The influence of Urban Forms in the Use of Digital Technology in urban spaces: A Case of Nairobi Central Business District

Abstract

Digital technology has advanced in recent years after many urban spaces have been conceptualized. Information communication technologies have changed the activities that take place in the urban space thereby raising questions on how the physical space is able to accommodate them. The objectives of the study are to establish the digital technology uses in Nairobi Central Business District as well as best practices internationally and to establish the physical characteristics of the urban form so as to investigate the relationship between the two. The study hypothesises that there is no relationship between urban forms and digital technology uses. The study is designed as a survey. The situs is the public spaces in Nairobi Central Business District. The main research method employed in the study is observation whereby observation checklists were used to measure and record the digital technology uses as well as the space characteristics in the sampled convex spaces. Spaces were studied on weekdays between 9:00am and 6:00pm. Stratified sampling was used to select 30 spaces within the study area based on space typology which included open spaces, squares, street space, arcades, passages and lanes. Data analysis involved correlation studies and multiple regression analysis using SPSS version 20. It emerged that the predominant digital technology uses in the study area were mobile telephones calls, texting and surfing. Multiple regression analysis pointed out that the density of people, the land use as well as the sky view tangent in a given space contributed to the density of digital technology usage. The findings show that these characteristics are some of the patterns that could be used to control the digital technology uses in urban spaces. The study therefore recommends that the urban spaces should utilize narrow lanes and passages which should be interconnected and have pedestrian oriented uses at grade level.