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< Back The Pedestrian's Plight: Walking as an inconvenient mobility option in Abuja Mohammed Lawal Shaibu In Abuja, Nigeria's capital, walking is a common mode of transportation, yet the city's design and policies make it inconvenient and unsafe for pedestrians, particularly for marginalized groups like the poor, disabled, elderly, and children. The city's car-centric planning, including separate land use zones and limited public transportation, forces residents to rely on cars to access essential services. To improve walkability, Abuja must prioritize mixed land use, increase intersection density, establish functional public transit, enhance streetscapes, and enact pedestrian-friendly policies. Understanding the factors affecting walkability, such as land use, urban compactness, circulation, public transit, streetscape, and management policies, is crucial. Implementing measures to enhance walkability not only improves urban mobility but also promotes equity and inclusivity. Despite its challenges, Abuja has the potential to become more walkable through proactive urban planning, policy enforcement, and community engagement, ultimately leading to a more sustainable and inclusive city. Like many other African cities, walking is a primary mode of transport for most trips in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city. However, the conditions for walking are inconvenient due to the character or state of the city’s land use plan, urban compactness, circulation plan, streetscape, and urban management policies. This excludes social groups such as the poor, disabled, aged, and children from enjoying urban mobility and requires urban citizens to own or use a car to fully access their rights to the city. In order to enhance walking conditions, the city needs to reduce its car dependency by addressing the factors that improve walkability. These include embracing mixed-uses for urban compactness and diversity as opposed to separating residential from non-residential land uses, promoting high intersection densities to reduce travel distances and offer multiple route choice, ensuring functionality in public transportation, enhancing the quality of the street, and introducing pedestrian-friendly urban policies. Research-based efforts to emphasise the urgent need for inclusive and sustainable urban mobility in Abuja should be echoed and applied in practice to improve the lives of people who live and work in the city. Aerial landscape view of Abuja City Business District, by Tayvay on shutterstock_1439458676 "Walking, but not walkable: just another African city." Before the development of Abuja, every city that existed in Nigeria had been formed – even as a small town – by socio-economic forces like markets and culture. As Bertaud (2018) puts it, such cities had their original order without design before the intervention of physical development plans. Abuja is different; it is the first city in Nigeria that was developed from scratch in line with a master plan. Its original order followed a blueprint designed between 1976 and 1979. In the preface of his influential book, Cities for People, Gehl (2010) assert that city planning during that period (from the 1960s to 2000s) was problematic because it largely ignored the human scale, manifesting drastic consequences that would not be recognized until much later. Abuja’s planning was no different; it largely followed western car-centric patterns that require the urban population to own or use a car in order to fully interact with the city (Shaibu & Adebayo, 2022). In African cities, over 70% of the urban population walk as a primary transport mode to access essential services, much higher than the global average of about 40% (UNEP & UNHSP, 2022). While this is often for a lack of choice, it implies that African cities are essentially walking cities despite the car-centric urban patterns in cities like Abuja and unfavourable and dangerous walking conditions in other Sub-Saharan African cities (Halias, 2020). It is therefore essential for such cities to rethink their approach to urban planning and management by prioritising walking (and cycling) as a convenient urban mobility option. To do this, existing features and elements in Abuja that make walking inconvenient for the pedestrian should be improved through urban planning decisions. These have been repeatedly stated in different mediums to emphasise the urgent need to pursue sustainable urban mobility for the city (Nigerian Urbanism, 2023; Shaibu, 2022; Shaibu & Adebayo, 2022). Aerial view of downtown Abuja, Nigeria, by Leandry Jieutsa from an image taken from Google Earth 2022 "Abuja must understand car-dependency and walkability, then drive towards the latter." Car-dependency and walkability can be said to be inversely proportional. Quite a number of progressive cities have made efforts at reversing car dependency – a situation when reliance on private vehicles is high because it is the most favoured and convenient form of urban transport. This is typically done through the introduction of multiple means, elements, or factors that support and encourage non-private car transport such as walking, cycling, and public transportation by making them safe and convenient, thus fostering walkability. To prioritise walking in Abuja, it is important that the key factors that determine its level of car-dependency or walkability are understood. Dan Burden, one of the most popular figures in the walkability movement globally, listed eleven (11) factors that affect walkability; they are the location of facilities, adequacy of walkways, connectivity, street orientation, density, street speeds, aesthetics, land use, affordability, and neighbourhood schools (Burden, 1992). Several other authors have developed similar lists with overlapping elements that apply to Abuja. Lived and practical urban planning experience in the city, as well as literature review on walkability, suggest that the factors most relevant to Abuja are its land use plan, urban compactness, circulation plan, public transportation systems, urban streetscape design, and urban management laws/policies. Abuja’s land use plan distributes primary facilities for commerce (retail shops and neighbourhood markets), education (nursery, primary, and secondary schools), employment (office buildings), health (primary health centres and clinics), and recreation (children’s playgrounds and other parks) separately from residents, affecting proximity, connectedness, and urban compactness. This makes residents have to travel longer distances to access the services within those facilities. Its circulation plan within districts mostly follow curvilinear and cul-de-sac patterns, while cross-intersections that offer more route choices and shorter walking distances are highly discouraged. The city has no functional public transport system in operation after a ban of mini-buses in 2013, a collapse of the replacement urban mass transport scheme with metro buses in 2018, and a discontinuation of the city’s only urban rail line in 2020 after just two functional years. Most of the city’s streets lack elements like street furnishing, signages, and paved uninterrupted sidewalks that make up complete streets. Lastly, urban management policies such as the closure of pedestrian access to commercial lots as a traffic management solution worsens the pedestrian’s plight. "Aiding the pedestrian’s plight is inclusive planning." The separate distribution of facilities, curvilinear road network, absence of public transportation, incomplete streetscapes, and short-sighted urban policies in Abuja imply that the life of an urban resident who does not have or cannot use a private car is made infinitely more difficult. Such residents fall into four main social groups that are excluded from fully enjoying convenient urban mobility. These are the poor (who cannot afford private cars), the disabled (who are wheelchair bound or blind and require help from able-bodied persons), the aged (who are not advised to drive after a certain age, could be wheelchair bound, and find harsh vehicle noises unfriendly), and children (who are not allowed to drive and at high risk of pedestrian injury and death). Enhancing walkability in Abuja is therefore about equity and inclusivity which are important sustainable development principles that accord high consideration to disadvantaged people. Abuja, by macdavis-johnson on unsplash, November 2021 "Still, the people are walking. Help them walk better." Despite the realities of Abuja, walking remains common for first and last mile intermodal transport especially in parts of the city where commercial motorcycles (okada) and tricycles (keke-NAPEP) are not allowed to operate. Abuja needs to intentionally enhance the highlighted factors that affect its walkability so as to make walking better by improving safety and convenience for pedestrians. The primary way to achieve this as emphasised by Jacobs (1961) is to plan land uses within walking distances of each other through mixed uses for more compact and diverse cities. Abuja needs to ensure that detailed plans for districts yet to be developed have sufficient provision for mixed-use plots within neighbourhoods. The current practice of allowing different kinds of uses along a mixed-use corridor, yet separate uses for every plot along that corridor, is a flawed approach. Instead, mixed use plots should allow different uses on different floor levels or different areas within one plot provided that the uses are compatible and complementary. Within