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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. !

On November 9, 2023, the prestigious K Hotel in Douala was the vibrant scene of the fourth edition of the captivating World Cities Day Talk. < Back World Cities Day Talk edition 4 On November 9, 2023, the prestigious K Hotel in Douala was the vibrant scene of the fourth edition of the captivating World Cities Day Talk. On November 9, 2023, the K Hotel in Douala hosted the fourth edition of the World Cities Day Talk . This annual event, organized by the Africa Innovation Network (AIN) in collaboration with architecture firms NANDHAA, Focus Group and FAH'SI Group , brilliantly explored the theme of urban resilience in Cameroon, attracting nearly 50 participants to an enriching evening at the K'Hotel in Douala. It was also the ritual opportunity to unveil the new issue of the African Cities Magazine by the AIN. This vibrant magazine highlights the multiple facets of African cities, celebrating innovations and best practices in architecture, urban planning, design and urban art (download edition 4 of the magazine at: https://www.africinno.com/africancitiesmagazine?lang=fr ). The evening began with a warm welcome from the organizers, followed by a captivating recap of past editions of the World City Day Talk, providing fascinating historical insight. AIN then opened the discussions by presenting both an interactive Quiz and a video which provided an understanding of the current context of urban resilience in Cameroon, thus laying the foundations for future discussions. The interventions were dynamic and fascinating. Dr. Magloire Olinga brilliantly moderated a discussion on the key actors involved in urban resilience in Cameroon. In his speech, he presented the role and responsibilities of each actor. He insisted on the blocking points to be corrected to allow concerted intervention by each actor. The rest of his speech strongly engaged the audience who did not fail to provide contributions and questions to better understand the subject raised. The following topics brilliantly explored the challenges to achieving this resilience, while Horcel Sokeng shared key perspectives on the action levers essential to this urban resilience, including the subject of concerted urban governance for good coordination and consistency in actions that contribute to the development of cities; and also citizen participation through civic and informed acts to avoid exposing oneself to any risk in order to understand urban resilience. The practical discussions on the acquisition and security of real estate in Cameroon, led by Wisdom International, allowed participants to better understand the regulatory and security process of acquiring real estate in Cameroon; this through the presentation of each step and the key players that each person wishing to settle in a place should consult. Dongmo Justice's dynamic presentation on the importance of research and innovation in building resilient cities highlighted the crucial impact of these elements in urban transformation. An energetic conclusion closed the evening, followed by a photo and networking session, allowing participants to exchange and nourish the ideas shared. The appointment has already been made for next year for a new edition of this annual meeting which promises to be just as exciting. Previous Next

< Back African Cities Lab Summit 2023 Workshop May 23, 2024 Marrakech, Morocco Deployment of digital technologies in African cities: emerging issues and policy recommendations for local governments The African Cities Lab Summit 2023 was co-organized by the African Cities Lab, the Center of Urban Systems at Mohammed 6 Polytechnic University in Morocco, and Sèmè City in Cotonou in May 2023. This initiative aimed to create a truly collective, international, and intergenerational platform, connected and open to the world, where all stakeholders in urban development could reflect on digital and smart cities as new models for African cities. The discussions addressed topics such as data governance, data-driven urban planning, and the impact of datafication on citizens’ quality of life. Within Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Ben-Guerir, AIN conducted a workshop on the challenges of governance in African cities in the digital age. The objective was to explore the implications of the digital transition of African cities and to formulate recommendations for local governments. The discussions highlighted mechanisms to mitigate the negative effects of emerging technologies. Three main challenges were identified: the digital divide, risks related to personal data, and algorithmic biases, thus emphasizing the inequalities and concerns related to citizen protection in this context. The African Cities Lab Summit 2023 provided an innovative platform exploring the crucial role of data in urban development in Africa. By fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors, this summit contributed to defining innovative strategies to harness the potential of data and catalyze positive transformation in African cities. Following this event, a scientific article titled «Digital Revolution in African Cities: Exploring Governance Mechanisms to Mitigate Societal Impacts» was written and published. Read the full paper here Previous Next

< 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 Urban-Rural linkages at the center of urban policy agenda in Africa Grace GITHIRI, Inès Diurtionnel NGOUANOM, Antonio KIPYEGON Urban-rural linkages in Africa are a significant challenge, with rapid urbanization and rural-urban migration putting pressure on urban and peri-urban areas. UN-Habitat and partners implemented the "Leaving no space behind: strengthening urban-rural Linkages (URL) in Africa" project in four countries: Cameroon, Guinea, Nigeria (Niger State), and Tanzania (Zanzibar). The project aimed to enhance the capacities of policymakers and change agents at all levels to collect and use evidence for fostering cross-sectoral, multi-level frameworks, strategies, and action plans for integrated and inclusive territorial development. The project involved the development of context-specific normative toolkits, capacity-building sessions, technical dialogues, and advisory services to stakeholders. The project also provided an overall framework for the review of the National Urban Policy (NUP) for each country and in the data collection process at a local level. The project aimed to strengthen the synergies between urban and rural communities and spaces, promoting integrated territorial development and achieving global goals. Traditional approaches to planning and development viewed urban and rural areas as two separate entities creating a dichotomy between the two. In reality, the boundary between urban and rural areas is diffused, and the two are intertwined and connected in a functioning system of linkages that sustains the interactions between them. While urban growth might bring prosperity to many urban regions, the urban dividend is often not shared across the territory. In some countries, small and intermediary cities, which are a crucial link for integrated territorial development, find it difficult to define their roles in the contemporary economy; hence adversely suffering from uncontrolled growth, poverty, lower incomes, high youth unemployment rates, inward migration from rural areas and outmigration of mainly young and skilled. To address these urban-rural linkages challenges in the African context, UN-Habitat and partners implemented, the project “Leaving no space behind: strengthening urban-rural Linkages (URL) in Africa” in four countries: Cameroon, Guinea, Nigeria (Niger State), and Tanzania (Zanzibar) Funded by the United Nations Development Account this project supported the four countries to enhance their urban-rural linkages and bridge the urban-rural divide by enhancing the capacities of policymakers and change agents at all levels to collect and use evidence for fostering cross-sectoral, multi-level