Abstract:
A master plan is an important tool which guides, controls and manages an urban growth
and development in a planned manner. 26 However, a master plan preparation alone does
not ensure the implementation of what proposed. To ensure its implementation, it requires
implementation assessment since 27 failure to implement plans has long been considered
as significant barrier to effective planning. 10 Nevertheless, there are no studies that
evaluated the implementation of the Kigali City master plan and its impact on the living
condition of urban dwellers. By analyzing the Kigali City master plan's implementation and
determining how it has affected the living conditions of urban residents in Nyarugenge
District, the study sought to close that gap. The three measures of conformity—agreement,
fulfillment, and deviation—formed the foundation of the implementation evaluation. The
primary analysis tool was ArcGIS software, and GIS overlay technologies were used to
compare the proposed land uses on the master plan with the actual land uses that are now
in place. Based on measures of urban quality of life that are connected to both the goals of
the master plan and the living conditions of urban people, the effect of master plan
implementation on these conditions was assessed. The degree of accessibility and
availability of these measures of urban quality of life in the study region was assessed by
contrasting the pre-master plan state with the current state. SPSS was used to perform the
paired sample test analysis for the comparison. There was a statistically significant
difference between the two scenarios, and the urban dwellers' quality of life improved.
According to the study's findings, public facilities exhibit high conformity, infrastructure,
commercial areas, and natural areas exhibit medium conformance, agricultural exhibits
poor conformance, and industries, residential areas, and open spaces exhibit very low
conformance. The master plan's implementation has contributed to an improvement in
residents' living conditions, as evidenced by the paired sample t-test analysis, which also
showed an increase in the availability and accessibility of certain urban quality of life
components in residents' neighborhoods. Some components, though, have not seen a
substantial improvement. I draw the conclusion that, among other things, the low degree
10 of Kigali City master plan implementation is caused by zoning classifications and rules
that are out of reach for the city's low-income residents.
