Assessing Sustainability of Urban Growth in Ongata Rongai Town, Kajiado County, Kenya

The rapid development of urban areas is not only a contributor to the economic growth of developing countries but also a significant driver of environmental change and resource use. Achieving sustainable development of urban areas requires an understanding of the complexity of current users’ activities and interactions in the urban space, and the potential future pathways of urban growth and its impact on the environment, people and policies as well. The study assesses the following dimensions of sustainability: environmental, social, governance and spatial (urban form) in Ongata Rongai. GIS and remote sensing technologies were used to understand, monitor, model future urban growth and measure the sustainability of urban growth. Cellular Automata (CA) is used to simulate future LULC of Ongata Rongai. The study finds the urban area unstainable and recommends the promotion of the smart growth concept in addition to the establishment of an urban board and sensitization of public participation.