already developed districts, particularly in Phase I of the city, efforts should be put towards densification through mutually beneficial partnerships between current property holders and housing developers as was historically applied in the Athens polikatoikias system (O'Sullivan, 2020). Densification of Abuja’s urban core will present other socio-economic benefits such as improved tax base per land area, better utilisation of existing infrastructure, and allowance for community parks with potential for increased social capital. It is also necessary to address the disinclination to cross-intersections in neighbourhood designs. The conventional grid street pattern that is prominent in cities like Barcelona, Chicago, and New York is considered to best facilitate walking because of its high intersection density which offers more route choices and shorter walking distances (Campoli, 2012). With such a pattern, pedestrians are more likely to walk along a straight line, have three possible directions to go on approaching an intersection, and can permeate through city blocks more frequently. Radial circulation patterns in historic African towns and cities also have high intersection densities with primary streets running to the central palace, market, and religious centre and circling secondary streets that repeatedly cross the primary streets at increasing radii. However, as early as from the university level, urban and regional planning students are sternly taught to avoid cross-intersections in their plans and designs, an ideology that is carried on to professional practice. The reason for this is that such intersections are considered to offer longer waiting time for vehicles to cross or turn and more possible vehicular conflict/collision points. Having established that they are better for pedestrians but arguably not as favourable to the vehicle, the discouragement of cross-intersections displays a glaring illustration of car-centric planning that pursues convenience for the vehicle at the expense of convenience for the pedestrian. Furthermore, Abuja is in desperate need of public transportation systems to intermediate the pedestrian’s long-distance trips. This implies that residents can walk (or cycle) from their starting destination to a nearby public transport station (e.g., bus stop), use the system to commute, and then walk to their final destination. Public transport systems are beneficial for cities as they minimize traffic congestion, pollution emissions, and energy consumption per traveler. Abuja, by oussama obeid on shutterstock, september 2023 The city has struggled with public transport over the past decade due to poor planning, maintenance, and financial constraints. Nonetheless, a lack of metro buses, at the very least, is inexcusable for a capital city of Abuja’s caliber. The city is currently dependent on private salon cars for public transport with overcrowding and physical struggle at popular pick-up/drop-off points. Sidewalks and their accompanying elements such as signs, furniture, landscaped strips, etc. are crucial to the walking experience. They should not be perceived as future add-ons for streets where the common practice in Abuja, mostly outside the urban core, is to pave drive lanes first and await interventions years in future. This leaves a lot of streets lacking those crucial elements that encourage people to walk and make walking more pleasant. Moreso, where such sidewalks are existing, efforts should be made to address interruptions such as reckless car parking, obstructive driveways into plots, and open refuse dumping. Lastly, policies that favour pedestrians and minimise car dependency should be enforced in the urban management of Abuja. Such policies should be derived following extensive and in-depth studies on the city’s physical and socio-economic urban context as well as case studies from successful policies in other cities around the world. "Abuja has the capacity to foster walkability if it decides to." Abuja is a unique African city because its development originally followed a masterplan, albeit a car-centric one. Yet, it is similar to many other African cities with regards to the high levels of walking The paradox is that despite the city’s car-centric plan, walking remains a primary urban transport mode and, therefore, efforts towards enhancing the walking experience through improved convenience and safety for the pedestrian should be intensified. The city’s land use plan, circulation plan, public transport functionality, streetscape, and urban management policies are critical factors that require intervention to reduce the city’s car-dependency and improve walkability. The current pedestrian-unfriendly state of these factors should not portray Abuja in bad light. They are instead an indication of the possibilities for more inclusive and sustainable urban mobility which can be achieved through an improvement in urban planning teaching, ideology, and practice as well as improved policy making at a city-level. To achieve these, urban planners and other stakeholders in academia and practice should grab every opportunity to help the city (and its decision-makers) understand where it falls short and why it needs to sit up. Resources such as the compilation of good practices that can inspire government actions and decisions to retain, protect, and enable people that walk and cycle in Africa are highly recommended (UNEP & UNHSP, 2022). What is Abuja waiting for? Abuja, by oussama obeid on shutterstock Previous Next

Philippe Heinrigs aborde les défis de l'urbanisation en Afrique et les solutions potentielles. < Back Urbanisation en Afrique: Défis et solutions Philippe Heinrigs Dans cette intervention, Philippe Heinrigs de l'OCDE aborde les défis de l'urbanisation en Afrique, notamment dans les villes intermédiaires. Il souligne la croissance rapide de la population urbaine et l'attraction des villes pour les opportunités. Il met en lumière la nécessité de produire des données pour mieux comprendre cette dynamique et plaide pour une intégration de l'urbanisation dans les politiques de développement. Enfin, il appelle à une collaboration entre différents acteurs pour une gestion efficace et durable de l'urbanisation en Afrique.

< Back Une confédération d’habitants pour renforcer le pouvoir d’agir dans les quartiers vulnérables en Afrique de l’Ouest Pauline Leporcq, Olivier Moles, Aminata Baro Le projet de structuration de la confédération des habitants en Afrique de l’Ouest est porté par les associations de la société civile ouest-africaines et les organisations communautaires de base des quartiers précaires qui veulent renforcer leur pouvoir d’agir et faire entendre leur voix au sein des instances décisionnaires à l’échelle locale, nationale et internationale. Le projet est né de la réunion des groupements communautaires en fédérations d’habitants de chaque pays de l’Afrique de l’Ouest, sur inspiration du modèle d’appui du réseau Slum Dwellers International (SDI) majoritairement présent en Afrique de l’Est et du Sud. L’objectif de la confédération est de réunir au sein d’une même organisation sous régionale les habitants, acteurs du changement pour les quartiers précaires, afin de porter un plaidoyer d’envergure. Collectivement, ils défendent une vision commune structurée autour de différents axes : l’inclusion sociale pour renforcer la solidarité entre les habitant.es des quartiers et la capacité d’agir des jeunes et des femmes, le développement économique pour appuyer des initiatives économiques d’envergure dans les quartiers, mais aussi la résilience environnementale pour soutenir un développement urbain durable et résilient aux changements climatiques. Promouvoir le dialogue, partager des outils et responsabiliser les résidents grâce à une planification urbaine participative et à des initiatives communautaires Selon ONU Habitat, plus de 60% de la population urbaine du continent africain, soit environ 285 millions de personnes, dont 200 millions en Afrique subsaharienne, habite des bidonvilles ou des quartiers précaires. En 2018, l’espace UEMOA comptait 123 millions d’habitants, dont 39,8 % de citadins. Selon la déclaration de Alioune Badiane, ancien Directeur Exécutif d’ONU Habitat, au forum de Bamako en février 2017, le continent africain a vu l’amélioration des conditions de vie de 24 millions d’habitants des bidonvilles. Mais les besoins restent criants et grandissants. En Afrique Subsaharienne, la proportion totale de la population urbaine vivant dans les bidonvilles n’a diminué que de 5 %, soit 17 millions d’habitants sur la même période. Photographie drone banlieue de Dakar pendant les inondations Sénégal 2022 Crédit Photo Ismaila Seye Face à cette croissance démographique fulgurante dans un contexte de grande précarisation des populations urbaines, les autorités publiques ne parviennent pas à garantir l’accès au logement et à un cadre de vie décent aux populations les plus démunies. Parmi les outils dont disposent les autorités pour apporter une réponse à cette crise graduelle, figure la planification urbaine. Elle permet de mener une démarche globale dans une logique de projet urbain inclusif qui garantie l’implication de toutes les parties prenantes dans le projet d’aménagement et un cadre de vie durable où l’accès aux services de bases est garantie. Dans la pratique, la planification urbaine comme outil de fabrique de la ville est peu maîtrisée et utilisée. En réalité, les autorités publiques n’ont pas toujours les moyens financiers et l’expertise nécessaire pour mener à bien ces projets, ce qui conduit