"Developing Risk or Resilience? Effects of Slum Upgrading on the Social Contract and Social Cohesion"
"Developing Risk or Resilience? Effects of Slum Upgrading on the Social Contract and Social Cohesion" An assessment of how development efforts mitigate risk and strengthen social cohesion in dense and complex urban environments.
Chelina Odbert, KDI's Executive Director, wrote four articles for a Forbes series on urban slums.
"Community-Responsive Adaptation to Flooding in Kibera, Kenya"
"An Expanded View of Agriculture in Ouled Ahmed"
"An Expanded View of Agriculture in Ouled Ahmed" Publication highlighting the results of a 'research by design' competition that explored the sustainable integration of agriculture and urban development. In it, Team KDI proposes a vision of urban agriculture that goes beyond food production to address social, economic and ecological needs.
"Contemporary Practice: Kounkuey Design Initiative"
"Contemporary Practice: Kounkuey Design Initiative" Chelina Odbert introduces KDI's story, mission and approach and how they stem from the cofounders' time at Harvard GSD.
"Tujenge Na Solar" was an event hosted by KDI and Sun King, continuing KDI's #TujengeKibera campaign that highlighted stories of positive change in Kibera.
KDI's work was exhibited at the POP-UP Public Space in the UN Habitat III Village.
Featuring Nuestro Lugar Productive Public Space, a KDI project in the Eastern Coachella Valley.
An exhibition exploring the connections between architecture, identity and culture in sub-Saharan Africa.
An exhibition examining the innovative ways in which architects are creating sustainable and often community-led solutions to design challenges facing the continent.
An exhibition that engaged with socially responsible architecture rather than the prestigious "starchitecture" that dominates the contemporary design landscape.
KDI's commended project "Model of slum upgrading in Kibera" featured in the 2013 Architecture of Necessity Triennial exhibition.
KDI's Productive Public Spaces in Kibera were featured in an exhibition of projects addressing the significant issues faced by today's informal settlements.
KDI's findings from the Urban Agriculture Casablanca research competition were featured in an exhibition that taught stakeholders, experts, members of the public and policymakers about urban agriculture.
KDI's poster campaign about waste disposal in Kibera was featured in an exhibition about global design issues.
KDI participated in an exhibition that asked how architects and urbanists can contribute to the sustainable development of informal settlements.
KDI's project "Productive Public Space: Exploring Hybridities In Informal Settlements" was on display at the Van Alen following the selection of cofounders Jennifer Toy and Chelina Odbert as Spring 2008 Fellows.
An exhibition exploring the ethical and practical complexities of upgrading impoverished communities through design in Latin America.
"Kounkuey Design Initiative - Making Public Space Productive"
"Economic and Social Development by Design: Q & A"
"Using Design to Help Solve a Community’s Greatest Challenges"
"Building A Sustainable, Social Architectural Enterprise"
"Building A Sustainable, Social Architectural Enterprise" Executive Director Chelina Odbert gave an interview with Afribiz about KDI's mission and projects.
"Advocacy Through Design: Ecology, Design and Community at California's Salton Sea"
"A Tale of Two Cities: Creating Productive Public Spaces in Nairobi and Coachella"
"The Role of Informal Actors as Service Providers in Urban Africa: Security Risks and Development Opportunities"
"Understanding Urban Everyday Risks Through Methodological Innovations: Heterogeneity in Flood and Linked Risks Across Neighbourhoods in Kibera, Nairobi"
"Urban Tinkering – Innovation in Nature-Based Solutions to Simultaneously Address Climate Change and Uncertainty, Improve Urban Health and Generate Multiple Other Benefits."
"Community-Responsive Adaptation - A Transformative Process for Environmental Remediation along the Informal Settlements of the Ngong River, Nairobi"
"Flood Resilience in Slums: Community‐Responsive Adaptation in Kibera, Nairobi"
"Complete Streets Arrive in LA"
"Complete Streets Arrive in LA" KDI's Jessica Bremner joined a panel discussion about "complete streets"—streets not just for cars, but for everyone—and demonstrated how the implementation of "tactical urbanism" can gain public buy-in for permanent infrastructure improvements.
