NAIROBI, KENYA Moving Nairobi: Stories of Urban Mobility

Moving in Nairobi is an exhibition that explores Nairobi from the eyes of four commuters as they walk, bicycle, ride motorcycles (boda boda), take buses (matatu), and hire Ubers from the wealthy neighborhoods of this East African capital to its informal neighborhoods. The sounds and sights of this rapidly developing city come to life through their time-lapse videos.
3.5 million people move through Nairobi every day. However due to the lack of coordinated transportation planning, urban traffic often grinds to a halt, leaving commuters stuck in hours of gridlock. Human movement data acquired from Uber, cell phones, and Google will be animated and the walls of the exhibition will showcase materials on Nairobi’s stifling congestion. The paths of our four commuters will be embedded in the visualization to help connect their experience to the experience on the road.
The politics that have created Nairobi’s mobility flows are often debated amongst the city’s residents and these stories will be illustrated in a newspaper given away at the exhibition. The facts and figures discussed in the newspaper will also be displayed on the wall alongside portraits of Nairobi commuters. Those who come to the exhibition can start their own debate.