à une urbanisation anarchique, incontrôlée et à la naissance des quartiers précaires. L’enjeu de la confédération est d’encourager un changement de la vision et de la réalité des quartiers précaires, en encourageant le dialogue entre acteurs, en développant et partageant des outils et méthodes opérationnels inspirés des réalités, des traditions et des contextes de chaque pays ouest africain, qui permettent de renforcer les compétences et les capacités des habitants et de co-planifier les quartiers précaires de manière plus justes, pour améliorer concrètement l’habitat à différentes échelles. Point de situation de l’équipe technique urbaSEN chez un bénéficiaire au Sénégal, Bénédicte Hinschberger 2022 Parmi ces outils on peut citer les outils de collecte de données socio-économique et de vulnérabilités face au changement climatique et de cartographie par drone mis en œuvre par les habitants dans le cadre de la démarche “Know Your City” développée par le réseau Slum Dwellers International (SDI). Ils comprennent aussi les outils de financement solidaire par et pour les habitants développés sur le principe de la tontine, système d’épargne communautaire répandu dans la majorité des pays du continent africain, et dont certains sont suffisamment solides aujourd’hui pour soutenir la rénovation de l’habitat et la production de logements abordables. Enfin, les outils de gestion et d’organisation de groupements communautaires pour le renforcement global du pouvoir d’agir et les outils de formation pour la valorisation et la promotion des matériaux locaux et durables limitant l’impact environnemental dans la fabrication des villes africaines. Promouvoir le rôle de la communauté en tant qu’expert local des données et renforcer son influence dans la prise de décision publique L’approche portée par la confédération est basée sur la reconnaissance de l’habitant en tant qu’expert d’usage au cœur de la fabrique de la ville doté d’un pouvoir décisionnel. En tant qu’acteur clé de l’amélioration du cadre de vie, il doit être entendu et reconnu comme un maillon fondamental de la chaîne de décision dans la planification de la ville. L’habitant est une source de connaissances qu’il faut valoriser à l’aide d’un travail précis de collecte et de diffusion de données, alimentant le plaidoyer auprès des autorités locales et institutionnelles. Formation aux activités génératrices de revenus, Burkina Faso, Yaam Solidarity Media Team 2023 La collecte de données est un des plus gros défis des acteurs de l’urbanisation en Afrique de l’Ouest. En effet, il est primordial de collecter des données fines à l’échelle locale et de façon régulière qui reflètent la réalité du quotidien de l’ensemble de la population pour une planification de projets de qualité répondant aux réels besoins des populations. Or, en Afrique de l’Ouest, les acteurs institutionnels (instituts de statistiques, banques nationales, organisations internationales) constituent l’essentiel des collecteurs, détenteurs et diffuseurs de données sur l’accès au logement et aux services de base. Cependant, les données dont disposent ces acteurs restent le plus souvent analysées à une échelle trop institutionnelle pour saisir les subtilités locales et sont collectées à une faible fréquence, ce qui les rend rapidement obsolètes face aux contextes en évolution constante et rapide. L’enjeu est donc d’accompagner la confédération à s’inscrire comme un acteur de référence en matière de collecte de données locales et contextuelles représentatives des populations des quartiers précaires. Par cette collecte encadrée et structurée, les habitants renforcent leur pouvoir d’agir et peuvent défendre leurs droits dans les instances publiques décisionnaires. Les initiatives de renforcement des capacités de la confédération renforcent le développement urbain durable et autonomisent les habitants de toute l’Afrique de l’Ouest Les fédérations d’habitants membres de la confédération sont chacune à un stade de renforcement de capacités différents. Le projet “Habiter et Mieux vivre dans les non lotis à Boassa”, financé par l’Agence Française de Développement et la Fondation Abbé Pierre, porté par CRAterre, urbaMonde et Yaam Solidarité, a permis, à travers une dynamique intégrée multipays, de commencer le travail d’accompagnement des fédérations au Burkina Faso, au Sénégal et en Guinée Bissau. Ce noyau dur porté par urbaSEN, Yaam Solidarité et le Grdr, a fait émerger une dynamique plus large qui donne naissance aujourd’hui aux prémices de la confédération. Cet accompagnement a permis, au travers de plusieurs activités de formation et de sensibilisation, de conscientiser les acteurs locaux à la production d’architectures raisonnées, ayant des impacts positifs sur le confort dans l’habitat, la création d’emplois locaux et la réduction du réchauffement climatique au sens large dans les 3 pays. Il a aussi permis de renforcer 2 fonds de rénovation urbaine, aussi appelé fonds rotatif et d’en créer 1 nouveau, à travers une dotation pour appuyer le financement de l’amélioration de l’habitat et du cadre de vie par et pour les habitants. Guinea-Bissau savings group meeting, Grdr 2024 Des formations sur la cartographie par drone et la production de cartes thématiques ont aussi été réalisées. Il s’agit de faire exister ces quartiers, dont les contours sont souvent oubliés/inexistants sur les cartes dont disposent les pouvoirs publics. Et enfin, des activités de sensibilisation et communication animées par les fédérations habitantes pour la structuration des groupements membres des fédérations, la gestion de l’épargne communautaire et le renforcement du pouvoir d’agir et du plaidoyer auprès des autorités locales. L’ensemble de ces échanges pair à pair dans toute l’Afrique de l’Ouest, permettent la mise en œuvre de formations pour un renforcement des compétences horizontales-africaines par et pour les organisations de la société civile et les organisations communautaires de bases. Pour aller plus loin, plusieurs partenariats sont actuellement en cours de signature, appuyés par le Center For Affordable Housing Finance (CAHF) et Slum Dwellers International (SDI), en partenariat avec urbaMonde et urbaSEN, vainqueur du prix mondial de l’habitat décerné par ONU Habitat en 2023. Cette convention doit permettre d’appuyer sur plusieurs années le développement des outils et méthodes cités précédemment. Donner du pouvoir aux fédérations de résidents dans la planification urbaine offre une solution innovante aux défis du logement et du climat L’approche portée par ces organisations démontre sa pertinence et sa valeur ajoutée depuis plusieurs années. Les défis pour le droit au logement et au cadre de vie sont grandissants et le changement climatique accentue les besoins des populations, en particulier en matière d’adaptation. C’est pourquoi, il est crucial d’encourager le dialogue entre toutes les parties prenantes afin de trouver des solutions qui favorisent une action co-portée, co-financée, et co-résiliente. La considération de la confédération comme un acteur sérieux, pertinent et à grand potentiel est une nécessité pour aborder ces défis de façon innovantes. Les fédérations représentent une opportunité de combler les lacunes existantes dans la chaîne décisionnaire de la planification urbaine. La réelle redistribution d’une partie du pouvoir dans la fabrique de la ville à ceux qui la vivent est une solution innovante et pertinente face à ce contexte d’urgence climatique. Réunion Groupement d_épargne Sénégal FSH 2022 Crédit Equipe média urbaSEN Previous Next

Lomé, the capital and largest city of Togo, is uniquely positioned as the only capital city in the world that borders another nation—Ghana. Situated on the Gulf of Guinea, Lomé serves as the economic and administrative hub of Togo, with its bustling port playing a critical role in the country's economy. The city is known for its vibrant markets, especially the Grand Marché, a colorful epicenter of Togolese commerce and culture. Lomé also features a mix of colonial architecture and modern buildings, reflecting its history and development. The city's coastline is lined with palm-fringed beaches, making it a picturesque location for both residents and visitors. Lomé-Togo Lomé, the capital and largest city of Togo, is uniquely positioned as the only capital city in the world that borders another nation—Ghana. Situated on the Gulf of Guinea, Lomé serves as the economic and administrative hub of Togo, with its bustling port playing a critical role in the country's economy. The city is known for its vibrant markets, especially the Grand Marché, a colorful epicenter of Togolese commerce and culture. Lomé also features a mix of colonial architecture and modern buildings, reflecting its history and development. The city's coastline is lined with palm-fringed beaches, making it a picturesque location for both residents and visitors.