frameworks, strategies, and action plans for integrated and inclusive territorial development. Ensuring the entire project cycle was inclusive and participatory, UN-Habitat employed several delivery methods, including the development of context-specific normative toolkits and guides, national and subnational capacity-building sessions, technical dialogues as well as advisory services to a wide array of stakeholders, including government officials, academia, civil society and women and youth groups. The project implementation involved the creation of awareness along with capacity-building activities on the significance of strengthening URL. Through the awareness-raising activities, the countries were also able to define their priorities or key pressing issues towards functional and inclusive URL at the national and local levels. This was to provide an overall framework for the review of the National Urban Policy (NUP) for each country and in the data collection process at a local level respectively. In Africa, the urban-rural divide is a reality that participating countries must address. To be specific, rapid urbanization, due to rural-urban migration is placing enormous pressure on urban and peri-urban areas, including intermediary cities. Large cities and metropolitan areas are already experiencing urban sprawl and expanding their border to peri-urban areas, surrounding rural areas, and hinterlands. When expanding in such an unplanned manner, cities consume valuable (close by) agricultural land (in some cases) which could in turn affect food security and food systems in general. Similarly, fragile ecosystems are being transformed into urban land uses, impacting ecological resources such as waterways, fisheries, and forests. The 2017 report of the UN Economic Commission on Africa on “Urbanization and Industrialization for Africa’s Transformation” states that Africa's least urbanized countries are urbanizing fastest due to rural-urban migration, a phenomenon which still remains even as countries recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, unlike global trends, the urban-rural disparities in Africa do not seem to narrow with increasing urbanization. Low connectivity and insufficient infrastructure in rural areas widen these inequalities between urban and rural areas and since economic investment is often low, job opportunities remain few. The 2017 report of the UN Economic Commission on Africa states that “management of the rural-urban transition in a way that promotes equity is one of the major challenges facing policymakers in most African countries.” The situation in the project countries is no different, for example in Cameroon, rural-urban migration was defined as the main cause of urban sprawl. The reasons for migration as described above, specifically the search for better opportunities due to urban and rural disparities and inadequate infrastructural development. In Niger State, Nigeria, the inefficiencies of infrastructure, leading to a declining local economy, is one of the main contributors to poverty among rural populations. Connecting food producers to urban markets and enhancing the flows of goods, products, and information would improve the lives of the rural dwellers, and also promote urban food security. In Guinea Conakry, the poor connectivity of physical infrastructure, information transfer, and social connectivity cause a major development gap between rural and urban areas. The case in Zanzibar, Tanzania is no different; the poorest and least developed, low literacy levels and access to health care among other challenges being experienced, in rural areas. Faced with these challenges, the call to strengthen the synergies between urban and rural communities and spaces is pivotal towards integrated territorial development and achieving global goals. The project thus provided for the countries to define their priorities, gather data, review policy, and make recommendations for policy enhancements. UN-Habitat implemented the project using several delivery methods to ensure an inclusive, effective, and participatory approach. These include the development of innovative, contextspecific normative tools and guides, capacity development sessions as well as technical dialogues and advisory services. UN-Habitat coordinated activities at the regional level and offered normative tools for adoption in the country's contexts. The main activities in the field were over ten capacitybuilding workshops, data collection exercises at different locations, policy reviews, and recommendations for enhancing the policy frameworks in the lens of urbanrural linkages. One unique aspect of the project is that it integrated inputs from technical experts and local communities or stakeholders to inform the policy review and recommendation process. Approximately 2500 people were engaged during the implementation of this project. The project not only gathered inputs for policies but the stakeholders involved had their capacities strengthened which will be replicated to others and in their daily work on urban-rural linkages. Data collection was also collected using digital tools such as Kobocollect which made data collection, analysis, and presentation quicker and relatively more accurate. The digital tool was not only innovative but also minimized the use of paper contributing to environmental conservation. The capacity-building workshops and related activities were also hybrid; both physical and online especially during COVID-19 restrictions allowing for continuity of project activities. In Cameroon, the project began by bringing together a country team which was composed of over 20 people from different sectors. They defined three priority issues that would be key in addressing urban-rural disparities. They are: improving road and transportation infrastructure; telecommunications infrastructures; Partnerships and financial services. Along with the definition of priorities, UN-Habitat worked with stakeholders such as government officials, civil society, and academia, to develop a report on the general challenges and state of urban-rural linkages in Cameroon. Similarly over thirteen policies, laws, and strategies were reviewed on the nature and extent to which they had addressed urban-rural linkages. The other related activities were data collection and six workshops on awareness, capacity building, and validation of project outcomes. In Zanzibar, Tanzania, the multi-stakeholder country team defined three priorities for strengthened urbanrural linkages. The priorities were: food security, social services, and infrastructural services. A URL situational report comprising the challenges and opportunities was developed, with the contribution of all stakeholders. Over 20 policies and strategies were also reviewed guiding the recommendations thereof. Data collection of both secondary and primary sources was conducted in the selected sites, including farms, marketplaces, and from community groups. To further enhance inclusivity and participation from all the five regions of Zanzibar, up to five workshops in the five regions were conducted to raise awareness on URL, enhance the participant's capacity as well as validate the project outcomes, attended by over 100 diverse participants. In Niger State, Nigeria, the project was implemented under the umbrella of the Niger State Urban Support Programme, which consisted of urban-rural linkages, state urban policy, and integrated development planning. The strengthening urban-rural linkages component was then integrated as a chapter in the Niger State urban policy, which was approved by the State Executive Council in June 2021, A multi-stakeholder team formulated to coordinate the project identified priority issues as infrastructure and human security. Similar to Zanzibar, the Niger State team conducted policy reviews, defined the gaps, and provided fitting recommendations to enhance urban-rural linkages. A report was also prepared on the status of URL in Niger State with specific examples of ongoing projects