Study Architecture 
ProPEL 
Author(s): Courtney Crosson
Over half of the population of Nairobi, Kenya lives in informal settlements. Located in the lower elevations of the city, these settlement are susceptible to annual flooding. Chronic property damage and deaths are experienced during the two rainy seasons of the year. Climate change is projected to significantly worsen these impacts. This paper presents a partnership between one Bachelor of Architecture studio, a Nairobi design organization, and residents of Kibera informal settlement. The partnership created five adaptive design solutions to chronic flooding in critical points along the Ngong River and associated streams that wind through Kibera. Overall, the five final projects worked as a network along the Ngong River to reduce annual flooding by 1,202,000 gallons (691,000 gallons through passive water harvesting design measures and 511,000 gallons through active water harvesting measures). The professor had lived in Nairobi for two years prior to the studio course and provided continuous context and background to the students. The paper argues that digital tools are a successful way to engage in international partnerships and succeed in pedagogical objectives without the expense and carbon footprint of travel. The paper frames this argument through the pedagogical framework for international studios at a distance, the resulting five flood mitigation projects designed by the studio, and the feedback provided from the community members about the produced work. Within this pedagogical framework of long-distance engagement, the paper questions the ethic and value of teaching design to students using a location that students are unable to visit and with a cultural background separate from the students’ lived experience. The paper concludes that with careful organization and management, community-engaged studios at a distance can be of significant benefit to students’ education and community partners.
https://doi.org/10.35483/ACSA.AM.112.56
Volume Editors
Germane Barnes & Blair Satterfield
ISBN
978-1-944214-45-6