< Back Le Burkina Faso, une référence en matière d'architecture africaine authentique Yoel Kime Mukena Mukalay L'architecture africaine reflète la diversité culturelle du continent, mêlant traditions locales et influences externes. Des styles vernaculaires uniques, comme l'architecture soudano-sahélienne au Burkina Faso, utilisent des matériaux locaux et intègrent des aspects communautaires et fonctionnels. Cependant, l'influence eurocentrique, héritée du colonialisme et accentuée par la mondialisation, menace cette identité architecturale. Les architectes africains cherchent à concilier modernité et tradition, à l'image de Diebedo Francis Kere, en incorporant des éléments locaux et durables dans leurs conceptions. Le Burkina Faso se distingue en préservant son héritage architectural, reconnu internationalement par l'UNESCO. Cet exemple inspire une approche continentale visant à préserver l'identité architecturale africaine tout en s'adaptant aux défis de la mondialisation. L'architecture joue un rôle crucial dans l'expression et la préservation de l'identité culturelle. Elle constitue une manifestation visuelle des valeurs, des traditions, de l'histoire et du mode de vie d'une communauté. Le design, les matériaux et l'esthétique utilisés en architecture reflètent souvent les contextes culturels, sociaux et environnementaux dans lesquels elle est créée. Dans le contexte de l'Afrique, comme d'autres aspects de la culture africaine, l'architecture africaine est exceptionnellement diversifiée. Tout au long de l'histoire de l'Afrique, les populations locales ont développé leurs propres traditions architecturales locales. Dans certains cas, des styles régionaux plus larges peuvent être identifiés, comme l'architecture soudano-sahélienne de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. Un thème commun dans l'architecture traditionnelle africaine est l'utilisation de l'échelle fractale : les petites parties de la structure ont tendance à ressembler aux parties plus grandes, comme un village circulaire composé de maisons circulaires. Selon les preuves disponibles, l'architecture africaine dans certaines régions a été influencée par des cultures externes depuis des siècles. L'architecture occidentale a influencé les zones côtières depuis la fin du XVe siècle et est maintenant une source d'inspiration importante pour de nombreux grands bâtiments, notamment dans les grandes villes. L'urbanisation dans les pays africains de l'ère post-coloniale a vu les styles architecturaux eurocentriques dominer. Quelques pays, dont le Burkina Faso, préservent et intègrent les méthodes de conception pré-coloniales aux côtés des pratiques modernes, en faisant un modèle d'architecture africaine authentique. Caractéristiques générales L'architecture africaine est façonnée par l'interaction d'éléments environnementaux tels que les ressources naturelles, le climat, la végétation, ainsi que par les caractéristiques économiques et démographiques régionales. Certains édifices anciens ont survécu au fil des âges grâce à la durabilité exceptionnelle de la pierre, qui a préservé d'autres matériaux de la destruction par la pluie, la détérioration ou les termites. Dans les villages précoces des Sotho et des Tswana en Afrique du Sud et au Botswana, ainsi que dans les cercles de fosses au Zimbabwe avec des kraals de vaches naines enterrés, les kraals en pierre ont été l'objet d'études archéologiques. Les abris avec des rebords en pierre et des chaumières sphériques à toit de chaume étaient courants parmi les Sotho du Sud au XXe siècle. Les Tigres d'Érythrée et du Soudan ont construit des fermes en pierre à deux étages rectangulaires et circulaires, bien que certaines populations touaregs du Niger préfèrent les maisons en pierre carrées. La majorité des civilisations rurales africaines construisent leurs habitations à partir de matériaux localement disponibles tels que l'herbe, le bois, l'argile, le bambou et le palmier raphia. Les tentes en peau d'animal sont utilisées dans les modes de vie nomades. Dans les plaines, les toits de chaume sont typiques, tandis que le bambou et le bois dur sont utilisés dans les régions boisées. Des éléments de construction importants sont également la terre et l'argile. Les différents types de sols donnent lieu à des conceptions d'habitation uniques, comme les maisons abritées des Iraqw en Tanzanie et les maisons partiellement submergées du Mali et du Burkina Faso. L'impact des influences politiques externes L'Afrique a subi l'imposition d'influences coloniales tout au long de son histoire, qui ont affecté son environnement architectural. Les influences islamiques et chrétiennes sont particulièrement visibles dans les parties nord du continent. En conséquence, des régions du nord jusqu'à la côte est abritent des mosquées impressionnantes et des œuvres d'art élaborées. Cela est particulièrement évident dans l'architecture marocaine, qui a été fortement influencée par les conceptions architecturales islamiques. Le paysage architectural de la région subsaharienne est caractérisé par un grand nombre de petites colonies aux conceptions de logements variées. On y trouve des éléments de design baroque, arabe, turc et indien. Les colons portugais ont eu un grand impact, notamment en Éthiopie, où les influences portugaises sont clairement visibles dans les styles architecturaux du pays. Après l'indépendance de l'Afrique, l'architecture coloniale a connu une montée, entraînant une duplication généralisée d'un seul style à travers le continent. Mais lorsque la mondialisation a pris le relais, l'attention s'est portée sur le style architectural cosmopolite largement utilisé, qui s'est répandu dans le monde entier. La Pyramide in Abidjan Ivory Coast by Rinaldo Olivieri from 1973.Credit Katre L'influence de la modernité sur le paysage architectural de l'Afrique L'Afrique est une région où les conceptions architecturales récurrentes sont le résultat de la mondialisation. Après l'introduction de l'architecture moderne dans les années 1920 et 1930, les conceptions contemporaines et traditionnelles ont coexisté. Les bâtiments en verre avec des influences occidentales ont été le fruit du développement post-colonial. Des changements significatifs ont été apportés au tissu urbain et à l'urbanisme. Les techniques architecturales ont été influencées par l'accessibilité des matériaux. La mode régionale a été modifiée par les nouvelles technologies, et l'époque post-coloniale a entraîné des changements dans la vie et les cultures des populations. Ces changements ont un impact sur l'architecture privée et publique. Les villes africaines connaissent actuellement une expansion rapide, avec une nette préférence pour les conceptions architecturales occidentales contemporaines. Néanmoins, de nombreux architectes s'efforcent avec assiduité de préserver l'architecture indigène historique du continent, tant dans leur propre pays qu'à l'extérieur. Notamment, des personnalités du Niger et du Burkina Faso, telles que Mariam Kamara et Francis Kéré, entre autres, se sont distinguées en travaillant sans relâche pour préserver et innover les styles architecturaux africains. Leurs efforts servent d'exemple d'un engagement envers la sauvegarde et la revitalisation de l'héritage architectural du continent. The Kenyatta International Conference Center in Nairobi Kenya by Karl Henrik Nostvik from 1967-73.Credit...Iwan Baan Développement de l'architecture vernaculaire en Afrique, contexte du Burkina Faso Le Burkina Faso est l'un des rares pays africains à avoir maintenu son approche de conception traditionnelle tout en s'adaptant au monde moderne, alors que le changement continental en Afrique s'est généralement transformé en une modernisation profonde, négligeant les riches techniques historiques et le savoir-faire en matière de construction et de conception qui ont été accumulés au fil des siècles. Le Burkina Faso, un pays d'Afrique de l'Ouest, possède une riche histoire architecturale qui illustre les nombreuses influences culturelles et historiques qui ont façonné la nation. Le riche héritage des techniques de construction utilisées au Burkina Faso a évolué au fil du temps en raison des diverses cultures qui ont habité la région. Il est principalement lié aux arrangements domestiques et est lié à l'idée de la famille élargie, qui est la pierre angulaire de la structure sociale. Par conséquent, les changements sociaux et économiques qui ont lieu dans ces régions ont eu un impact profond sur l'architecture. Au Burkina Faso, chaque culture a développé ses propres modèles de logement particuliers qui représentent leurs modes de vie distinctifs et leur lien avec la terre. Ainsi, dans ce contexte, l'environnement construit sert d'exemple de l'importance culturelle et pittoresque des traditions folkloriques régionales. Le style architectural soudano-sahélien, qui est prédominant au Burkina Faso, se distingue par l'utilisation de briques de terre crue, de toits de chaume et d'éléments ornementaux tels que des écrans et des sculptures en bois. Ce design est populaire dans la région du Sahel et est influencé par les méthodes de construction traditionnelles des peuples autochtones. Un exemple notable de l'architecture soudano-sahélienne peut être trouvé à la Grande Mosquée de Bobo-Dioulasso, située dans la deuxième plus grande ville du Burkina Faso. Elle illustre la tradition architecturale régionale avec sa construction élaborée en terre crue, ses motifs ornés et son minaret imposant. Actuellement, ces zones rurales du Burkina Faso, qui abritent plus de 70 % de la population du pays, conservent encore partiellement ce patrimoine vivant. Les communautés peuvent prendre en charge leurs besoins en logement par leurs propres moyens lorsque les méthodes de construction traditionnelles sont préservées. Les habitants construisent leurs propres maisons à partir de matériaux facilement accessibles, obtenant parfois de l'aide auprès de constructeurs locaux. Le logement populaire doit également faire face à la nécessité de s'adapter aux transitions sociales, économiques, culturelles et environnementales actuelles qui ont un impact différent sur les zones rurales à travers le monde. Grâce notamment au travail de l'architecte renommé Diebedo Francis Kere, qui a remporté une reconnaissance internationale, l'architecture moderne du