CreatingGreatPublicSpacesinThreeAfricanCities

KampalaProject

Reportpreparedby:DavidBalikowaDate:March15,2018

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TableofContentsIntroduction...............................................................................................................................3

CommunityEngagement...........................................................................................................4

CapacityBuilding........................................................................................................................9

AwarenessRaising...................................................................................................................11

InfrastructureChanges............................................................................................................12

Policy........................................................................................................................................27

ProgressTowardsUltimateOutcome......................................................................................30

LessonsLearned.......................................................................................................................31

Conclusion................................................................................................................................32

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IntroductionIn Africa -like in many other places in the world – public spaces are used for public life,commerce and interaction.However, lackof funds, planning, andmaintenance, aswell aspriorityformotorizedvehicles,hasturnedmanypublicspaces intounsafe,unforgivingandunconnected places. In addition,many public spaces are difficult to access, especially forthoselivinginvulnerablesituations.ThisisespeciallythecaseforthecityofKampala.We conducted two studies in Kampala that examined public spaces. The first study,conducted in2014, identifiedthenumberof formalparksandopenspaces– thosespacesrecognizedbythegovernment.Thesecondstudy,conductedin2015,involvedasamplingof10slums,twoforeachofKampala’s fivedivisions,and identifiedthe informalspacesslumdwellersusedforrecreation.Thefindingsofthestudies,whichusedacombinationofdirectobservation and focus group discussions, are quite clear. There is a lack of formal publicparksandopenspaces inthecity,particularly inoutlyingareasandslumsettlements.Thishasledtopeopleusinginformalspacesthatarenotprotected.And,ofthoseformalspacesthatdoexist,theyareoftenofpoorquality.

Figure1:PedestriancatchmentareaofofficialpublicparksAsaresultofthesestudies,weidentifiedLukuliCommunityPlaygroundastheideallocationtoundertakeapilotintervention.LukuliPlaygroundisinanareawiththemostneedinthecity.Itislocatedinapoorcommunityandsuburbwherethehugerecreationalneedsoflocalresidents are completely neglected, as the sorry state of the park demonstrated. Lukuli

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Playgroundserves12Parisheswithanapproximatepopulationof409,500.WeconductedacommunityauditoftheparkinJune2017andfoundthefollowing:

• Playground activities: The facilityhadaplaygroundarea, sports field, green space,

and paths. In addition, residents around the playground used it for drying clothes,grazing animals, mining sand and as a place for garbage disposal. There was nochildren’s play area. The playgroundwas open to all recreation activities althoughfootball was the major active recreation activity at the playground followed bynetball,volleyballandridingbicycles.IncomparisontootherplaygroundsinKampalaCity,thequalityoftheplaygroundwasbelowaverage.

• Qualityandcomfort:Therewasalotoflitter(smalltrash)thrownbyusers,andriskytrash (broken glass and sharp stones), which suggested the presence of riskybehavioursbysomeusers.Thesituationwascompoundedbylackoftrashcansintheplayground. There were no sitting areas, toilets, water taps, first aid facilities andlightingat theplayground. Safetyhazards includednon-level surfaces,opendrains,sharpobjects,strayanimals,riskylittersuchassyringes,bushesinsomeplaces,rocksanddiscardedpolythenebags.

• Playground:Goalpostsweretheonlyequipmentavailableatthesitewithgrassandpatches of soil underneath. The playground surface could be described as averagewithsomepartsunevenandslantingononesidepluspoordrainage.

In order to address the critical issues we identified in Lukuli as well as increase theawarenessand importanceofpublicspaceswebeganapilotproject, incollaborationwithHealthBridgeandfundedbyUN-Habitat.Forthisprojectweused5strategies:

1. CommunityEngagement2. CapacityBuilding3. AwarenessRaising4. InfrastructureChanges5. Policy

These5strategiesensuredwetookacomprehensiveapproachtothepilotproject.