and initiatives by other partners and governments on rural electrification, rural road upgrading, and market studies. Through the project, a total of three workshops were conducted, which included training on data collection and validation workshops various consultative meetings along with the NUP development process. Guinea Conakry started with a stakeholder’s awareness workshop conducted in Conakry bringing together relevant stakeholders together to understand and discuss the relevance of urban-rural linkages. They also developed the status report on URL in Guinea along with a review of over ten relevant policies. Data collection was also collected to understand the three priorities identified as infrastructure, environmental issues, and economic activities. Four workshops were held in Conakry on awareness, capacity building, and validation of project outcomes. The urban policy process kicked off after the project closed, and a specific section on urban-rural linkages will be integrated with the policy document. The aim of the project was mainly to build the capacities of the stakeholders in the project countries towards enhancing urban-rural linkages and integrated territorial development through policies, and strategies among other frameworks. The projects were anchored in the project countries along with the urban policy process apart from Cameroon where the policy was already completed. The project saw several milestones reached and significant progress made in enhancing urban-rural linkages. Some of the progress made and results achieved include: Multisectoral country teams (national, and local) responsible for promoting and ensuring the consideration of urban-rural links in policies and strategies were set up and equipped through capacity-building activities and related project activities. They will thus continue playing a major role in advancing the agenda as ambassadors of urban-rural linkages initiatives in their works. The capacities of more than 2500 stakeholders in the government, private sector, academia, and civil society have been strengthened on what urban-rural linkages entail and why it is important including how local initiatives contribute to the agenda. This was not only through the capacity-building activities and data collection process but also through the reports developed that will be disseminated in the relevant languages in each project country In all four project countries, urban-rural linkages will form part of the national or sub-national (Zanzibar and Niger state) agendas having been integrated into the urban policies. In Niger state, a chapter dedicated to policy actions for managing urban-rural linkages was adopted. Urban policies form a key reference document for legislation, planning, and related strategies or projects whose benefits would be incremental at different governance levels. Another impact is that another project commenced as a multiplier effect benefitting Niger state and Cameroon with the main focus on food and transportation between urban and rural areas in the context of pandemics. This is through the University of Nairobi and partners, showing the emerging interest of academia to advance the topic of urban-rural linkages. The Project achieved its main objective is to advance the knowledge and capacities of urban-rural linkages in the context of African countries. The approach employed in the implementation of this project involved both experts and local stakeholders to collect evidence for policy enhancement. To engage these diverse stakeholders, context-specific normative tools were developed, core country teams trained, and the tools implemented. Through the various tools being piloted and adapted accordingly, the country reports were developed and shared with all stakeholders on the status of urban-rural linkages. The policies were then reviewed through the lenses of the emerging issues in the reports and recommendations developed. To contextualize and understand the situation further, study sites were identified, and data were collected in a defined functional area. The data collected provided an in-depth understanding of the nature, challenges, and opportunities of urban-rural linkages in specific contexts. The main results were a piloted toolkit that can be replicated in other country contexts, urban-rural linkages policy recommendations, and improved capacities of the stakeholders involved on ways of advancing the agenda post-project period. One of the lessons learned from this project which will be beneficial in future related projects or initiatives is the complex and broad yet context-specific nature of urbanrural linkages. The policy actions in each country are expected to lead to urban and rural food security, better connectivity and inclusive flows of commodities, people, services, and information, management of urban-rural migration, protection of the environment, and managed urban sprawl among other long-term benefits, for integrated and sustainable territorial development. Previous Next

< 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

< Back African Cities Magazine 1 October 31, 2020 With a series of innovations, initiatives, and projects on urban planning, architecture, or design, this first edition showcases how innovative ideas and solutions shape urban systems into more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable human settlements in Africa. Through different portraits and interviews of practitioners, innovators, and change-makers in architecture and urban development, we hope to share experiences, examples, best practices, and tools for a more sustainable future. We also hope to showcase the beauty, diversity, challenges, and opportunities in African cities of today, as well as paint a picture of what the cities of tomorrow will look like. Interview with Romarick ATOKE. Architect HMONP Head of Architecture & Urban Design, at Sèmè City Development Agency I keep a fairly optimistic vision of the African city by 2050. Through the ambition and commitment of our leaders combined with the determination, expertise and know-how of the actors of the city that we are, this African city will be resilient and sustainable Architecture Innovation The Warka Village aspires to transform the landscape of comprehensive human development by utilizing low-cost, sustainable, community-driven, high-impact multisector development interventions tailored to the village’s specific needs. Smart city projects in Africa Diamniadio in Senegal emphasizes connectivity with fiber networks and IoT-driven services, aiming to transform urban planning. Semecity in Benin fosters a knowledge-based economy, integrating smart tech in education and entrepreneurship. Morocco’s Benguerir Green City prioritizes eco-friendly design, with solar energy and sustainable infrastructure leading its development. Akon City , also in Senegal, envisions a blockchain-based hub for tourism and technology, although still in its initial phases. Cities Pixels and colors English version Version française Previous Next

Alé Badara SY promeut l'urbanisation adaptative au Sénégal, intégrant la communauté pour transformer les défis climatiques en opportunités économiques et créer des villes inclusives et durables. < Back Réinventer les villes Sénégalaises au carrefour de l'urbanisme inclusif et des opportunités économiques Alé Badara SY Alé Badara SY, expert en urbanisme et président d'un club de réflexion urbaine, souligne l'importance de s'adapter aux réalités territoriales au Sénégal pour répondre aux défis d'urbanisation, de changement climatique, et de logement. Il identifie la nécessité de projets d'infrastructure adaptatifs, un accès équitable au logement et renforce le leadership et la capacité de planification des acteurs locaux. Alé plaide pour une approche inclusive qui transforme les défis climatiques en opportunités économiques, insistant sur l'implication des communautés, en particulier des femmes et des jeunes, dans les processus de planification urbaine pour créer des villes durables et vivables.