"Regional Planning through Local Community Outreach"
"By the People: Designing a Better America"
Three staff from the KDI team gave presentations at the UN Habitat conference on sustainable urban development.
"Nuestro Lugar Project and Productive Public Space Projects"
"Community Engagement and Tactical Urbanism"
"Dialogue on Climate Change, Conflict and Effective Response: Migration & Urban Resilience in Fragile States"
"Focus Africa: Informality and Urban Pattern"
"Focus Africa: Informality and Urban Pattern" KDI Executive Director Chelina Odbert participated in a panel discussion about urban peripheries.
"The Nature of Cities: Parks and Creative Placemaking"
"Public Space in the New Urban Agenda"
"Public Space in the New Urban Agenda" KDI's Joe Mulligan gave a presentation called "Kibera Public Space Project: A participatory approach to upgrading in Nairobi's largest slum".
"Place-Making at the Edge of the Salton Sea"
"Urban Design—Social"
"Powerful: Women Leading Design Panel"
"WATSAN Portal: Kibera – Improving Access to Water and Sanitation in Nairobi’s Largest Slum"
"Kibera Public Space Project: a Participatory Approach to Upgrading in Nairobi’s Largest Slum"
"Sustainable Urban Alternatives through Productive Public Spaces"
"Global Innovations in Development and Housing"
"Sustainable and Inclusive Cities: the Right to the City"
"Landscape, Infrastructure and Urbanism in the Global South"
"Landscape, Infrastructure and Urbanism in the Global South" KDI cofounder Arthur Adeya gave a talk entitled "Productive Public Space in Kibera, Nairobi".
"Community-Driven, Government Supported, Structure-Owner Opposed Upgrading In Kibera, Nairobi"
"Panel III: Social Sustainability"
"The Right To The City: Bridging The Urban Divide"
"Can Design Reclaim Public Space?"
"Can Design Reclaim Public Space?" KDI was named a Social Design Honoree for our work in creating Productive Public Spaces.
Neighborhood Revitalization Award
Neighborhood Revitalization Award KDI was one of 5 winners of The Atlantic Renewal Awards, chosen from nearly 500 nominations.
Jamilla Harper, KDI's Associate Country Director in Kenya, was awarded the Elijah Agevi Fellowship to develop a tool for rapidly assessing risk.
Cofounder and Executive Director Chelina Odbert was named one of the 2016 Next City Vanguards: leaders in tackling urban challenges.
"The Flood Line: Improving Awareness and Reducing the Risk of Disaster in Kibera"
KDI was one of 8 winners of the Urban Resilience Challenge, which posed the question "How might urban slum communities become more resilient to the effects of climate change?"
"We Have a Life in Kibera"
"We Have a Life in Kibera" KDI's short film, "We Have a Life in Kibera", won the Rockefeller Storytelling Challenge, which called on nonprofits to present the most powerful stories behind their work in any medium.
"Kibera Productive Public Space Project"
"Kibera Productive Public Space Project" KDI was one of 11 winners for excellence in urban best practices. The project was commended for its social impact, genuinely inclusive process, innovation, efficiency, and replicability.
Cofounder and Executive Director Chelina Odbert was named one of the 2014 The Aspen Institute Ideas Festival Scholars.
"Nuestro Lugar: Engaging, Creating and Activating Community Folklore in North Shore, CA"
"Nuestro Lugar: Engaging, Creating and Activating Community Folklore in North Shore, CA" KDI's first Productive Public Space in the Eastern Coachella Valley received one of 55 grants from ArtPlace's National Creative Placemaking Fund.
KDI was one of 80 initiatives recognized by Enabling City for enhancing creative community resilience.
Model of Slum Upgrading in Kibera, Kenya
Model of Slum Upgrading in Kibera, Kenya KDI received an honorary mention in the 13th Triennale for an Architecture of Necessity for our contributions to slum upgrading.
