ASSESSMENT OF THE INFLUENCE OF MASTER PLANS IN KIGALI CITY DEVELOPMENT IN RWANDA

The master plan is based on study of existing situation of each and every component of a city comprising land use, socio-economic and other facilities based on analysis of existing situation, forecasting of future trends, and finally making proposals for the growth and management of the city. The master plan is as a long-term plan which provides guidelines for urban growth and guides people in locating their investment in the city in an orderly manner. A master plan is an important tool which guides, controls and manages an urban growth and development in a planned manner. However, the study was assessing the impact of master plans in Kigali city development in Rwanda. By using ArcGIS software as the main tool for analysis, the actual land uses that exist on ground were compared to the planned land uses on the master plan using GIS overlay tools. By comparing the current situation and the situation before the adoption of the master plan, this study evaluated the level of availability and accessibility of these indicators of urban quality of life in the study area. The comparison was done using the paired sample t- test analysis by SPSS. The findings of this study are that there is high conformance for public facilities; a medium conformance for infrastructure, commercial and natural area; a low conformance for agriculture; a very low conformance for industries, residential and open spaces. The result from the paired sample t-test analysis revealed that the master plan has partly impact in the development of the residents’ living condition in Kigali City. The study concluded that the low level of Kigali City master plan implementation is based among others on the zoning categories and regulations which are not feasible by the low-income citizens. Keywords: Master plan, impact, city developmen