The historical association between the planning of Kampala city and colonialism is unquestioned. The empirical observation indicates that the spatial structure of Kampala is partly a unique product of European colonial planning—their inherent ideas and principles. Scholars and analysts have largely ignored this important aspect in the assessment of planning of Kampala. This article attempts to fill the knowledge gap on the historical planning ideas and how the ideas were implemented in Kampala’s urban space. Through a descriptive and exploratory approach, and by review and deduction of archival and documentary resources, this article suggests two major factors including inter alia, the discovery of malaria and the germ theory, the need to reproduce ‘‘European type space’’ in Kampala affected planning and consequently, the urban structure of Kampala city in the first half of the twentieth century.

Built in the 1920s, Sunnyside Gardens, Queens, New York, was a model modern community meant to exemplify best practices in land development, home design, and housing finance. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, many homeowners who had been drawn to the attractive neighborhood faced losing their homes to mortgage foreclosure. Rather than go quietly, they formed a committee, gathered economic survey data, and lobbied federal and state officials, ultimately affecting New Deal legislation. When their lobbying yielded little increased security, they adopted the methods of their rent striking forebears in Manhattan tenements, declared solidarity, and struck for lower mortgage payments. Although hundreds ultimately lost their homes, their example stands as a reminder of the promise of democratic participation in times of crisis.

In 1968, Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller succeeded in securing the establishment of the New York State Urban Development Corporation (UDC), with Edward J. Logue as its chief executive officer. Of the many projects initiated during his tenure in that position, Logue considered the development of Roosevelt Island the most significant. On that island, in the middle of New York City’s East River, he attempted to realize his vision of an ideal urban community. Although there were challenges to overcome and compromises to be made, Roosevelt Island is today one of the city’s most desirable residential communities.