The Architectural Transformation of Makerere University Neighbourhoods during the Period 1990-2010
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Date
2011
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Abstract
This paper is based on a field study of the neighbourhoods of Makerere University Main Campus
since the liberalization of the higher education sector in Uganda (1990-2010). The background to
the study was the apparent urban transformation that has occurred in the environs of Makerere
University campus in areas that were formally informal settlements characterized by shanty-town
conditions. The problem under study was the apparent ‘re-informalisation’ (moving from
informal to some kind of formalization and yet returning to an informality situation) of the
neighbourhoods of Makerere University main campus. The main objective of the study was to
explore the link between the liberalization of the higher education sector in Uganda, a policy
which allowed private sponsorship of students at public universities, and the rapid transformation
of these environs, as well as the urban and architectural character of that transformation. The
study was conducted through physical field observations and study of archival documents,
including photographic records and maps. Key person interviews were also conducted with
technocrats in Kampala City Council, architects and planners. The study revealed a direct
connection between the policy of liberalization of the higher education sector in Uganda and the
rapid transformation of Makerere’s neighbourhoods. The urban and architectural transformation
of these neighbourhoods was found to be eclectic in nature and devoid of any consideration of the
urban typologies that characterise the City of Kampala.
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Keywords
Architectural transformation, environment, liberalization policy, urbanisation