CommunityEngagementLukuliplaygroundisunique inthat it isactuallyownedbythecommunity.Thismeantthatourcommunityengagementprocessneeded tobe thoughtfulandslow inorder toensurefull community participation and ownership of the project. We undertook a series of

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meetings to introduce the idea to the community and ensure the buy-in of communityleaders.Mostnotably,attheinitialstagesweorganizedseveralmeetingswiththeleadersofthe sports clubs, who are the current users of the site, including Lukuli Hearts UnitedFootball Club, Lukuli Galacticos, Lukuli Girls Football Team and Lukui Netball Team. As aresultoftheseactivitieswewereabletoreactivatethePlaygroundBoardofTrustees,whichwasmaledominatedand lackedrepresentationoftheyouthandotheryoungmembersofthe community. As a result of our efforts, they have expanded their Board of Trustees toincludewomenandyouth(seeTable1).Table1:PlaygroundBoardofTrustees No Name PositionHeldonBoard1 NkugwaIssah Chairman2 KaluleJohn ViceChairman3 LutwamaStevenKigongo Secretary4 WasswaRichard Treasurer5 TushabeAugustine MemberRepresentingYouth6 SsawoAmoseJulius Member7 SemudduAbbey Member8 MayanjaAbudu MemberandPatronLukuliplayground9 VivianNamagembe MemberRepresentingYouth10 NankyaElinah Member11 KitibwaSolmon Member12 KasiilyeHabiib Member13 KalembaBernard Member14 DembaKenth Member15 SSebitosiMuhamad Member16 LajjaniLivingstone Member17 MikisaMichel Member18 SSewambaBaker(late) MemberThe board oversaw the changes to the park, and it is this group that will ensure thesustainabilityoftheoverallparkbyorganizingadditionalfundraisingactivities,hiringaparkmanager,andorganizingeventsandactivities.Inordertohelpthecommunityenvisionthepotentialofthepark,weorganizedathree-dayMinecraftWorkshop.Thirty-sixmembersofthecommunitywererecruitedtoparticipateinaMinecraft workshop. The participants representing teachers, soccer clubs, sports club

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members,andalocalcouncillorfromthe12parishesofMakindyeDivision.Intotalthere11females,25males.Unfortunatelywewereunabletorecruitapersonlivingwithdisabilities.TheMinecraftworkshopprovedtobeanexcellentopportunitytoallowthecommunitytotest their ideas. The workshop, facilitated by UN-Habitat and APS staff, provided anopportunitytohaveaguideddiscussionaboutthechallengesandopportunitiesofthesiteandfocusonthetasksneededforthepublicspacerehabilitation.Thehealthyconversationandworkgroupsresultedinaconsensusonwhatitemstheyweregoingtobeincludedinthefinalmodel.Theseitemsincludedtherehabilitationofsoccer,netballandvolleyballcourts,buildingoftoiletsfacilities,rubbishremoval,coveringofditches,andplaygroundlevelling.AftertheMinecraftworkshop,wedevelopedmoredetailedplansandfurtherconsultedthelocalcommunity.Itwasattheselatercommunitydiscussions,aftertheMinecraftworkshop,thattheneedtohaveachildrenplayspacewas identified.Thiswasan importantgapanddemonstrated the importance of having multiple community engagement strategies. Theheavy focus on sports by the participants in theMinecraft workshopmade it difficult forthemtoconsiderotherelements.The community displayed a huge amount of enthusiasm and the project overall hasenhanced a sense of ownership of the park,which is resulting in it being protected frompotentialencroachers.Theprojectgreatlybenefitedfromtheorganizedandpassionatelocalleadership of the Board of Trustees. All communications and engagement with thecommunitywasstrengthenedbecauseoftheircommitment.

Figure2and3:MeetingsbetweenAPSandtheLukuliplaygroundBoardofTrustees

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Figures4and5:MembersoftheLukulicommunityparticipatingintheMinecraftworkshop

Figure6:AnexampleofaMinecraftmodeldevelopedbymembersofthecommunityTable2:Activity,Outcomes,ResultsActivity Outcome ResultOrganizemeetingswithlocalneighbourhoodgroups

4meetings19participantsplusonelargemeetingintroducedtheprojectideatotheneighbourhoodresidents

Threedesignswereproducedandthecommunitypickedonewithmodifications.Thecommunitywasfullyengaged

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1PlaygroundBoardofTrusteesreactivatedandwasjoinedbyaKCCAofficialandothercommunitymemberstoconstitutethesteeringcommitteefortheprojectimplementation.TwomeetingsoftheBoardofTrusteeshavealreadybeenheldtodiscussfundraisingactivitiesamongotherissues.