Burkina Faso a reçu une attention particulière. En intégrant des technologies durables et des matériaux locaux dans ses conceptions, Kere allie régulièrement sagesse conventionnelle et concepts innovants. The Gando Primary School the Kéré Foundation’s inaugural project in 1998 Photographer Erik-Jan Ouwerkerk L'empiètement du style eurocentrique dans l'architecture moderne africaine : un inventaire L'envahissement du style architectural moderne en général, et du style eurocentrique en particulier, a laissé une marque sur l'architecture moderne africaine, soulevant des questions sur l'identité culturelle et l'histoire. L'environnement architectural des villes africaines a été impacté par l'architecture eurocentrique, qui est basée sur des idées de conception occidentales et s'éloigne de ses racines indigènes. Le colonialisme, qui impliquait les pays européens introduisant leurs styles architecturaux sur le continent, a préparé le terrain pour cette invasion. L'adoption de modèles occidentaux a été accélérée par les problèmes post-coloniaux et la mondialisation, ce qui les rend également plus accessibles et désirables pour les pays africains. Les initiatives de haut niveau soutenues par des investisseurs étrangers ont souvent des conceptions eurocentriques prédéfinies, endommageant involontairement l'identité africaine. L'éducation et la formation des architectes africains n'ont pas été épargnées par l'influence eurocentrique. La préservation et l'assimilation des concepts de conception indigènes sont souvent négligées au profit des enseignements occidentaux dans de nombreuses écoles et programmes d'architecture. Cependant, certains architectes adoptent un style plus mixte face à cette influence. Ils cherchent à combiner des éléments architecturaux occidentaux et africains dans une synthèse spéciale alliant modernité et héritage culturel. La menace pesant sur l'identité africaine et le patrimoine culturel est sérieuse en raison de l'invasion du développement architectural mondial et du style eurocentrique. Les styles architecturaux occidentaux dominent les horizons et les espaces publics, séparant l'environnement bâti des communautés qu'il dessert. Cela met en danger le sentiment d'appartenance et d'ancrage, des éléments cruciaux de la préservation culturelle. L'afflux de la conception eurocentrique dans l'architecture africaine contemporaine est un sujet complexe qui mérite une analyse minutieuse. Il doit y avoir un équilibre qui respecte l'héritage architectural unique de l'Afrique, même si certaines personnes accueillent favorablement la promesse de la mondialisation. Les architectes et les décideurs peuvent veiller à ce que les villes africaines restent enracinées dans leurs propres identités culturelles tout en embrassant le potentiel du monde moderne en prônant une approche plus inclusive qui intègre les idées de conception indigènes. Ce n'est qu'en prenant de telles mesures que l'architecture africaine pourra vraiment s'épanouir et préserver son identité unique face aux influences extérieures. Le Burkina Faso, gardien de l'authentique architecture africaine Le Burkina Faso, fier d'être le gardien de la véritable architecture africaine et de préserver son riche héritage culturel à travers son environnement bâti, est niché au cœur de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. Le Burkina Faso est une destination attrayante pour les amateurs de design africain traditionnel car, contrairement à certaines autres régions du continent, il a résisté à l'invasion des styles architecturaux eurocentriques. La diversité ethnique du Burkina Faso se reflète dans l'architecture du pays, chaque groupe ajoutant des caractéristiques distinctives à la création de maisons, de structures gouvernementales et de lieux sacrés. L'utilisation inventive de matériaux localement disponibles, comme la terre, l'argile, le chaume et le bois, est ce qui distingue l'architecture traditionnelle et permet aux bâtiments de s'intégrer parfaitement dans l'environnement environnant. Le style architectural soudano-sahélien, qui est le plus répandu dans la région du Sahel, est l'un des exemples les plus impressionnants de l'architecture traditionnelle burkinabée. Les mosquées en argile uniques de ce design ont des tours coniques et des accents de menuiserie, exhibant le superbe savoir-faire des artisans régionaux. La conception des maisons burkinabées a également une importance culturelle significative. Les murs entourent les enceintes familiales, créant un fort sentiment de solidarité et de sécurité. Ces établissements ont souvent des bâtiments en briques de terre reliés qui favorisent la vie communautaire tout en préservant l'intimité personnelle. Wood from eucalyptus — a tree that provides minimal shade in nature — lines the Burkina Institute of TechnologyPhotographer Jaime Herraiz Au Burkina Faso, l'architecture moderne est également imprégnée d'un sens de tradition. Des concepts de design traditionnels ont été tentés d'être incorporés malgré l'urbanisation et l'introduction d'éléments contemporains du développement. Les urbanistes et les architectes trouvent des méthodes créatives pour combiner les commodités contemporaines avec l'attrait esthétique de l'architecture traditionnelle africaine. Les communautés locales et le gouvernement prennent des mesures actives pour préserver leur histoire architecturale. Des célébrations régulières des méthodes et des conceptions de construction traditionnelles sont organisées, préservant l'héritage culturel pour les générations futures. De plus, le Burkina Faso est respecté internationalement pour son engagement envers une architecture africaine authentique. La contribution distinctive que le Burkina Faso a apportée à l'histoire architecturale de l'humanité a été élevée par des efforts pour inclure certains monuments architecturaux sur la liste du patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO. Enfin, le Burkina Faso sert de brillant exemple d'un pays dévoué à la préservation de son architecture africaine originale. Le pays renforce son sentiment de fierté en acceptant et en soutenant les méthodes de construction traditionnelles, ce qui contribue à préserver son identité culturelle. Le Burkina Faso invite le monde à observer et à respecter la beauté et l'inventivité de son riche patrimoine bâti en tant que gardien de ces chefs-d'œuvre architecturaux. A eucalyptus barrier provides shade for students at the Lycée Schorge Secondary School in Koudougou Burkina Faso. Photographer Francis Kéré Le Burkina Faso est respecté à l'échelle internationale pour son dévouement à une architecture africaine authentique. La contribution distinctive du Burkina Faso à l'histoire architecturale de l'humanité a été reconnue grâce aux efforts visant à inclure certains monuments architecturaux sélectionnés sur la Liste du patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO. Enfin, le Burkina Faso sert d'exemple brillant d'un pays dévoué à la préservation de son architecture africaine originale. La nation renforce son sentiment de fierté en acceptant et en soutenant les méthodes de construction traditionnelles, ce qui contribue à préserver son identité culturelle. Le Burkina Faso invite le monde à observer et à respecter la beauté et l'ingéniosité de son riche patrimoine architectural en tant que gardien de ces chefs-d'œuvre architecturaux. Dans cet effort de préservation, des architectes comme Diebedo Francis Kere ont joué un rôle crucial, fusionnant la sagesse conventionnelle avec des concepts innovants pour produire des structures qui sont non seulement pratiques mais également solidement ancrées dans leur contexte culturel. Heat escapes from the building through wind towers jutting through the perforated white plaster ceiling and metal roof. Photographer Iwan Baan L'inspiration pour maintenir l'identité culturelle pendant la mondialisation peut être trouvée dans des nations comme le Burkina Faso. La préservation du patrimoine culturel pour les générations futures est assurée en respectant l'histoire architecturale. L'engagement du Burkina Faso envers une architecture africaine authentique souligne la valeur de reconnaître les différentes expressions culturelles, ce qui enrichit notre monde. La préoccupation cruciale pour les architectes passionnés par l'Afrique et son architecture est de savoir comment mettre en œuvre le modèle du Burkina Faso à l'échelle du continent pour préserver la forte identité architecturale africaine tout en embrassant un avenir prometteur. Previous Next

Dr. Abdou Azis discute de la nécessité d'actualiser l'urbanisation et de renforcer l'autonomie économique des communes pour le développement local, en mettant l'accent sur l'intercommunalité. < Back Décentralisation et gouvernance locle au centre du développement de la ville de Bakel Dr. Abdou Azis Dr. Abdou Azis, directeur de l'agence régionale de développement de Tambacounda et ancien maire de Bakel, aborde les défis d'urbanisation et de développement économique. Bakel, limitée par sa géographie, doit actualiser son plan d'urbanisation pour étendre son périmètre communal, confrontée à la rigidité des structures administratives et à l'insuffisance des ressources budgétaires. La solution envisagée inclut l'intercommunalité, favorisant une gestion partagée des espaces et des ressources. Ce processus est soutenu par des réformes législatives récentes, visant à renforcer l'autonomie financière et administrative des communes, cruciale pour le développement économique local et la valorisation des entreprises locales, en particulier celles dirigées par les jeunes et les femmes.