< Back Faire la ville ensemble : co-construire la ville africaine par l'apprentissage Stéphanie Wattrelos Rutily, Insaf Ben Othmane La tendance mondiale à l'urbanisation s'accélère, avec plus de la moitié de la population mondiale vivant en ville, une proportion qui devrait atteindre 70 % d'ici 2050. Cependant, 90 % de cette croissance se produit en Asie et en Afrique, avec 75 % concentrée dans les villes intermédiaires de moins d'un million d'habitants. Les gouvernements africains sont confrontés à d'énormes défis pour améliorer les conditions de vie et répondre aux besoins des nouveaux citadins. L'urbanisme participatif représente un changement de paradigme qui appelle à des arrangements coopératifs où les habitants et les acteurs de la ville participent au processus de planification, de conception et de gestion. Le Campus AFD, Oecumene Spaces For Dignity et Africa Innovation Network ont co-construit « Faire La Ville Ensemble » pour soutenir les acteurs de la ville dans la prise de conscience des changements de paradigme nécessaires. La structure pédagogique numérique alterne entre apprentissage en ligne et temps collaboratifs dans un atelier numérique, fondée sur des principes pédagogiques innovants. Nous vivons dans un monde en rupture, où tout change, tout s'accélère, tout devient plus complexe, plus fragile et incertain. La planète s'urbanise à un rythme sans précédent. Déjà, plus de la moitié de la population mondiale vit en ville ; cette proportion atteindra 70 % d'ici 2050. Toutefois, bien que cette tendance soit mondiale, elle n'est pas uniforme : 90 % de la croissance urbaine mondiale se produit en Asie et en Afrique, avec des caractéristiques variées d'un pays à l'autre en termes de vitesse, d'échelle, de structure du tissu urbain et de couverture territoriale ; la croissance urbaine se déroule dans des mégapoles, mais 75 % de cette croissance se produit et continuera de se produire dans les villes intermédiaires de moins d'un million d'habitants. Les gouvernements africains, tant nationaux que locaux, sont confrontés à d'immenses défis pour améliorer les conditions de vie de leurs habitants et répondre aux besoins des nouveaux citadins. L'ampleur, la force et la vitesse de ces changements nous obligent à agir rapidement, à réinventer nos façons de penser et de vivre dans le monde, et surtout à replacer les habitants et les utilisateurs au cœur de la construction des villes et des territoires. « L'urbanisme participatif est un paradigme de planification qui appelle à des arrangements coopératifs dans lesquels les habitants et les acteurs de la ville sont impliqués dans le processus de planification, de conception et de gestion. Il promeut le dialogue ouvert et la collaboration fructueuse entre les parties prenantes : habitants, utilisateurs, experts, décideurs et investisseurs, permettant de renforcer la cohésion sociale et une meilleure gestion des ressources avec un engagement toujours plus grand des communautés, des institutions locales et des acteurs locaux. Cependant, l'urbanisme participatif n'est pas intuitif. Il nécessite un fort engagement des maîtres d'ouvrage et, par conséquent, des élus locaux ainsi que la participation d'une vaste gamme d'acteurs prêts à s'investir. Il requiert un investissement important en temps et en ressources, une méthodologie structurée et des efforts ciblés pour assurer le succès. Qui dit urbanisme participatif dit participation. De nouvelles compétences doivent être acquises pour mobiliser et fédérer les acteurs locaux, collaborer et co-construire. » Insaf Ben Othmane Hamrouni, Fondatrice et Directrice exécutive, Œcumene Spaces For Dignity. La construction de la ville, en Afrique comme dans le monde, ne peut plus se faire sans les habitants, les utilisateurs, les acteurs économiques, les associations, les experts et les opérateurs. Cela doit être présent à toutes les étapes du projet (de sa conception à sa mise en œuvre). Ce changement de paradigme dans la manière de penser l'urbanisme et cette reconfiguration des rôles impliquent de nouveaux « modes de faire » : « faire avec » et, surtout, « faire ensemble ». Le continent africain bénéficie de certains atouts, tels que : La puissance de l'innovation africaine combinant à la fois l'esprit du jugaad (faire mieux ou aussi bien avec moins de ressources) et le leapfrogging (capacité à faire un bond qualitatif) ; Une culture du collectif et de la fabrication informelle de la ville (une culture de l'apprentissage communautaire) ; L'émergence des communs urbains, qui prennent la forme de « lieux, publics ou privés, partagés par les habitants qui développent des usages pluriels, impliquant ainsi une multitude d'acteurs différents dans une gouvernance ouverte et mobilisant les ressources variées du territoire, matérielles et immatérielles, pour des usages destinés à différents cercles d'utilisateurs » (Françoise et al., 2022). Ces communs urbains se concrétisent de manière plus tangible par le développement de tiers-lieux culturels, de terrains de sport, de jardins partagés, de Fab labs, d'espaces de marché et de communautés d'apprentissage. En Afrique, des initiatives d'urbanisme participatif ont émergé dans le processus de fabrication du tissu urbain et prennent des formes multiples, telles que l'urbanisme tactique, l'urbanisme éphémère, l'urbanisme temporaire, l'urbanisme transitoire, etc. Véritable levier de transformation des territoires par la co-construction, le partage, la participation et l'innovation, l'urbanisme participatif offre de nombreuses opportunités pour construire des territoires plus inclusifs, résilients et durables, répondant aux besoins de leurs habitants. Pour Luc Gnacadja, la gestion et la gouvernance urbaine doivent se hisser à la hauteur des défis. Le premier facteur requis est le leadership et la qualité managériale des acteurs clés de la gouvernance publique. « Nous ne sommes pas équipés pour sortir de nos schémas mentaux et inventer de nouvelles manières de faire ; nous devons collectivement apprendre à libérer nos imaginaires et à nous affranchir de nos préjugés, à penser systématiquement et à connecter plutôt que séparer. Il