andareexcitedabouttheparkimprovements.Theparticipatoryprocesshasincreasedownershipofthepark.ThereisnowincreasedtrustintheBoardoftrustees,andtheboundariesoftheplaygroundhavebeenclearlydefinedandacceptedbythecommunity.Thestructure,althoughstillincomplete,hasbecomeasymbolofownershipoftheplaygroundandcommunitymeetingsnowtakeplacethere.Aprofileoftheplaygroundhasbeencompiledandincludesinformationaboutsomeofthekeytalenttheplaygroundhasnurturedincludingcelebrityplayerslikethe2016AfricanPlayeroftheyear-basedinAfrica–whoisthenationalgoalkeeper.Theprofileisoneoftheadvocacytoolsthecommunityisusinginthefundraisingcampaigntocompletethestructureamongotherpressingneeds.Anadditionalimportantoutcomeisthatthecommunityusedtodumprubbishintheparkandthathasnowstopped.Animportantlessonisthatcommunityengagementisimportantinurbanplanninganddevelopmentandisbestachievedwhenthecommunityisorganisedandfacilitatedtoparticipateintheplanningandimplementationofprojects.KampalaCapitalCityAuthorityprovided150treeseedlings,afuelledtractorandstafftode-siltandcleanthedrainagearea.Sportsfacilityusersstartedtheirprogrambypickingrubbishbeforeengaginginsportsactivities.

RecruitparticipantsforMinecraftworkshop

36participantsincluding11femalesrepresentingteachers,soccerclubs,sportsclubmembers,andalocalcouncillorfromthe12parishesofMakindyeDivisionparticipated

ConductWorkshop 31participantstotal:25males,6females;communitymembers,teachers,soccerclubs,sportclubmembers,localcouncillorrepresented.

Withcommunityinput,developaprocessforparkmaintenance,identify,who,what,where,whenandhow.

OnefacilityguardhasbeenputinplacetooverseethesecurityandamanagerisintheprocessofbeinghiredassoonasthestructureiscompletedPrivatefunctionssuchasprayercrusades,privateschoolactivitiespaysomefeeswhichisusedtomaintainthefacility.

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CapacityBuildingThe main capacity building exercise thus far has been involving Kampala Capital CityAuthority(KCCA)intheoverallprocessfromtheverybeginningasawayofmodellinghowaparkcanbedevelopedthroughcommunityengagement.Webegantheprojectbybriefingfive KCCA officials, including the DivisionMayor, about the overall project. It was at thismeetingthatwedeterminedaworkshopforgovernmentofficialswouldnotbenecessary.They had a good understanding of the need and importance of public spaces.What theylacked was good models for community engagement and it was determined thatparticipating in our processwould bemore valuable than aworkshop. As a result of thismeeting, they assigned two KCCA staff from the LandscapeDepartment to be part of thecommunitymeetingsandonepersontobepartoftheBoardofTrustees.Thisfirstmeetingwas important because it ensured we had buy-in from the city, which proved to beimportantastheyprovidedresourcestoassistwiththeparkdevelopment.AkeyresultfromKCCA’sparticipationhasbeenincreasedtrustamongcommunitymembersandKCCA,whichwillbeimportantforfutureprojects.In terms of capacity building among the community, it was originally our intention toorganizetrainingswithlocalresidentsaboutmaintenanceofthespace.However,itwasfeltthat thisworkshopwas not necessary as the community began tomaintain the space ontheirownwithoutourintervention.TheBoardofTrusteeshasbegunorganizingcleaningofthe facility and has hired a temporary caretaker tomaintain the children’s play space. Inaddition,thesportsteamshavebeenorganizinglitterpickupactivitiespriortotheirgames,which is proving successful in keeping the groups free of litter. When the structure iscomplete,moremaintenancediscussionswillberequired.However, thePlaygroundBoardofTrusteesbelievethat thestructurewillbebestmaintainedbyaparkmanagerandtheyhave developed an overall plan to hire that individual, using the fees charged toorganizationswhowishtousethespace.When the community finds the funds to complete the structure, among other identifiedcommunityneeds,theprojectwillbeusedasacasestudyforfuturecommunity-ledprojectsand community engagement. It will also be used as evidence about what is possible tosupport advocacy efforts for public space policy improvement in Kampala city and otherurbanareas inUganda. The lessons arenot somuch in the completionof theplaygroundimprovementastheprocessofcommunityengagement:theauditofthequalityandusageofthepark;theMinecraftworkshop,whichpermittedthecommunitytoparticipateandleadtheplanningprocessandimplementation;andthecommunity-localgovernmentpartnershipbuilding.BymodellingtheseactivitiesforKCCA,webelieveithasstrengthenedtheircapacitytoprotectandimprovepublicspacesinthecity.