< Back Rural lessons for the city of the future an architect’s perspective Jurriaan van Stigt and Tea Kufrin The UN estimates that the urban population of sub-Saharan Africa will rise from 40% to 60% by 2050, posing challenges to urban quality of life. However, these analyses often overlook the rural context, underestimating opportunities for the remaining 40% of the population and disregarding the characteristics of rural communities in planning and designing urban expansion. Combining the rural and urban can create more liveable modern cities and attractive rural communities for future generations. In Mali, a school building called the Practical Training College for technicians and engineers was designed in Sangha, Mali, to create a lively living center for regional economic activities and a dynamic hub for youth. The design involved local stakeholders and incorporated themes such as desert ecology, nutrition, water use, irrigation, farming innovation, beekeeping, and solar energy. In Mauritius, LEVS proposed an urban plan and architectural design for the first 250 houses to be realized as part of the 'New Sélibaby'. The UN estimates that the urban population of sub-Saharan Africa will rise from the current 40% to 60% of its total population by 2050. Accordingly, there is considerable attention for the challenges this poses to urban quality of life, especially in West Africa, where the fastest growth is expected. Yet, these analyses often overlook the rural context in two important ways. Firstly, by underestimating the opportunities for the remaining 40% of the population that is expected to stay there. Secondly, by disregarding the characteristics of rural communities, their organization, and architecture, in planning and designing urban expansion. It is a missed opportunity: combining the rural and the urban can bring out the best of both worlds and create not only more liveable modern cities but also rural communities that are attractive for future generations. “Losses on both sides…” The intensity of urbanization in many West-African cities and the emptying out of rural communities has losses on both sides. On the one hand, there is the fast-paced overgrowth of anonymous residential areas on the outskirts of large cities, like Bamako, which results in underdeveloped informal settlements, lacking infrastructure, public services, and jobs. On the other hand, there are the rural towns and villages that see an entire generation leave, family-ties break and regional economic decline accelerates. The potential benefits of city life and the opportunities of rural life disappear. This requires investments in infrastructure and education in both cities and rural areas. From the perspective of an architecture office that has worked in Mali and its neighboring countries for over 25 years, we have drawn several lessons on how to make these investments fruitful. Practical Training College Sangha, construction of the second cluster, 2018, Photo by LEVS architecten “The 40%: Sangha, Mali…” In 2013, the Malian NGO Association Dogon Initiatives (ADI) and its Dutch counterpart Partners Pays-Dogon (PPD) commissioned LEVS for a school building in the small town of Sangha, in central Mali: a Practical Training College for technicians and engineers. Rather than a stand-alone building, the goal was to create a lively living center for the transformation of regional economic activities and a dynamic hub for youth. The college will facilitate the training of up to 900 students. A key element of the plan was the involvement of local stakeholders. They pointed out that themes such as desert ecology, nutrition, the use of water, irrigation, farming innovation, beekeeping, and solar energy all are at the forefront of many of the challenges faced by residents of Sangha and beyond. And by creating concrete opportunities for students in the region, they will not immediately head off for the capital, Bamako. The layout of Sangha follows natural elements in the landscape: houses are built on top of the rocky hills that come together like interlocking fingertips. The land in between is freed for agriculture. Our design for the practical college combines the fingertip-layout of the wider Sangha area with the benefits of fertile soils that are needed for various educational programs. By creating several small clusters of buildings within a walled plot of six hectares, the college terrain effectively becomes a new neighborhood at the edge of town. Sélibaby social housing, community involvement in construction, 2019, Photo by LEVS architecten The small clusters contain fifteen classrooms, four hangar-workshops, ten teacher-residences, and technical service buildings. Each cluster takes its inspiration from the traditional organisation of the Dogon family house. The house of the main family, those of the extended family, and the family granaries surround a central court and are connected by stone walls. In our design, these clusters in turn are surrounded by gardens with Moringa trees and green plateaus that level-out height differences in the terrain. Paths lead along the buildings, past the gardens and the water wells that are located on the periphery of the plot. By considering the conditions of the local build environment in this way, the design manages to innovate within the bounds of a UNESCO world heritage site. Currently, even the construction of several of the school buildings itself was executed by a first cohort of graduating students. All to secure regional attention for studying and working in Sangha. Strategy for a new model city, 2020, Illustration by LEVS architecten “The 60%: Sélibaby, Mauritania…” One of the main problems with urban expansion is that developers are often solely focussed on building houses, and nothing but houses. What can they learn from rural communities? Some years ago, LEVS was commissioned by the Mauritanian Ministry of Habitat to propose an urban plan and architectural design for the first 250 houses to be realized as part of the ‘New Sélibaby’. Based on our experience in rural Mali, we wondered: how can we integrate local traditions in a contemporary design instead of following only the standard technocratic design requirements? To that end, we tried to shift the attention from the often-imposed grid system. By inserting public and semi public spaces of different sizes and privacy levels, we aim to inspire people to form a livable community. This is achieved primarily through planning of public functions such as squares, parks, markets, mosques or schools. The typical wide and space-consuming streets are replaced by more traditional and shaded narrow streets and collective green gardens. Broken viewpoints create a sense of human scale, inviting the inhabitants to activate the public spaces. The plots are grouped into housing blocks, each of which will have a shared vegetable garden. The standalone kitchens alongside the street and low property walls invite social interaction. Grey water purification systems from bathrooms will provide enough water for the gardens at no extra cost. Ecological toilets are built and the next step is to introduce a completely off-grid system with solar panels and an independent water source. The sustainable houses are made of hydraulically compressed earth blocks which are produced on site of locally sourced clay. This natural material is suitable for making comfortable interiors in hot climates. The houses are built by local people, who have been trained beforehand. Students from the local technical school, women from the village, employers from a local contractor, soldiers from the government: together they work on the future of New Sélibaby. In a recent project proposal for social housing near Dakar, we took the ideas from Sélibaby a step further. Here, different housing typologies for different users, each with an incremental approach, offer the opportunity for house extensions as families grow. It allows, for example, multi-storey housing blocks. Additionally, we minimized the sizes of plots, and compensated the apparent loss of square meters with shared gardens and parking spaces. “A symbiosis of cities, towns and villages…” What is lost in this process of rapid urbanization is a sense of local community and economy, in cities, towns and villages alike. As architects and planners we see opportunities in all these places to build environments that need not cost more, yet are productive of the kind of quality of life that people seek. In the city, this means creating an urban fabric that takes its organizational principles from local culture and respects living traditions as well as climate challenges: go beyond the rational plot, create shared public spaces and introduce off-grid energy systems and sites of food production so that a neighbourhood can become a self sustaining living environment, not just an externalized temporary residence. At the same time, one should give rural areas the credit they deserve as main sources of food security and as spaces that diminish the pressure on the ecosystem often created by urban expansion and lifestyle. Helping villages to thrive by creating more opportunities for their inhabitants will unburden urban migration. This process is most successful when developed and designed hand-in-hand with the end users, who understand what needs a specific region has, ensuring the viability of the built environment. One final important development not otherwise discussed here, is the availability of internet and digital communication in rural areas. The corona pandemic taught us that even though travel was restricted, we were able to continue most of our work. This means that in the near future, younger generations seeking new economic opportunities, need not necessarily leave for the city, when communication is online. In a healthy symbiosis, urbanization should benefit the rural population, as much as rural development should support the functioning of cities. We believe it is possible. Housing in Dakar, axonometric view of a neighbourhood segment, 2020, Photo by LEVS architecten Previous Next