ne s'agit pas d'éclipser le savoir-faire technique, mais de renforcer la capacité à identifier, mobiliser et synergiser les initiatives sur le terrain pour activer des collaborations qui mettent en valeur l'intelligence collective et partagent la connaissance, la créativité et la co-construction de solutions propres à chaque territoire. Et cela doit être appris, vécu et expérimenté plutôt que décrété. » Stéphanie Wattrelos Rutily, Urbaniste, chargée de projets pédagogiques, Campus AFD. La ville africaine durable doit être plus inclusive, libérant la créativité de chacun pour construire des solutions durables. Pour relever le défi de la ville pour tous et soutenir les acteurs de la ville dans la sensibilisation aux changements de paradigme nécessaires, le Campus AFD, Oecumene Spaces For Dignity et Africa Innovation Network ont co-construit, avec et pour ces acteurs, « Faire La Ville Ensemble » un nouveau parcours d'apprentissage immersif et collaboratif. Ses objectifs : comprendre les dynamiques complexes à l'œuvre dans les territoires urbains ; identifier les notions de participation et co-définir ensemble les concepts clés pour une participation ouverte et partagée en Afrique ; sensibiliser et initier les acteurs de la ville en Afrique aux approches et outils pour co-construire des projets urbains en s'appuyant sur l'intelligence collective et la créativité. Cette formation vise à transformer les postures et à accompagner le changement pour passer du rôle traditionnel de chef de projet à celui de facilitateur au sein de son territoire. « Ce que je retiens de mon parcours sur “Faire la ville ensemble”, ce sont ces moments intenses qui ponctuent les différentes phases de mise en œuvre de la participation comme outil essentiel à la fabrication de la ville. Cet exercice complexe et instructif nous a permis, en tant que participants, de faire face aux défis de nos villes, notamment en Afrique, où l'anarchie, la précarité et l'absence de planification stratégique en constituent le trait central. Mais à mesure que nous apprenions ces méthodes de participation, nous avons réalisé qu'il est possible de rêver de villes africaines inclusives et durables qui se construisent différemment, avec de nouvelles approches impliquant les différents acteurs dans la création d'une vision partagée de leur ville. Cela permet aux autres parties prenantes de planifier ensemble et de travailler vers un objectif commun. Ces méthodes bénéficient à l'Agence d'urbanisme du Grand Tunis, qui intervient principalement pour assister les autorités locales dans l'élaboration de leurs outils d'urbanisme, constituant une opportunité de mettre ces approches en pratique. » Jihene Ghiloufi Dahmeni, Ingénieur, Directrice de la gestion de l'information urbaine, Tunisie. La structure pédagogique numérique « Faire la Ville Ensemble », co-construite avec les acteurs locaux, alternera apprentissage en ligne et temps collaboratifs dans un atelier numérique, en s'appuyant sur des principes pédagogiques innovants, à savoir : Conçue comme un commun numérique, la plateforme « Faire la Ville Ensemble » propose du contenu éducatif dynamique et interactif (expériences de terrain, vidéos, infographies, boîtes à outils, quiz...) à découvrir à son propre rythme et en autonomie ; Et pour explorer, inventer, se mettre à la place de… et apprendre par le jeu, l'intelligence collective et la créativité, des ateliers numériques collaboratifs ponctuent tout le parcours pour ceux qui disposent de plus de temps. Plus qu'une simple formation, « Faire la Ville Ensemble » est une véritable expérience d'apprentissage qui s'appuie sur l'innovation, l'intelligence collective et la puissance du partage d'expériences. C'est avant tout une communauté d'acteurs de la ville engagés dans la volonté de replacer l'humain au cœur de la construction de la ville. Previous Next

< Back Leveraging digital technologies for mapping deprived areas in eThekwini, South Africa Dr. Sophie Naue, Michael Hathorn Informal settlements are home to one-quarter of the world’s urban population and the number is expected to increase in the coming years. Overall, around 1 billion urban drawlers live in settlements that are often characterized by poor housing conditions and unsecure tenure, located at the urban periphery with limited access to basic services such as clean water, electricity, and sanitation. The improvement of living conditions for these inhabitants remains a pressing global challenge. However, this massive urban growth often leads to outdated records and inaccurate data on deprived areas, which hampers public entities in sustainable planning and responses to resident needs. This raises the question: How can digital technologies help to better understand informal settlements and provide cities with spatial data to support evidence-based planning processes? Considering these challenges, UNITAC Hamburg developed BEAM (Building & Establishment Automated Mapper), a machine learning tool for mapping informal structures using aerial imagery that was piloted in collaboration with the Human Settlement Unit from eThekwini Municipality in South Africa. This project article focuses on the challenges of mapping informal settlements, considering the piloting and development of the BEAM tool in the case of eThekwini. Accurate data is crucial for upgrading informal settlements and enhancing resilience eThekwini municipality has the largest number of informal settlements in South Africa with over 587 settlements, accommodating over 314,000 households. This accounts for more than a quarter of the entire city’s population. To address this issue and strengthen community resilience the city has embraced an ambitious informal settlement upgrading programme including basic urban service delivery, housing projects and land management mechanisms. But developing a pipeline of urban upgrading and basic service delivery projects necessitates up-to-date information on the number and location of informal structures as well as environmental constraints that could prevent provision of urban basic services and affordable housing. While eThekwini Municipality