the design accommodates a variety of programmatic needs within a tenth of an acre. Funded by a combination of American, Danish, and Kenyan donors, this new facility provides access to basic and empowerment services to a community ranging from 200,000 to 1 million people. Together these integrated services create a holistic solution to the challenges of living in a slum - providing a place for community, sustainability, and innovation.

Community ownership is critical to the success of the project. Built at the request of the residents of Gatwakera village, a neighborhood within the informal settlement, all materials were locally sourced and the residents were trained to build it. Kiberans now manage and maintain the infrastructure. Throughout the design process sustainability was kept at the forefront of the discussion. The building holds a unique self-contained wastewater system that uses old plastic bottles and sand filters to treat the waste, allowing for the water produced to be utilized for irrigation and toilet flushing. Solar panels on the roof mitigate the cost of hot water and the structural design allows the Town Center to withstand a Level 7 earthquake. With the initial impetus for the center being fresh potable water, the integrated team of designers, donors, and community members dug more than 1,000 feet to discover an untapped aquifer. The water is treated for high fluoride levels on site.

The design of the space ensures every square inch has a flexible purpose and the opportunity for future use through a simple plug-and-play blocking method that allows any space to change as needs change. A courtyard welcomes individuals into the space where they have access to a green marketplace and a cafe, operated by KTC managers living in Kibera. The first-floor design also includes thirteen toilets, twenty-five showers, and a laundry room with five stations for handwashing, two washers, and two dryers. The laundry provides all the water and detergent for the space making it financially accessible. On the second floor, members gain access to adult education classrooms, with excellent wifi, a lending library, and a savings and credit co-op. Since its opening the center has grown to meet increasing demands by filling in mezzanine spaces to host an array of community events. Kibera Town Centre’s key data since 2015: it has had 400,000 repeat visitors, more than 1.4 million toilet and shower uses, over 2,000,000 customer transactions, over 400 million liters of clean water distributed, and generated more than $450,000 total revenue.

With programs such as the one mile solar streetlight initiative Kibera Talent Search competitions, and urban agriculture, the Kibera Town Centre has proven to be a catalyst for change in Kibera, creating hope for a deserving community. This project is gaining attention and aid from the Red Cross, the Rockefeller Foundation, the World Bank, and the Kenyan government as a model for infrastructure for the complex needs of people living in informal settlements.