< Back Innovative partnerships for inclusive mobility Judith Owigar & Debashish Battacherjee UN-Habitat is pioneering innovative partnerships with local start-ups to tackle urban mobility challenges, focusing on developing and implementing electric mobility solutions. By leveraging the agility and local insight of these start-ups, UN-Habitat aims to catalyze the e-mobility ecosystem across Africa, exemplified by its collaboration with Ampersand Rwanda in Kigali to develop electric motorcycles and train women as moto-taxi drivers, enhancing income and gender inclusivity. These initiatives underscore the importance of adopting locally relevant solutions and fostering collaborative efforts between global organizations, local start-ups, and governments. They highlight the transformative potential of electric mobility in improving urban transport, creating green jobs, and advancing gender equality in the workforce. Moreover, the role of universities and research institutions in innovating urban mobility solutions is emphasized, as seen in the University of Nairobi's Mobility Accelerator. These efforts contribute significantly to achieving SDGs 11 and 17, showcasing the critical role of innovative partnerships in sustainable urban development. As UN-Habitat seeks to adopt locally relevant approaches to tackle urban challenges, it has developed innovative and strategic partnerships with local start-ups that are agile and can quickly respond to rapidly changing urban environments with an understanding of the local context and an appreciation of sustainable mobility principles. To this end, UN-Habitat is supporting start-ups in several cities across the world to develop and implement electric mobility solutions that are catalysing developments across the E-mobility ecosystem in Africa. In Kigali, for example, UN-Habitat is working with Ampersand Rwanda that is developing electric motorcycles. In addition to this, in collaboration with other project partners, Ampersand is training young women to drive electric motorcycle taxis as an income-generating activity. UN-Habitat has seen the value of seeking innovation outside of its boundaries by engaging with start-ups and stakeholders who would not ordinarily partner with such a large organization. By combining UN-Habitat’s experience working on sustainable mobility, it’s extensive working relationship with local governments and its global partners, start-ups are provided with an institutional framework to work with local government to bring their innovative solutions to address local urban mobility challenges. These innovative partnerships enable UN-Habitat to achieve SDG 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable, and SDG 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development. Innovative solutions to address mobility challenges are quickly emerging in Africa. The application of data sciences has helped to map mobility patterns, leap-frogging the time-taking travel demand and origin-destination studies that were conventionally used in the transportation sector. The results have been used to develop plans for modern Bus Rapid Transit Systems in cities such as Nairobi and Kampala and have the potential to bring together large numbers of informal transport operators to consider strategies for consolidating and modernizing their operations. Furthermore, Africa can harness the abundant potential of its increasingly cost-competitive renewable energy, pointing to the increasing relevance of electric mobility solutions. Already, power generation and transmission companies in Kenya such as KenGen and Kenya Power are rolling out EV charging stations for example. The need for innovations to address urban mobility challenges highlights the important role that universities and research institutions can play in improving urban mobility. The University of Nairobi, with assistance from UN-Habitat and the GIZ Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative, developed a Mobility Accelerator, a hub for transport and mobility innovations, and positioned itself as a facilitator for the development of new concepts of electric, connected, and shared mobility. One early result following the establishment of the accelerator, for example, has been the development of a prototype of a commercial electric vehicle by an entrepreneur (Auto-Truck Kenya) who was approached to train technicians to convert conventional Internal Combustion Engine tuk-tuks project to electric vehicles operational in Mombasa, and much later in Dar es Salaam, thus showcasing the uptake of new solutions and creation of job opportunities. A graduate of the Ampersand Electric-motorcycle taxi training program 2022 Ampersand Rwanda Under an EU-supported project (SOLUTIONSPlus), UN-Habitat is supporting start-ups in several cities across the world to develop and implement e-mobility solutions that also create jobs along the E-mobility value chain. In Kigali, for example, electric motorcycles are being developed by a startup called Ampersand Rwanda. Simultaneously, women are also being trained to drive electric motorcycle taxis to support their income-generating activities. In Dar-es-Salaam, prototypes of electric three-wheelers have been developed in collaboration with the Dar Rapid Transit Agency, and when deployed, these vehicles will serve as feeders to the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, easing mobility for people for first and last-mile connectivity. These examples not only illustrate how mobility in cities can be improved but also how a new and green industry of manufacturing and operating electric vehicles can be created. Electrification bears some transformative potential as it creates an environment for new business models or conditions to access vehicles, and brings in new stakeholders such as assemblers, manufacturers, clearing and forwarding companies, electric vehicle waste recyclers, charging infrastructure providers, battery swapping partners, and requires new skills and corresponding job positions at various phases of the supply chain: design; production and assembly phase; charging or swapping; maintenance and repairs; software development. As women are getting increasingly economically active in sub-Saharan African countries – there is a sharp increase in the number of households having a female household head from 30% in 1989 to 60% in 2011 (Priya Uteng, et al., 2021), it is becoming vital to ensure that mobility barriers do not stop progress made in advancing equality and empowerment in the workforce. Using the momentum of transitioning to electric vehicles can offer the opportunity to re-think the place and experience of women in transport. Identifying the challenge of the under-representation of women in the transport sector, SOLUTIONSplus partners in Rwanda decided to integrate a strong gender focus in the deployment of supported electric mobility solutions. UN-Habitat, The Urban Electric Mobility Initiative (UEMI), the City of Kigali together with GIZ Rwanda and Ampersand Rwanda jointly implement an electric mobility project to facilitate the inclusion of women as moto-taxi drivers in Kigali. The project, implemented by Ampersand, developed several components to create enabling conditions for selected women: ad-hoc driving training, financial support to access electric motorcycles at a reduced price, analysis of conditions for previous successful gender-inclusive projects, and research to understand barriers faced by women to provide transport services. Ensuring these enabling conditions led to a driving test success rate of 69%, much higher than previous gender-inclusive projects. 24 electric motorcycles were handed over to the women, who joined the moto-taxi industry. Continuous monitoring of their activities and barriers faced by women will enable scaling up gender-inclusive e-mobility efforts in the long run. The SOLUTIONSplus project in Kigali aimed to train a cohort of women to become moto-taxi drivers and equip them with electric motorcycle taxis. This pilot intends to reach a deeper understanding of enabling factors and barriers for women to become transport workers, to be replicated at a wider scale if successful. This demonstration action supports electric last-mile connectivity while providing a partnership framework for institutional cooperation for the uptake of electric mobility among women working in transport, and the electrification of paratransit public transport in an African context. Promoting electric two-wheelers providing feeder services to the public transport system takes the form of electric motorcycle taxis, an electric bike-share system, and electric kick-scooters. This demonstration project in Kigali is further supported with capacity-building activities, peer-to-peer exchange, and site visits, the development of a Mobility-as-a-Service app, urban design proposals, a master plan for e-bus charging in the city, and policy and financial recommendations to scale. An engineer in the Ampersand Workshop. E-mobility offers multiple job opportunities across the Electric Vehicle Value Chain 2022 Ampersand Rwanda The project in Kigali offered some lessons on providing gender-inclusive e-mobility solutions in the paratransit sector in Africa. Below are some key highlights: project implementers who may take the form of start-ups, government, or NGOs need to take the time to understand the respective contexts, especially with a specific focus on how women perceive and interact with the chosen form of mobility or technology, in order to design locally relevant and sustainable initiatives. 2. When carrying out the program or initiative a key focus should be placed in the selection criteria where all partners are aware that small cohorts are best to understand and respond to the specific needs of the women. The environment where the women are carrying out the program activities needs to offer both physical and psychological safety where there are open channels to report any incidences or matters of concern. A key component of increasing the pipeline of women working in the transport sector will include working with stakeholders in the transport sector to come up with structures that will encourage women to be retained within the sector. The graduates of the gender inclusive e-mobility project 2022Ampersand Rwanda In addition to this, it was recognized that creating a community of women working in the transport sector through an Association or a cooperative would provide a place where women in the sector can come up with their own initiatives to address their challenges and successfully engage with industry stakeholders to improve conditions for women working in the sector and also improve conditions for women travelers in the respective city. The final key highlight of this initiative involves disseminating the lessons learned to encourage peer learning among stakeholders in the mobility sector on the topics of gender inclusion, paratransit electrification, and the adoption of electric mobility. While initiating, consolidating, and extending these innovative partnerships there needs to be a healthy measure of trust, patience, and due diligence among all the parties since such partnerships are mostly new and uncharted for the partners involved. Due to the fact that most such partnerships initially start off as pilots, a number of things need to be agreed prior to commencing the project: the purpose of the project, each party’s expectations clearly expectations, the project duration, the respective roles, the expected outcomes, and dispute resolution mechanisms to maintain a positive working relationship during and after the pilot. Finally, on both sides, there needs to be ample optimism and organizational support since the nature of such partnerships are challenging as they involve very different partners with different ways of operating who are co-developing and co-implementing a common project. For global organizations exploring innovative partnerships with start-ups the following 3 principles can guide these collaborations. An intrapreneurial mindset within the organization that encourages proactiveness, innovation, and a willingness to take a cautious amount of risk to pursue a partnership with a dissimilar entity such as a start-up. A collaborative mindset that is open to modifying the approach without changing the purpose of the project in case feedback from the innovative project calls for it. A local approach with a global mindset so as to customize the innovative approach to the respective local context. The handover of e-bikes at the Ampersand Rwanda Offices 2022 Ampersand Rwanda Previous Next

Dr. Issagha Diaganaexpose les défis du développement urbain en Mauritanie et l'importance de solutions innovantes face aux contraintes de ressources. < Back Défis urbains en Mauritanie : urbanisation rapide et adaptation au changement climatique Issagha Diagana Cet épisode avec le de Dr. Issagha Diagana, de Mauritanie, souligne les défis de développement urbain dans un pays caractérisé par une urbanisation rapide et concentrée dans la capitale. Il aborde la nécessité de solutions innovantes et créatives pour résoudre les problèmes liés à l'habitat, à l'emploi, et à l'accès aux services, en tenant compte des contraintes de ressources et des effets du changement climatique. Enfin il appel à une modernisation progressive des villes et à une approche participative pour surmonter ces défis persistants.

