Kenya · 2025 · 3,600 acres · Construction pending

Green Heart Kilifi sits on a plantation in a fast-growing region north of Mombasa. The plan sets out a new approach to ecological restoration and profitable, high-density development on the coast, preserving environmental assets while establishing a tight development matrix that answers local population pressure and the need for a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial space.

Land on the plantation was badly degraded, and the geophysical context required restoration before it could hold a walkable, comfortable habitat. Our design started with water: how to secure enough of it for human use and revegetation, and how to cut the cost of drainage infrastructure. The network of green spaces combines hydrologically active channels with existing pockets of unusual biological value, including baobab trees and regenerative agriculture.

The road network is agnostic about future use. Its principle is a layered grid that offers multiple routes and varying scales of connectivity, and the green network complements it with walking and cycling access across the site, car-free.

We developed further detail for three initial phases, including a hierarchical road system with strong separation of modes and a subdivision scheme that addressed both security on the site and the need for active commercial strips. The first phase, the Walkable Urban Village, was worked out in full with a financial model. It combines products new to Kilifi, including high-quality apartments, townhouses, and mixed-use space, intensifying land use to support better public amenities.