Chelina Odbert was named by Impact Design Hub as one of 100 designers and advocates shaping the world.
"Unslumming Kibera"
"Unslumming Kibera" KDI's Associate Country Director in Keyna, Jamilla Harper, was a member of one of the winning teams in AECOM’s annual student competition.
KDI was one of 77 names on Next City's Disruption Index: a list of people, places and ideas who changed cities in 2012.
"WATSAN Portal: a Platform for Improving Water and Sanitation in Slums"
"WATSAN Portal: a Platform for Improving Water and Sanitation in Slums" Chelina Odbert, KDI's Executive Director, was named one of the 8 winners of the 2012 Innovation Challenge for the project "WATSAN Portal: a Platform for Improving Water and Sanitation in Slums".
Chelina Odbert was one of 15 "Emerging Innovators" named by American Express and Ashoka Changemakers in 2012.
KDI was selected from nearly 700 entries as a finalist in the Living Labs Global competition.
"Kibera Productive Public Space: Site, Settlement, Watershed"
"Kibera Productive Public Space: Site, Settlement, Watershed" Swiss Re named KDI as the winner of its 2012 ReSource Award for sustainable watershed management.
"Kibera Public Space Project: Sustainable Housing Through Productive Public Space"
"Kibera Public Space Project: Sustainable Housing Through Productive Public Space" KDI was one of 5 winners of the Ashoka Changemakers 2011 Award for sustainable urban housing.
"Kibera Public Space Project 02"
"Kibera Public Space Project 02" KDI won the 2010 Urbaninform Competition "with overwhelming acceptance" for our second project in Kibera.
"Productive Public Space: Exploring Hybridities in Informal Settlements"
"Productive Public Space: Exploring Hybridities in Informal Settlements" Chelina Odbert and Jennifer Toy were named Spring 2008 Fellows at the Van Alen Institute in the area of Land Use and Development.
"To Build a Great Public Space, You Need More Than Good Design"
"Some NGOs in Nairobi Have to Pay Locals to Attend Meetings"
"A Story to Encourage Storytelling: We have a life in Kibera”
"What Kenya's Biggest Slum Can Teach Us About Saving Cities From Floods"
Executive Director Chelina Odbert and Kenya Country Director Tatu Gatere have been featured in two articles by NextCity.org.
KCET Artbound has written two online features about KDI's work in North Shore, CA.
The New York Times featured KDI's work in North Shore, as well as mentioning Executive Director Chelina Odbert in an article about Habitat III in Quito.
"Kibera Public Space Project by Kounkuey Design Initiative: Co-Designing Productive Parks with the Poorest of Kibera, Kenya."
"Community Camera: Piga Picha"
"Community Camera: Piga Picha" Chelina Odbert and Joe Mulligan contributed a chapter in a new book that sets forth techniques for participatory, community-led design.
"The Kibera Productive Public Space Project"
"The Kibera Public Space Project: Participation, Integration, and Networked Change"
"The Kibera Public Space Project: Participation, Integration, and Networked Change" Chelina Odbert and Joe Mulligan contributed a chapter about KDI's projects in Kibera to a book about the messy yet rich reality of contemporary cities.
"Kibera Public Space Projects"
"Kibera Public Space Project 1 & 2"
"Kibera Public Space Project 1 & 2" Featuring KDI's first and second public spaces in Kibera.
"How Habitat III Can Ripple Across the Urban Planning World"
"How Habitat III Can Ripple Across the Urban Planning World" KDI's Tatu Gatere features in this short video from Habitat III discussing the role of municipal government, urban designers, planners and more in the implementation of the New Urban Agenda.
"Tatu at the UN - The Future of Nairobi"
A video documenting the process and passion behind North Shore, KDI's first PPS in the Eastern Coachella Valley.
A short film, made in partnership with Lightbox Africa, to counter negative narratives about Kibera and its residents. The film won the Rockefeller Storytelling Award in 2015.