< Back Digitizing Aguda/Afro Brazilian architecture heritage of Porto-Novo Benin through LIDAR scanning & social participation H. Killion Mokwete This study explores the use of LIDAR scanning and community engagement in the digital documentation of Aguda/Afro Brazilian architecture in Benin, as a vital component of the preservation of historically significant structures that face imminent demolition. Researchers from Northeastern University are working together on the project with local research partners from The African Heritage School-EPA in Porto-Novo. A small but significant digital database is developing as a result of several field studies, oral interviews, and digital scanning processes. This digital database is an essential component of a proof of concept pilot project that aims to create region-wide digital documentation and will involve collaborating with students and other local researchers to identify, catalog, and conserve Africa’s local building heritage. This pilot project is envisaged as a test case for potential expansion to other cultural regions with similar heritage buildings such as Togo, Nigeria, Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire where local partnerships are being developed. Digital tools and social participation are key to preserving postcolonial architectural heritage in Benin According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the African continent has some 98 designated World Heritage Sites (cultural) and more than half of these can be found in 35 Sub-Saharan African countries. However, many of these sites in Africa (a total number of 93, in 2018) are placed on the List of World Heritage in danger due to threats from extractive processes (mineral and oil exploration), armed conflict, acts of terrorism, climate change, poaching, and uncontrolled rural and urban expansions. Grande Mosque, Porto-Novo, Benin, by odysseesdarchitectures Most heritage buildings in Sub-Saharan Africa can be organized in three categories: pre-colonization (traditional), colonial and post-colonial. These eras provide a base socio economic and historical context which marks events and activities that shaped the urban morphology, geo-social landscape of much of the Africa continent and that of the global South. Traditional era of Sub-Saharan African building heritage can be defined as the period during which feudal African tribes and regions self-ruled and built varying vernacular structures dictated by socio economic status and means of production for each cultural region. The Colonial era in Africa can be defined as the period between the first colonization of an Africa Kingdom by the Dutch in the 16th Century when they colonized parts of the cultural regions of the modern day Ghana (Gold Coast). The colonization period saw the partitioning of African cultural regions into territorial boundaries defined by colonizers interests and colonial structures. The introduced colonial building typologies and urban morphology of urban centers included religions such as churches & cathedrals, trading centers, castles etc. The Post-Colonial era can be defined as the period after decolonization and independence of Sub-Saharan African countries. During this period, independence governmental buildings and other structures were built to signify new beginnings and future aspirations. The Great Mosque of Djenne, Part of Africa’s remaining building heritage that is a UNESCO Protected heritage site photo by zibaloo In this essay, we use culturally-significant sites in the West African nation of Benin as a case study to examine the ways in which digital tools, digital archiving platforms and local social participation may be leveraged to preserve cultural heritage building sites in African postcolonial societies. The focus is on the on the architectural heritage (between traditional and colonial) of the Aguda people and investigate the new ways of leveraging technology towards building heritage preservation, education and local empowerment through social participation. The Aguda of the Bight of Benin is a community composed the descendants of the Portuguese traders who settled in the region in the 1700s; the descendants of the Brazilian traders who came soon after; and the descendants of the retornados, i.e., former slaves who settled in this area upon their return from Brazil. The retornados, researchers put their numbers at anywhere from 3,000 to 8,000 were originally from a vast sub-region of western Africa, but upon their return, they settled mainly on the coast between Lagos, Nigeria and Anehó, Togo. Afro-Brazilian architecture in Porto-Novo reflects Aguda influence, yet faces neglect, limited preservation efforts, and climate threats. The Aguda’s influence in Benin’s urban morphology is best found in the City of Porto-Novo, where new typology of building style based on villa & manor designs of Brazil was mixed in with local vernacular to create a style popularly known as the Afro-Brazilian architecture style. This style is exemplified by building on generally two floors, with regular shapes, large verandahs on both sides of buildings with arcades, bays decorated with rich roman-like lintels and usually wooden shutters. The Afro-Brazilians returnees constituted artisans, cabinet makers, bricklayer’s/master builders, tailors, traders, carpenters and other trade skills. In 1897 in Lagos, there were 96 males registered with 6 cabinet makers, 11 bricklayers and builders, builders and master builders, 9 tailors and 21 carpenters, 24 traders and 17 clerks. 23 percent of the Afro-Brazilian populations were carpenters. Carpentry and bricklaying remain the main occupation of some of the Brazilian returnees. Afro- Brazilian houses are in a state of disrepair and suffer from neglect. The necessity for conservation and the salience of cultural heritage is mainly advocated by architects with limited resources towards rehabilitation and preservation. Typical private residence Afro-Brazilian (Sobrados) features two storey dwelling with clay ornate facades, decorated windows, balconies & doors with clay molding, breezeways (open source) Although some steps are being taken to protect heritage sites, Heritage protection in Porto-Novo, with a great successful example of the rehabilitation of the Vodoun sites across Porto-Novo by The Ouadada Cultural Centre) there is still not sufficient resources to undertake a comprehensive rehabilitation of all sites. The lack of resources organizations and advocacy towards building heritage also presents a diminishing role of local community in participating in defining their heritage assets and therefore loss of continuity across generation’s institutional memory. Furthermore, limited legal frameworks such laws towards heritage preservation for pre-development impact assessments make it easy for developers to prefer demolishing without any prior assessments. Benin, like most Sub-Saharan African countries, lacks accessible digitized databases and archive institutions with more African heritage archives being held in foreign institutions such as European, American and Australian universities and museums. The current work being undertaken by the (École du Patrimoine Africain (African Heritage School) lacks scaling opportunities and funding partnerships. Climate change impacts such as higher temperatures, worsening floods, threaten to condemn some African landmarks. There is no comprehensive data on the total number of African heritage spots at risk, but research co-led by Simpson on coastal sites found that 56 locations are already facing flooding and erosion exacerbated by rising sea levels. In Benin, the Aguda architecture buildings due to the material nature are quickly deteriorating due to heavy rains and flooding amongst others. A collaborative digital platform will preserve Benin’s architectural heritage by combining technology, local knowledge, and global partnerships The project’s conceptual framework for this research is centered on what is described by The Framework Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage for Society (Council of Europe 2005) as ‘Heritage Community’ defined as “cultural heritage is a group of resources inherited from the past which people identify, independently of ownership, as a reflection and expression of their constantly evolving values, beliefs, knowledge and traditions. It includes all the aspects of the environment resulting from the interaction between people and places through time” . This new way of looking at heritage lays the foundations for redesigning relations between all the involved stakeholders. The proposed model for this project centers a partnership between researchers (local and international) and local community knowledge custodians through a social participation framework and leveraging technological tools towards documentation and curating of local building heritage physical and non physical cultural memory. By building on this collaborative platform framework, this research will leverage the following technologies and approaches: Modern 3D capture through LiDAR scanning and photogrammetry technology will be used to document the existing condition of heritage buildings and to create digital blueprints, enabling planners to prioritize preservation activities and furthering opportunities for future building renovations and reuse. Through centering community participation and storytelling, this research will activate community members’ role in celebrating unique cultural heritage embedded in their local built environment and defining and curating personalized building heritage narratives. Leica’s BLK360 Tripod LIDAR Scanner, BLK2FLY drone scanner, Infrared Temperature visualization, Onset Data loggers (Temperature & Humidity)Leica’s BLK360 Tripod LIDAR Scanner, BLK2FLY drone scanner, Infrared Temperature visualization, Onset Data loggers (Temperature & Humidity) By creating a locally hosted and searchable database of heritage buildings, this research will start the first-ever platform for an architectural heritage archive serving Benin and other sub-Saharan African countries. Creating three-dimensional digital models will enable community-based education and academic research opportunities focused on vernacular building methods, offering opportunities for virtual experiential connection, with focused outreach to the global African diaspora community seeking to connect and learn about African heritage. This innovative and interactive platform will be made accessible to local university partners (École du Patrimoine Africain (African Heritage School), who in turn will benefit from new opportunities for technical and socio-cultural teaching and research. The proposed platform will be based on a collaborative model, developed in partnership with local communities who are custodians of culturally significant architectural artifacts. Models, historical records, and local narratives about heritage sites can be shared with diverse local community members, leveraging local press, libraries, and municipal archives. There is a critical need for coordination and technical support from Northeastern University, where researchers and students will serve as partners with community-based organizations, bringing innovative tools for creating a multimedia digital archive, technical expertise, and cross-regional coordination to create and maintain the platform and to carry out ongoing research on traditional building practices and the cultural, historical, and technological significance of diverse architectural resources. A digital platform will document and preserve endangered heritage sites in Porto-Novo, Benin, using multimedia tools and local engagement The proposed digital platform will document heritage sites across sub-Saharan Africa using multimedia tools such as computer-aided drawings (CAD), photographic documentation, written narratives, audio storytelling, hand drawings, models, and other media. It will engage local communities by building their capacity to collect, preserve, and assess the social value of their built environment, fostering sustained participation in preservation activities. Additionally, the platform will serve as an educational resource, providing access to archival data on cultural heritage sites for researchers, educators, community planners, and citizens both locally and internationally. A proposal for a pilot project acting as a proof of concept for the broader research will be based in Benin, in the City of Porto-Novo in Benin and will analyze and document the cultural heritage building which is endangered through urbanization, neglect, climate change and other socio economic threats. Collaborating team: Dr. Franck Komlan Ogou, Dr. Jessica Parr,Dr. Patricia Davis, Bahare Sonaie-Movahed Previous Next

Kinshasa is the largest city and capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It lies about 320 miles from the Atlantic Ocean on the south bank of the Congo River. With a population of more than 20 million inhabitants, Kinshasa is one of the largest cities in sub-Saharan Africa. The city's inhabitants are popularly known as Kinois. These few snapshots present the architectural landscape of the city. Kinshasa-DRC Kinshasa is the largest city and capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It lies about 320 miles from the Atlantic Ocean on the south bank of the Congo River. With a population of more than 20 million inhabitants, Kinshasa is one of the largest cities in sub-Saharan Africa. The city's inhabitants are popularly known as Kinois. These few snapshots present the architectural landscape of the city.

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