IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/ijurrs/v44y2020i5p809-820.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Infrastructure Disruption in ‘Silicon Savannah’: Exploring the Idea of the Creative Class and their Relation to Quality of Place in Nairobi, Kenya

Author

Listed:
  • Lauren Rosenberg
  • Alan Brent

Abstract

Debates around urbanization, infrastructure disruption and the creative class rarely appear alongside each other in research on African cities. This article connects these different narratives, which are currently exerting their influence on the future direction of these cities. The economic value of the creative class is that their work centres on innovation—a quality seen as essential to ‘new‐economy’ urban growth. Quality of place (that which makes ‘New York New York’) is said to attract the creative class to certain cities, as lifestyle amenities are valued as much as employment opportunities. Nairobi is an example of an African city currently attracting both Kenyan and expatriate creative class workers, particularly in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector. In this article we take Richard Florida's creative class theory as a departure point to offer insights into why this group chooses to live in Nairobi and to describe Nairobi's quality of place, with a particular focus on infrastructure disruption. The case study reveals that Nairobi's quality of place differs fundamentally from the normative attributes prescribed by creative class theory and, in some instances, it is considered to be highly frustrating and unattractive.

Suggested Citation

  • Lauren Rosenberg & Alan Brent, 2020. "Infrastructure Disruption in ‘Silicon Savannah’: Exploring the Idea of the Creative Class and their Relation to Quality of Place in Nairobi, Kenya," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(5), pages 809-820, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ijurrs:v:44:y:2020:i:5:p:809-820
    DOI: 10.1111/1468-2427.12895
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2427.12895
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1468-2427.12895?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Brian Dill & Ben Crow, 2014. "The colonial roots of inequality: access to water in urban East Africa," Water International, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(2), pages 187-200, March.
    2. Ambreena Manji, 2015. "Bulldozers, homes and highways: Nairobi and the right to the city," Review of African Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(144), pages 206-224, June.
    3. Erik Hersman, 2012. "Mobilizing Tech Entrepreneurs in Africa (Innovations Case Narrative: iHub)," Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization, MIT Press, vol. 7(4), pages 59-67, October.
    4. Jack S. Levy, 2008. "Case Studies: Types, Designs, and Logics of Inference," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 25(1), pages 1-18, February.
    5. Vivien Foster & Cecilia Briceno-Garmendia, 2010. "Africa's Infrastructure : A Time for Transformation [Infrastructures africaines]," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 2692, December.
    6. Jamie Peck, 2005. "Struggling with the Creative Class," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 740-770, December.
    7. Salon, Deborah & Aligula, Eric M., 2012. "Urban travel in Nairobi, Kenya: analysis, insights, and opportunities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 65-76.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jenny Mbaye & ANDY C. PRATT, 2020. "Cities, Creativities and Urban Creative Economies: Re‐descriptions and Make+Shifts from Sub‐Saharan Africa," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(5), pages 781-792, September.
    2. Liza Rose Cirolia & Rike Sitas & Andrea Pollio & Alexis Gatoni Sebarenzi & Prince K Guma, 2023. "Silicon Savannahs and motorcycle taxis: A Southern perspective on the frontiers of platform urbanism," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 55(8), pages 1989-2008, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Andreasen, Manja Hoppe & Møller-Jensen, Lasse, 2017. "Access to the city: Mobility patterns, transport and accessibility in peripheral settlements of Dar es Salaam," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 20-29.
    2. Williams, Sarah & White, Adam & Waiganjo, Peter & Orwa, Daniel & Klopp, Jacqueline, 2015. "The digital matatu project: Using cell phones to create an open source data for Nairobi's semi-formal bus system," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 39-51.
    3. Meghamrita Chakraborty, 2023. "Linking Migration, Diversity and Regional Development in India," Journal of Development Policy and Practice, , vol. 8(1), pages 55-72, January.
    4. Pierluigi Sacco & Guido Ferilli & Giorgio Tavano Blessi, 2014. "Understanding culture-led local development: A critique of alternative theoretical explanations," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 51(13), pages 2806-2821, October.
    5. repec:bla:glopol:v:8:y:2017:i::p:62-74 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Kate Golebiowska, 2016. "Are Peripheral Regions Benefiting from National Policies Aimed at Attracting Skilled Migrants? Case Study of the Northern Territory of Australia," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 17(3), pages 947-971, August.
    7. Torsten Ehlers, 2014. "Understanding the challenges for infrastructure finance," BIS Working Papers 454, Bank for International Settlements.
    8. O. Fiona Yap, 2020. "A New Normal or Business-as-Usual? Lessons for COVID-19 from Financial Crises in East and Southeast Asia," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 32(5), pages 1504-1534, December.
    9. Venables, Anthony & Duranton, Gilles, 2018. "Place-Based Policies for Development," CEPR Discussion Papers 12889, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    10. Jana Hönke & Ivan Cuesta-Fernandez, 2018. "Mobilising security and logistics through an African port: A controversies approach to infrastructure," Mobilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(2), pages 246-260, March.
    11. Lucia de Strasser, 2017. "Calling for Nexus Thinking in Africa’s Energy Planning," ESP: Energy Scenarios and Policy 263161, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    12. Francis Leo Collins & Wardlow Friesen, 2011. "Making the Most of Diversity? The Intercultural City Project and a Rescaled Version of Diversity in Auckland, New Zealand," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 48(14), pages 3067-3085, November.
    13. Wangui Kimari, 2018. "Activists, care work, and the ‘cry of the ghetto’ in Nairobi, Kenya," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 4(1), pages 1-7, December.
    14. Lisa Kastner, 2017. "Tracing policy influence of diffuse interests: The post-crisis consumer finance protection politics in the US," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-02186320, HAL.
    15. Patrick S. Roberts & Jon Schmid, 2022. "Government‐led innovation acceleration: Case studies of US federal government innovation and technology acceleration organizations," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 39(3), pages 353-378, May.
    16. Wegerich, Kai & Van Rooijen, Daniel & Soliev, Ilkhom & Mukhamedova, Nozilakhon, 2015. "Water Security in the Syr Darya Basin," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 7(9), pages 4657-4684.
    17. Chali Nondo, 2018. "Is There a Relationship between Information and Communication Technologies Infrastructure, Electricity Consumption and Total Factor Productivity? Evidence from a Panel of African Countries," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 8(4), pages 207-218.
    18. Cameron McAuliffe, 2013. "Legal Walls and Professional Paths: The Mobilities of Graffiti Writers in Sydney," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 50(3), pages 518-537, February.
    19. Iliana Olivié & Aitor Pérez, 2016. "Why don’t donor countries coordinate their aid? A case study of European donors in Morocco," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 16(1), pages 52-64, January.
    20. Amitrajeet A. Batabyal & Hamid Beladi, 2022. "The Response of Creative Class Members to Regions Vying to Attract Them With Subsidies," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 45(5), pages 581-600, September.
    21. Ann Marie Fiore & Linda S. Niehm & Jessica L. Hurst & Jihyeong Son & Amrut Sadachar & Daniel W. Russell & David Swenson & Christopher Seeger, 2015. "Will They Stay or Will They Go? Community Features Important in Migration Decisions of Recent University Graduates," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 29(1), pages 23-37, February.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:ijurrs:v:44:y:2020:i:5:p:809-820. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0309-1317 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.