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Table3:Activity,Outcomes,ResultsActivity Outcome ResultOrganizeaworkshopwithgovernmentofficialsatthefederalandlocallevel.

Determinedtobeunnecessaryatthistime.KCCAwasinvolvedintheinitialplanningoftheprojectandwereregularlyupdated.TwoKCCAofficialwereassignedtotheprojectandattendedthecommunitymeetings.

FiveKCCAofficialsincludingtheDivisionmayorwhowerebriefedandinvolvedfromtheconceptionoftheprojectunderstandandappreciatetheimportanceofparks.Priortothestartingoftheproject,therewassuspicionamongthecommunityaboutKCCAinvolvementinanyinitiativetohelpimprovethefacility.BringingKCCAofficialstothecommunitymeetingsanddiscussionshelpedeasethesuspicion.KCCAparticipatedintheplanningmeetingsandprovidedtechnicalguidanceintheimplementationprocess.Besidesprovidingthetreeseedlingstheyde-siltedthewaterdrainagechannel,which,untilourintervention,contributedtothefloodingoftheplayground.KCCAcontributedatractortohelpwithsomeofthegroundlevellingworks.TheMakindyeDivisionMayorvisitedtheplaygroundtoinspecttheworkandappreciatedtheimprovementsmade,andprovidedmanysuggestionsthathaveprovenhelpfultothecommunity.

Meet1:1withofficials.Preparedocumentsfordistribution.

3meetings4KCCAofficialsinthelandscapingdepartment1DivisionMayorIncreasedsupportfromKCCA1officialassignedtorepresentKCCAontheBoardofTrustees

Organizetrainingswithlocalcitizensregardingparkmaintenanceanddevelopment.

Wedidnotproceedwiththeseactivitiesbecauseitwasdeterminedtobeunnecessaryuntilthestructureiscomplete.However,thecommunityhasalreadyinstitutedsomefacilitycaretakingactivitiessuchascleaningaswellasgettingatemporarycaretakerwhooverseesthefacilityespeciallythechildrenplayspace.Thissuggestsanawarenessoftheimportanceoffacilitymaintenanceandreadinesstoimplementit.

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AwarenessRaisingAwareness-raisingwasbuiltintoeachoftheotherstrategiesandwasnotaspecificstrategyon its own. We used community meetings and the Minecraft training to explain theimportanceofpublicspacesandhighlightourstudyfindingsaboutthesituationoftheparksinKampala.Theseactivities increasedthe interest inourprojectandthe interest inpublicspaces. However, the community has decided to postpone the more specific awarenessraisingactivities, suchasmedia campaigns,until the structure itself is complete.Once thestructureisfinished,theBoardofTrusteesisplanningacommunitycampaigntotalkaboutthe importance of physical activity and the ways the playground can be used to supportphysicalactivityamongthebroadercommunity.Itshouldbenoted,however,thatalmostnoawareness-raisingwasundertakentopromotethechildren’splayground,anditisalreadyahugesuccess.Infacttheplaygroundwasbeingusedbeforeitwascompleted.Becausethisisacommunitywithfewrecreationalspaces,thechildren’s playground has proven to be great at raising awareness among parents andchildrenandwill allowus to further identify areasofpark improvementwithanaudiencethat,thusfar,hasbeenunder-servedbytheplayground.Table4:Activity,Outcomes,ResultsActivity Outcome ResultOrganizecommunityawarenesscampaigns

Seecapacitybuildingandcommunityengagementactivities.Theprojectcommitteefeltitwasbettertofundraiseandcompletethestructureafterwhichtheywouldlaunchitandalsouseittokick-startthecommunityawarenesscampaignontheimportanceofphysicalactivityanduseofthefacility.However,thereispiece-mealawarenessraisinggoingonatthechildren’splayspacefortheexcitedandcuriousparentswhoaccompanychildrentoplay.