is engaged in spatial data collection efforts, data on its deprived areas remains scarce. Aerial view of informal settlements in eThekwini municipality, South Africa Mapping deprived areas presents a significant challenge due to their unplanned and dynamic nature Traditionally, spatial data collection relies on survey-based approaches and census data, which continue to be both costly and time-consuming with long gaps between censuses (typically 5 – 10 years) and additional time before the information is available. Given the rapid development of informal settlements, data collected using such methods may already be obsolete when released to the user (Mahabir et al., 2018, p.4). Considering the above, aerial photography or satellite imagery can provide a detailed view of the physical structure of settlements by facilitating the extraction of building footprints. Although these methods do not capture the intricacies of informal settlements, to say nothing of the characteristics of the people living there, they provide a fast and low-cost picture of the morphology and structure of these areas. In comparison, traditional mapping remains time-consuming and is a complex process, requiring a nuanced understanding of the political, social, and economic dynamics that shape these neighborhoods. In eThekwini, data has been collected by 15 on-the ground land monitors servicing 587 settlements (eThekwini HSU, 2021). This process cannot keep track of the fast changes in the built environment. The workflow has limited the city’s capacity to respond to residents’ needs. Another source of information is remotely-sensed images. These include satellite images, lidar data, and 2,500 km2 of annually captured aerial photography, which are manually analyzed and digitalized by the GIS Cooperation of eThekwini (eThekwini HSU, 2021). The size of the areas that need coverage and the rate of change of informal settlements mean that the established processes struggle to capture and maintain data in a robust and timely fashion. These challenges align with UN-Habitat’s recent global study of smart city governance practices (UN-Habitat, 2022), which revealed that less than half of African cities effectively combine manual data with automated data and data from large-scale databases to inform decision making. Building & Establishment Automated Mapper: Using Machine Learning to map informal settlements In recent years digital technologies like remote sensing, lidar data, and deep learning have become helpful tools to improve mapping processes of informal settlements. However, developing remote sensing technologies is resource intensive and requires specialized training to operate, which can be a major obstacle for municipalities such as eThekwini. To this end UNITAC Hamburg collaborated with the Human Settlement Unit in eThekwini to develop BEAM (Building & Establishment Automated Mapper). BEAM is a mapping tool for city planners that uses ML to radically accelerate the spatial recognition of informal settlements based on aerial imagery. The tool was developed as an easy-to-use application that allows the user to quickly detect and visualize urban footprints in a specific area by simply uploading aerial images of a given location. Users have a choice of using one of two trained models (U-Net or HRNet), which offer tradeoffs in speed and performance. Images showing the labeling and training process 1, UNITAC 2024 The algorithm is trained to identify and to mark all pixels on an aerial image that the model considers as part of a building. These pixels are converted to georeferenced polygons, which represent building footprints. Those layers can be used to calculate the density of informal settlements in a very easy and quick manner or to identify changes over time, including the expansion, densification, and establishment of new settlements. Reasons for low identification accuracies of informal settlements are attributed to their rather different morphological characteristics (e.g., higher roof coverage densities, more organic patterns, and small building sizes) compared to formal built-up areas. Due to the heterogeneous characteristics of informal settlement the team had to face various challenges in training the BEAM algorithm. In particular, the model’s performance suffered when being run on building typologies that were not represented in the training set, and on imagery that was not from the same year. To address these issues, a more diverse training dataset was created, and the training pipeline was adapted to make the models more robust on out-of-sample imagery. Outputs from an early (prototype) model., UNITAC 2024 Maintain records of informal settlements’ location, extent, and changes, using BEAM’s outputs for tracking and urban planning The BEAM tool was co-designed with the Human Settlement Unit, to correspond to their needs and handed over to the city after development. To ensure direct access and advocate local ownership UNITAC also provided a manual, with a step-by-step guidance on how to install and use the tool and conducted serval tech sessions for knowledge and skills transfer, required for the effective use and integration of the tool into the existing workstreams of the municipality of eThekwini. Currently BEAM is being tested by the eThekwini GIS Cop. who has provided feedback and recommendations for improvement. There are several benefits of using algorithms like BEAM for mapping informal settlements including: Accuracy: ML algorithms can accurately map informal settlements using aerial or satellite imagery, providing a precise understanding of their location, size, and extent. Efficiency: Using ML accelerates the mapping process, saving time and resources compared to traditional methods like surveys or manual digitalization, while still delivering reliable data. Scalability: ML algorithms can be trained to analyze large data sets, useful for monitoring changes over time and identifying areas needing infrastructure development or vulnerable to environmental impacts. Challenges associated with mapping informal settlements using ML models include: Data Availability: