Participatory and innovative design guidelines to planning and managing urban green spaces to transform ecotourism

Community participation has been seen as an effective process towards implementation and sustainability of development projects. This research attempts to give proposals for improving the quality of urban green spaces in Kisumu city through public involvement. The objective of the study was to develop participatory and innovative design guidelines on urban green space planning that can support ecotourism transformation in collaboration with relevant stakeholders. Data was collected from published documents, observation and questionnaires. The study found out that the public’s opinions are not openly consulted before decisions on development are made and they are also not involved in the design process. Members of the public do have opinions about the general issue of urban greening, but they are reluctant to express them to the planning authorities or government. The study recommends the use of propaganda to increase public awareness about the environment, in order to protect green space actively. Neighbourhood associations should also be involved in urban green space management, in order to improve the daily management of urban green spaces. Lastly there is need to promote green space activities for ecotourism transformation, in order to incorporate the broader social force into the construction and management of urban green spaces.