Interestinthechildren’splay-spaceishugeanditcameasasurprise.Initiallytheplaygroundusedtohostslightlyolderchildrenplayingfootballbutnowthechildren’sspaceisabigattractiontochildrenmuchyounger,includingtwo-year-olds.Someofthesechildrenareaccompaniedbytheirparentsandthisisprovingtobeagoodawarenessraisingopportunitywiththem.Thechildren’splayspaceisgoingtobeusedasoneoftheawareness-raisingaboutpublicspaceswhenthecampaignbeginsafterthelaunchwhenthestructureiscompleted.

Conductmeetingswithjournalists.

Itwasdecidedtowaitforthelaunchanduseitasthestartingpointformediaengagement.APS’spreviousactivitieswiththe

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media,whenwedisseminatedtheresultsoftheopenpublicspacesresearch,suggeststhatwewillhavesuccesswiththemediawhenweundertaketheseactivities.

Theperceptioninthecommunityaboutthefacilityhaschangedafterthisprojectstarted.Initiallythefocuswasmostlyonfootballbymen.Withtheinclusionofachildrenplayspace,plantingoftreesforshadetheplaygroundisstartingtotransformintoapark.

Preparepressreleases.

Optedtowaitforthecompletionofthestructuresfirst.

InfrastructureChangesThe community’s plans for the parkwere quite ambitious and it became clear that therewouldbesomeprojectsthatwouldremainincompleteattheendoftheprojectbecauseoflack of funds. The planning process for the development of the park went well with thecommunity. But the actual building of the park encountered some challenges. Thecommunityprioritizedtoiletconstruction,theneedtostopthefloodinginthepark,andtheneedtoaddresstherubbishdumpinginthepark.TheinitialtoiletstructurewaspresentedtoKCCAand includedabasicdesign thatwasaccessible forpeople livingwithdisabilities.KCCA required changes to the initial design to include changing rooms, especially for thefemaleplaygroundusers,andtoexpandthenumberoftoiletstomeettheneedsofthelargepopulation thatuses theplayground.This resulted inagreatlyexpandedstructure.RatherthanchangecoursethecommunitydecidedtocontinuetobuildthestructureasperKCCA’srequirements.Various service providers were selected from within the community, which helped buildcommunity trust and ownership. These service providers supplied building materials,transportservicesandspecialized labour for theproject.But, the fundsavailablewerenotenough to complete the structure. It currently has walls, and a roof, but lacks the toiletfacilities inside. For now the changing rooms are being used by visitors engaged in sportsactivities.However, several improvementswere finished including levelling theground, re-designingthenetballcourtareas,andtheworktostoptheflooding.TherainyseasonstartedinMarch and initial indications show that the parkwill be able towithstand the rain andavoidthepreviousmenaceoffloods.ThenetballcourtawaitsaportionofgrasstomatureandwillhostitsfirstmatchinvolvingtheUgandaPoliceandcommunityladiesinApril,2018.Thechildren’splaygroundhasbeencompletedandiswaitingforthegrasstogrow.Itwasbusybeforeitwasevenfinishedandithascreatedanexcitementinthecommunity,especiallyamongthechildrenandtheirparentswhosometimesaccompanythem.Even

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beforethecompletionofthechildren’splayspace,theimmediateresultisanestimated80childrenasyoungastwoyearsareaccessingtheparkperdayandinsomeinstancestheiraccompanyingparents.Forthefirsttimeparentsfeelsecuretolettheirchildrenvisitandplayattheparkintheenclosedchildrenplayspace.Parentsarealsonowacommonfeatureatthisplayspacegivingthemachancetoplaywiththeirchildren,stimulatetheirbrainsandstrengthenparent-childrelationships.Rubbishhasdramaticallyreducedintheplaygroundandthecommunityiscommittedtoraisingmorefundstocontinuetoimprovethepark.