High-quality data is needed to train ML algorithms effectively. Limited access to aerial or satellite imagery can hinder this process. Complexity: Informal settlements are diverse, with varying building materials, construction methods, and patterns, making it difficult to develop accurate ML algorithms. Ethics: ML use raises ethical concerns about privacy, surveillance, and consent. Maintenance: Continuous updates and training of algorithms are necessary to maintain accuracy and relevance, addressing the critical issues of scale and data access. Despite the challenges above, today BEAM detects urban footprints on aerial photography achieving an accuracy (Dice coefficient/F1 score) of 91% on an out-of-sample test set. It processes one image in 70 to 90 seconds. With this performance the BEAM tool allows the city to have up-to-date records of the location and extent of its informal settlements as well as to keep track of changes in the built-up area or density over time and leverage the tool output for planning. Using BEAM eThekwini can reduce the time it takes to map all informal settlements of the city from an estimated 1,320 working days to 72 hours. The tool does the work that otherwise would have taken months and a whole project team. The tool allows the municipality to automate and accelerate mapping processes and achieve more efficient and evidence-based planning processes by understanding the dynamics of Informal settlements. Model outputs (left) vs ground truths (right), UNITAC 2024 Machine Learning tools enhance urban planning but require ethical use, privacy protection, and community benefits Mapping deprived areas using ML tools has the potential to provide a more accurate and efficient method of identifying urban growth and density. This can help cities and other policymakers to better understand the dynamics of those areas and inform decision-making processes related to urban planning, housing, and infrastructure development. To manage and understand the massive urban growth, related constraints and opportunities in African cities, digital mapping tools, such as BEAM are critical. Accurate and up-to-date data is essential to the improvement of public service delivery and enhanced government workflows. Effective urban mapping workflows are vital to streamlining urban service delivery and enabling data-based policies for urban governance and management. Overall, while ML technologies can provide valuable insights of informal settlements there are several challenges and also risks associated with its use. Addressing these will be crucial to ensure that the use of such tools is not only effective but also ethical. Therefore, efforts to map informal settlements must be sensitive to addressing the needs and rights of residents, while also providing decision-makers with information they need to make informed policy decisions. The success of such endeavors relies on ensuring that communities and civil society do benefit from these tools. To minimize potential risks, it is crucial to establish appropriate data policies that protect privacy and ensure responsible data use. By prioritizing the well-being of residents and implementing the right data policies as well as participatory approaches, we can effectively harness the potential of mapping technologies to create positive change. Previous Next

Meet The Executive Board Founder & Executive Director Leandry JIEUTSA Mail Executive Secretary Hind REZOUK Mail Executive Manager Corianne RICE Mail Country Representative Central Africa Franck HEUDJEU Mail Country Representative West Africa Patrick SOMY Mail Country Representative North Africa Founoun ADNANE Mail MEMBERSHIP ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP Individuals working in a field related to AIN’s activities, wishing to be part of the network and contribute to the various initiatives. HONORARY MEMBERSHIP Senior professionals wishing to be part of the AIN network and support and/or technically to the various activities. AFFILIATE INSTITUTION MEMBERSHIP Institutions wishing to be part of the AIN network and contribute financially and/or technically to one or many activities and initiatives. HONORARY INSTITUTION MEMBERSHIP Sponsoring institutions supporting all the activities and initiatives developed by AIN. Don Francis Founder & CEO Ashley Jones Tech Lead Tess Brown Office Manager Lisa Rose Product Manager

< Back Le numérique: un terreau fertile à labourer pour la transformation durable de la mobilité Cet interview d'Antoine CHEVRE met en lumière les opportunités offertes par le numérique pour améliorer la mobilité urbaine durable en Afrique, tout en soulignant les défis de mise en œuvre. Il met en avant l'impact des technologies numériques sur la transformation des transports dans les villes africaines, en mettant l'accent sur des initiatives telles que l'utilisation du paiement mobile, la cartographie des réseaux de transport artisanal via des smartphones, et la mise à disposition des données de transport en open source. L'interview souligne également l'importance de la collaboration et de la normalisation des données (format GTFS) pour garantir leur interopérabilité et faciliter le développement d'applications. Enfin, elle aborde les défis majeurs, notamment la mise à jour des données et la standardisation dans un contexte de transport artisanal non planifié, tout en soulignant l'importance de divers moyens de transport pour améliorer la mobilité urbaine durable en Afrique. Les opportunités du numérique pour la mobilité urbaine durable en Afrique sont à la fois nombreuses et difficiles à mettre en œuvre Au cours des dernières décennies, l’avènement du numérique a permis de favoriser le déploiement de nouvelles solutions de mobilité à travers le monde, et plus récemment dans les villes africaines, afin d’améliorer les conditions de mobilité des citoyens. Des technologies numériques comme le paiement mobile qui est une véritable innovation en Afrique offre des opportunités pour accélérer le développement des villes africaines en sautant des étapes technologiques (leapfrogging) pour se positionner à l’avant-garde