Research Article

Discovering the Development Orientations through the Graphical Analysis of Master Plans: Case Study in Kigali, Rwanda

Volume: 7 Number: 1 May 7, 2026
TR EN

Discovering the Development Orientations through the Graphical Analysis of Master Plans: Case Study in Kigali, Rwanda

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the master plans of Kigali City to identify the transition and orientation from 2007 to 2020. The city has passed three master plans, including those of 2007, 2013, and 2020. The revision of the master plans resulted in changes to the objectives, strategies, and output maps, such as development patterns, land use, road networks, and public spaces. The research methodology was designed based on graphical analysis, applying the diagramming and interpretation of graphical features through redrawing. Data were extracted from output maps of the master plans. The findings reveal a pattern of urban development from the eastern part of the city to the northern and southern parts from 2007 to 2020. This pattern of development shifted from an ideal village concept of development to the linear and mixed-use activities based on the street-mixed-use structure to accommodate more opportunities for businesses. The road network was based on the east-west connection, which was developed into a loop network to support the mixed-use activities at different scales across the city. The mixed-use structure integrates the public and private facilities in different scales for business and investment. Despite the positive transition in the master plans, the development pattern of the city needs to prioritize neighborhood structure, TOD (Transit-oriented Development), and public transport, walkability, and multiscale green public spaces, such as neighborhood, sector, and urban scales, with the function of gardens, forests, and green roads, for a sustainable, consistent, and balanced development.

Keywords

Development pattern, Land-use, Master plan, Public green spaces, Road network

Supporting Institution

The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Ethical Statement

As this study does not involve direct human participation or data that requires ethics committee approval, approval from the ethics committee was not obtained.

Thanks

There was no item in relationship to acknowledgement.

References

  1. Alexander, E. (2016). Evaluation in Planning (Urban and Regional Planning and Development). Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Routledge.
  2. Amistadi, L., Balducci, V., Bradecki, T., Prandi, E., & Schröder, U. (2022). Mapping urban spaces: designing the European city. New York: Routledge.
  3. APA, A. (2006). Planning and urban design standards. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons Inc.
  4. Baka, A., & Mabon, L. (2022). Assessing equality in neighborhood availability of quality greenspace in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom. Landscape Research, 47(5), 584-597. https://doi.org/10.1080/01426397.2022.2051458
  5. Baum, S. (2021). Why urban analysis? In S. Baum, Methods in Urban Analysis (pp. 1-10). Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-1677-8
  6. Bertaud, A. (2018). Order without design: How markets shape cities. Massachusetts: MIT Press.
  7. Brewera, C. A., MacEachrena, A. M., Pickleb, L. W., & Herrmann, D. (1997). Mapping mortality: Evaluating color schemes for choropleth maps. Annual of the Association of American Geographers, 87(3), 411-438.
  8. Bryceson, D. F. (2014). Re-evaluating the influence of urban agglomeration in sub-Saharan Africa: population density, technological innovation and productivity. In S. Parnell, & S. Oldfield, The Routledge handbook on cities of the global south (pp. 75-85). London: Routledge.
  9. Buckley, R., & Kallergis, A. (2014). Does African urban policy provide a platform for sustained economic growth? In S. Parnell, & S. Oldfield, The Routledge handbook on cities of the global south (pp. 173-190). London: Routledge.
  10. Carmona, M., Heath, T., Oc, T., & Tiesdell, S. (2003). Public places- urban spaces: The dimensions of urban design. London: Architectural Press.
APA
Tafahomi, R., & Nagaddya, J. (2026). Discovering the Development Orientations through the Graphical Analysis of Master Plans: Case Study in Kigali, Rwanda. EKSEN Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.58317/eksen.1850270
AMA
1.Tafahomi R, Nagaddya J. Discovering the Development Orientations through the Graphical Analysis of Master Plans: Case Study in Kigali, Rwanda. EKSEN Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi. 2026;7(1). doi:10.58317/eksen.1850270
Chicago
Tafahomi, Rahman, and Julian Nagaddya. 2026. “Discovering the Development Orientations through the Graphical Analysis of Master Plans: Case Study in Kigali, Rwanda”. EKSEN Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi 7 (1). https://doi.org/10.58317/eksen.1850270.
EndNote
Tafahomi R, Nagaddya J (May 1, 2026) Discovering the Development Orientations through the Graphical Analysis of Master Plans: Case Study in Kigali, Rwanda. EKSEN Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi 7 1
IEEE
[1]R. Tafahomi and J. Nagaddya, “Discovering the Development Orientations through the Graphical Analysis of Master Plans: Case Study in Kigali, Rwanda”, EKSEN Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 7, no. 1, May 2026, doi: 10.58317/eksen.1850270.
ISNAD
Tafahomi, Rahman - Nagaddya, Julian. “Discovering the Development Orientations through the Graphical Analysis of Master Plans: Case Study in Kigali, Rwanda”. EKSEN Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi 7/1 (May 1, 2026). https://doi.org/10.58317/eksen.1850270.
JAMA
1.Tafahomi R, Nagaddya J. Discovering the Development Orientations through the Graphical Analysis of Master Plans: Case Study in Kigali, Rwanda. EKSEN Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi. 2026;7. doi:10.58317/eksen.1850270.
MLA
Tafahomi, Rahman, and Julian Nagaddya. “Discovering the Development Orientations through the Graphical Analysis of Master Plans: Case Study in Kigali, Rwanda”. EKSEN Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 7, no. 1, May 2026, doi:10.58317/eksen.1850270.
Vancouver
1.Rahman Tafahomi, Julian Nagaddya. Discovering the Development Orientations through the Graphical Analysis of Master Plans: Case Study in Kigali, Rwanda. EKSEN Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi. 2026 May 1;7(1). doi:10.58317/eksen.1850270