Figure7,8,9:LukuliCommunityplaygroundbeforetheintervention

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Figure10,11,12,13:Excavationofthefoundation

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Figure14,15,16:Foundationdetailandsettingmainwallsforthetoilet/changeroom

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Figure17,18,19:membersoftheboardinspectingtheprogress

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Figure20,21:Thestructureattheendofthefirstconstructionphase

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Figure22,23,24:Thechildren’splayspaceafterlevellingandfencing

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Figure25,26:theChildren’sspacegainedpopularitywhileunderconstruction

Figure27:Aparentguidinghissontoplayinthesandpool

Figure28:Childrenenjoytheirtimeintheplayspace

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Figure29:thewoodcarsareamajorattractioninthechildren’sspace

Figure30:Thesandpoolisanattractiontoallchildrenwhocometothespace

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Figure31:Themerrygoroundisapopularpieceofequipmentintheplayspace

Figure32:Aparentwatchingchildrenplaytheskipgame

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Figure33:ThePlayspaceprovidesfreedomandjoytoyoungboysandgirlsinLukuli

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Figure34,35:Thenetballcourtbeforeandduringtheimprovementprocess

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Figure36,37:Asmallportionofthenetballcourtwasrevelledandgrassreplanted.

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Table5:Activity,Outcomes,ResultsActivity Outcome ResultMeetwithcommunitytofinalizeandapproveplans

Onemeetingheldwith5participantsontheimplementationteamrepresentingthecommunitytodiscussplans.Thecommunityprioritizedtoiletconstruction,stoppingofflooding,andrubbishdumpinginthepark.

ThebuildingplanforthetoiletswaschangedasaresultofKCCArequirementstoincludechangingroomsespeciallyforthefemaleplaygroundusersandtopermitthefacilitytomeettheneedsofthehugepopulationusingthepark.Thestructurehasaroofandwallsbutwillneedmorefundstocomplete.Inaddition,the150seedlingscommittedbyKCCAandthegrassstillneedtobeplanted.Thecommunityhasinitiatedtheprocess,bydiggingholesandcollectingusedmosquitonetsthatwillprotectthetreeseedlingsfromstrayanimals.Thesectionoftheplaygroundthatusedtofloodnolongerfloods.Thechildren’sparkhasbeenahugesuccessandbeganattractingchildrentothespaceevenbeforeitwasfinished.Atthistime,approximately80childrenusetheparkeveryday.TheNetballcourtwillhostitsfirstmatchattheendofMarchbetweenthecommunityandtheCommunityPolicingAssociation.100communitymembersusedtheplaygroundbeforetheintervention.Currentlythereare300residentsusingtheparkdaily.20womenusedtheparkbefore,butwithanimprovednetballcourtandchildren’splayspace

Receiveapprovalfromgovernmentofficials

KCCAnominatedanofficialwhoispartoftheprojectimplementationcommitteeandthecommunityisinvolvinghimintheprocess;sotheapprovalmovedveryfast.

Organizeandimplementparkimprovements

1buildinghousingtoiletsandchangingroomsandcaretakersoffice(stilltobecompleted)1NetballcourtSitedrainagefixedFootballpitchedlevelled1children’splaygroundincluding:1Merrygoround1Sandpool4Woodenswings8Benches5WoodcarsKCCAprovided150treeseedlingsforthepark

Implementinnovativeideassuggestedbycommunity

Althoughnotinnovativeforothercommunities,includingachildren’splayspaceprovedtobeaninnovationforthiscommunityandonethathasresultedinincreasedenjoymentfortheyoungerchildreninthecommunity.Inaddition,therewere2otherideasweresuggestedbythecommunitythatwillbeincludedinfutureplansbytheBoardofTrustees.Theywouldliketoreserveasectionofthe

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children’splayspacetoestablishabookcorner.Theotherideawastocreateamedicalfacilityatthegroundsothatmorepeoplecanbeattractedtothefacilityastheyseekmedicalattention.

50womenvisittheplaygroundonagivenday.30childrenatmostusedtheparkbeforetoplayfootballbeforetheoldermembersofthecommunitywouldstopthemfromusingthefootballfield.Thenewchildren’splayspaceattractsover80childrendaily.Thestatisticsforpeoplewithdisabilitiesusingparkbeforearenotavailable,althoughwebelievethatnoonelivingwithdisabilitiesvisitedthepark.Howeverthechildren’splayspacehasattracted5disabledchildrensofar.

Organizeaparkopeningceremonytoillustratethedifferentcomponentsofthepark.

