Alexander Kohrs: The Refiguration of Nairobi’s Urban Edges: From Colonial Frontiers to Recent Urban Growth Frontiers. [Abstract]

This article explores the historical and socio-spatial transformation of Kasarani (location), a peri-urban settlement in North-Eastern Nairobi, tracing its evolution from a colonial frontier to its contemporary status as an urban growth frontier. Situating Kasarani within broader processes of urbanization and economic development, the study highlights the interplay between historical path and space dependencies, structural dynamics of the capitalist world system, and localized urban practices. Using the lens of urban fragmentation, it investigates how economic, political, and ecological inequalities manifest spatially, shaping Kasarani into a heterogeneous and contested urban landscape. The district’s development trajectory reveals the dual forces of socio-spatial stability and transformation, driven by colonial land appropriation, decolonization, and infrastructure-led urban expansion. By analysing these processes, the article provides new insights into how historical legacies and modern growth strategies converge to reshape Nairobi’s urban periphery, highlighting the complex and evolving spatialities of urban transformation.

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