de la transformation numérique des transports. Les villes africaines se démarquent également par des pratiques qui sont réinventées à grand renfort de capital risque dans d’autres parties du monde. C’est le cas des taxis partagés qui est une pratique courante dans plusieurs villes africaines et se réinventent en occident avec Uberpool par exemple, qui propose de partager des taxis pour économiser. "Le numérique est un levier majeur à plusieurs titres. Pour mieux connaître le secteur du transport artisanal, pour le formaliser et pour mieux le réguler et pouvoir gérer la multitude d’opérateurs pour la puissance publique." , déclare Antoine CHEVRE, spécialiste de la Division transport de l’AFD. Le numérique permet d’avoir une meilleure connaissance de l’offre de transport, et particulièrement en ce qui concerne le transport artisanal qui se qui se définit par opposition aux exploitants de bus structurés et représente l’écrasante majorité de l’offre de transport dans les villes d’Afrique Subsaharienne. Ceci est rendu possible à travers la cartographie des réseaux de transport artisanal au moyen de smartphones et en utilisant des solutions open source. De telles initiatives ont été disséminées à travers les villes africaines, à l’instar de Digital Matatu à Nairobi, Accra Mobile au Ghana ou TransportforCairo en Egypte. La mise à disposition en mode ouvert des données transports non seulement auprès des décideurs mais aussi auprès des usagers, contribue à une meilleure régulation des systèmes existants et la planification des nouveaux modes. Une autre vertu du numérique étant de pouvoir s’adapter aux besoins de chacun. Toutefois, les données ne sont pas une finalité, car elles, seule, ne suffisent pas pour transformer le secteur du transport artisanal en Afrique. D’après le World Resource Institute, au moins 105 millions de personnes vivant dans les villes africaines ne disposent pas d’informations fiables sur leurs systèmes de transit. Il importe donc d’explorer les différents leviers de valorisation de la donnée transport. DigitalTransport4Africa (DT4A), un début de réponse au partage et à l’exploitation de la donnée transport L’initiative DT4A est née dans le but de mettre en réseau l’ensemble des acteurs engagés dans l’application du numérique aux objectifs d’amélioration de la mobilité. Elle s’inscrit dans une approche appelée « beyond mapping » qui vise donc à explorer les différentes solutions se basant sur les données pour transformer le secteur du transport artisanal. Dans ce cadre, DT4A a lancé un “Défi de l’innovation”, afin d’identifier et de financer des microprojets utilisant chacun un levier différent. Parmi ceux-ci, on peut citer : ewarren à Abidjan, une fintech qui aborde la formalisation du secteur et des données via le paiement mobile, addis map qui vise à développer une application voyageur en utilisant la technologie open source ; Trufi ; go metro en Afrique du sud qui produit un jeu de données sur le réseau de Stellenbosch pour étudier la faisabilité d’un passage à l’électro mobilité, Khartoum map qui vise à créer un jeu de données initiales. "Nous avons voulu à travers cette initiative poser les bases d’une culture de la donnée transport en Afrique en faisant la promotion de l’ouverture des données et de leur standardisation au format GTFS pour assurer l’interopérabilité." , précise Antoine. DT4A est un acteur engagé dans la construction de biens communs numériques tels que OpenStreetMap en ce qui concerne les données géographiques utiles à la cartographie des itinéraires et des arrêts. Cependant, au-delà de la dimension géographique, l’information sur les services de transport intègre le niveau de service (fréquence, vitesse commerciale, etc.). Dans ce sens, le standard GTFS (General Transit Feed System) joue un rôle crucial en ce sens qu’il s’agit d’un format de données standardisées. Il permet ainsi d’avoir des données interopérables, qui soient accessibles et facilement compréhensibles de tous, favorisant de ce fait le développement d’applicatifs. En outre, dans un contexte où la plupart des collectivités locales africaines n’a pas aujourd’hui les moyens techniques et financiers de créer et d’entretenir cette infrastructure de données au format GTFS, DT4A œuvre également à l’internalisation des compétences. Notamment, à travers le partage de connaissances et le renforcement des capacités sur la cartographie des réseaux entre autres. DT4A fournit aussi des solutions d’hébergement (GitLab) pour le stockage de jeu de données et le partage d’un centre de ressources. Il n’y a en effet pas de réel business model pour l’information voyageur Du point de vue des défis majeurs, deux écueils principaux se dégagent. Tout d’abord, celui de l’actualisation des données. En effet, il est souvent facile de mobiliser un budget pour réaliser le recueil initial mais il est beaucoup plus difficile de mobiliser des moyens techniques, humains et financiers récurrent pour mettre à jour ces données. D’un autre côté, dans un contexte de transport artisanal, par définition non planifié dans le détail, la question de la standardisation des données au format GTFS se pose dans la mesure où il est difficile d’arriver au niveau de granularité attendu d’un jeu de données GTFS. D’autant plus que ceux-ci sont censés être produits par des exploitants de transports professionnels et imposent que chaque bus qui circule soit identifié dans le temps et l’espace tout au long de l’année. Au mieux, il est possible de disposer des itinéraires avec des arrêts et une fréquence avec distinction heure de pointe / heure creuse. Néanmoins, dans un contexte de villes africaines avec une croissance rapide, le transport artisanal représente un atout majeur qui associé à d’autres moyens de mass transit, tels que le BRT ou le Tramway, permettrait de réduire considérablement les difficultés de mobilité. Ajouté à cela, et grâce au numérique, le développement des services de transport à la demande pour compléter le réseau de mobilité. De telles actions contribueraient à la réduction de l’usage de la voiture individuelle, tout en favorisant une mobilité urbaine durable. Previous Next