Awaitingcompletion

PolicyPolicy takes timeto implementandthisprojectwasoneofmanyactivities thatAdvocatesforPublic Spaces (APS) isundertaking to improvepolicy.However, thisprojecton itsowncould not realistically achieve a policy objective. It has, however, provided APS with anexampleofahowaparkcanbedevelopedusingacommunityengagementapproach.Weplan to use this park as a tool for our future advocacy efforts at both a city level and anationallevel.As part of our efforts to encourage improved policy, the areamayorwas invited throughlocalcouncillorstoinspecttheproject.Theobjectivewastointeresthimandmembersofhisstaff to buy into the preservation of public parks and play areas. On arrival the mayorinspected the incomplete structure, the children’s play area and netball court. Heappreciated the work done and suggested various measures to improve the facility. Theresultofthismeetingwasimprovedunderstandingamongtheareamayorandhisstaffandapotentialadvocateforfutureworkinthiscommunity.Inaddition,ourongoingmeetingswithKCCAwill lead,webelieve, to improvedpolicyandpolicy implementation inthefuture.KCCAhas indicatedtheyarepleasedwiththeprocessand theoutcomes achieved through theproject andare interested to see the communityprocessappliedtoamoreinformalpublicspacewithoutaclearsetofcurrentusers.Thiswillbethefocusofournextproject.

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Figure38:Themayor(wearingareflectivejacket),APSstaff,localcouncillors,andmembersofthePlaygroundBoardofTrusteesposeforagroupphotointhechildren’splayspace.

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Figure39:Themayorexchangingideaswithvariousleadersinthecommunity

Figure40:Themayorinspectingthestructure

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Table6:Activity,Outcomes,ResultsActivity Outcome ResultOrganizemeetingswithdecisionmakers

Nospecificpolicy-orientedmeetingwasorganized.However,theintentionistousetheparklaunch(oncethestructureiscompleted)asastartingpointforpolicyadvocacy.TheareamayorvisitedtheplaceandthankedAPS,HealthBridgeandUN-Habitatforhelpingkick-starttheprocessofdevelopingthepark.Heappreciatedtheworkandmadesuggestionstohaveparkcaretakers;oneforthechildrenplayspace,anotherfortheothersportsspaces;startingincomegeneratingactivities;andencouragingthecommunitytoparticipateinkeepingtheparkclean.Healsosuggestedthatthetreeseedlingsbeingplantedaroundtheparkcouldbeprotectedfromstrayanimalsbyshieldingthemwithusedmosquitonets.

Communityhasfollowedupontheareamayor’ssuggestionandbegunimplementingseveralofthesuggestions.Atthistimetherearenospecificpolicyresults.However,webelievewenowhaveanadvocateintheareamayorandhewillbehelpfulinourfuturefundraisingendeavours.Inaddition,KCCAisinterestedinseeingthecommunityengagementprocessappliedtoadifferenttypeofpublicspace.KCCAhasindicatedthatmuchoftheirpublicspacepolicyisdictatedtothemfromtheNationallevel.Wewillthereforefocusourfutureeffortsonnationallevelpolicies,whichKCCAindicatedwouldbeofgreathelp.Itisourhopethattheresultoftheseactivitieswillbeimprovedpolicyandpolicyimplementationatthecitylevel.

ProgressTowardsUltimateOutcomeThe ultimate outcome we wished to work towards achieving, for which our projectcontributed,was“Improvedlocalpolicies,plansanddesignsforsafe,inclusiveandaccessiblepublic spaces for all which supports more compact, integrated and connected, sociallyinclusivecitiesandneighbourhoodsinpartnercities.”Indicatorsthatwearemovingtowardsachievingtheultimateoutcomeinclude:

• Wehavebegundevelopingourevidence-basedpolicyadvocacycampaign.Wehaveseveralkeylessonsfromtheprojectandmanygoodpracticestosharewithelectedofficialsrelatedtoourcommunityengagementandparticipationprocess.Theproject,oncecomplete,willbeusedasabuildingblockforpolicychangeadvocacy.

• Theprojectisalreadybeingsoughtasabestpracticeincommunityengagementandpublicspaceimprovementbyotherareas inthecity.Theywantthesamemodelto

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be used in their areas. Having other communities and other community groupsinterested in replicating the work at Lukuli Playground increases the likelihood ofpolicychange.

LessonsLearned

• Changingmindsets:Communitieshavemindsetsaboutthecoreuseoftherecreationspaces they own or use. Interventions should be sensitive and support them torealizetheirowncorevisionwhileopeninguptheirmindstoexploretheinclusionofother forms of recreation. Lukuli playground was previously dominated by maleadultsplayingfootball.Theywere,however,madetounderstandtheimportanceofpromotingfemaleandchildrenusers,afactorthatledtotheinclusionofafemale’swingfortoiletsandchangingrooms,andachildren’splayspace.Thelatterisamajorattraction, something the community could have never imagined a year ago. Theplaygroundhasstartedtoevolveintoaparkastheavailablespaceisusedefficientlyandcreativelytoaccommodatefemaleandchildrenusers.

• Tapping into existing networks: The Project steering committee, in our case thePlaygroundBoardofTrustees,wasvitaltoensurepartnershipandownershipoftheworkandsuchcommitteesworkbestwhentheyareanchoredinexistingcommunitynetworks. The Lukuli Board of Trustees easily expanded into the project steeringcommittee and was effective in responding to the planning, implementation andmonitoringneedsoftheproject

• ImportanceofconsultingafterMinecraft:TheMinecraftworkshopprovedtobeaninnovativeandexcitingway for communitymembers toengage indeveloping theirown park. However, Minecraft should not be the only community engagementactivity. The workshop participants, who were predominantly representing sportsclubs,didnotinitiallyidentifytheneedforachildren’splayground.ItwasonlyafterMinecraftworkshopwascompletedthattheideaofincludingachildren’splayspacewas discussed and approved. Communitymeetings before and afterMinecraft areequallyas important inordertoensurethattheplanstrulyreflecttheneedsofthecommunity.

• Developing realistic budgets: The main priority for the community was the toiletfacility and it was believed, when initially deciding on this priority, that the fundswould be sufficient. However, upon KCCA’s insistence on expanding the toiletfacilitiesandtoincludechangerooms,thefundsavailablewerenolongersufficient.Thecommunitydecidednottochangecourseandtocontinuetobuildtheirstructure.However, inhindsight,perhapsmoretimeanddiscussionwasneededtodeterminewhetherthefundsavailablewouldhavebeenbetterspentonotherpriorities.Inourcase,wedonotbelievetheoutcomewouldhavechanged.Thecommunitywanted

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thisfacility.However,asalearningforotherprojects,itisimportanttobereallyclearaboutwhatbudgetisavailableandensurethatprojectsarenotundertakenthatarebeyond the scope of the available funds unless fundraising efforts are alreadyunderwayanditclearwheretheadditionalfundswillbecomingfrom.

WayForwardThe pilot project was just the beginning of our activities in this community. We plan tocontinueworkingwiththeBoardofTrusteesonfurtherimprovementsandKCCAonpolicy:

• A fundraising plan is being developed to complete the structure for toilets andchanging rooms after which the project will be launched. The launch of theplayground will include media engagement and will be followed by a publicawarenesscampaigninthecommunity.Thecommunityhascompiledaprofileoftheparkfeaturingthefirstnationalgoalkeeperand2016AfricanplayeroftheyearbasedinAfrica(thecurrentnationalgoalkeeper)whowerenurturedintheplayground.Theprofile will be used to approach private sector entities to raise funds for thecompetitionofthestructure.

• APSwillbeconductingapolicyreviewstudytoidentifypublicspacespolicygapsandareaswherepolicycanbeimprovedandwherenewpolicyisneeded.

ConclusionBecause the community owned the playground, our approach required moving slowly toensurecommunityparticipationandcommitment.Thestateof theparkwasappallingandultimately the project funds were insufficient for such a dilapidated park in a very poorneighbourhood. Nevertheless, the community appreciates the project as a first andimportantbuildingblockandismuchmoreenthusiasticthanbeforeabouttheprospectsanduseofthefacility.Theparkandcommunityrequiremorepartnershipstopushtheprojecttocompletion,andalsoembarkonprogrammestoincreaseusabilityofthepark,especiallythechildren’sandnetballplaygrounds.This project has already, in its short time, achieved many important results includingincreasedawarenessabouttheimportanceofpublicspaces,increasedparkusage,increasedtrust among the community and KCCA, increased community engagement, and increasedownershipbythecommunityoftheirpublicspace.Lukuliplaygroundwillbeusedasacasestudyfor futurecommunity-ledprojectsandengagementsandwillprovidethefoundationforourevidence-basedadvocacycampaignforpublicspacepolicyimprovementinKampalacityandotherurbanareasinUganda.