AAMatters – African Architecture Matters -- is a not-for-profit organization active in the field of African architecture and urbanism. AAMatters relies on over 30 years of experience in Africa, in the design and building practice, as well as in activism and in academic research and teaching in the field of African architecture and urbanism. AAMatters is closely connected to a worldwide network of some 2,000 professionals active in the African architectural practice and academic world . AAMatters is at the forefront of thinking on pressing challenges regarding African architecture and urbanism, such as sustainable development of the African city and the role of cultural heritage in this development context. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ African Architecture Matters Balistraat 92-hs 1094 JS AMSTERDAM the Netherlands phone +31 (0)20 463 78 80 e-mail [email protected] +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Our multi media library is based in Utrecht. In case you wish to visit the library, please contact us through [email protected]
‘The Beeker Method: Planning and Working on the Redevelopment of the African City’- recap.
For the past couple of months we have been working hard to meet the deadline of ‘The Beeker Method: Planning and Working on the Redevelopment of the African City’ seminar. Not an easy task as we wished to keep our arrangements secret from Coen Beeker, at the same time as we made him the key-note speaker of what he thought would be a small seminar for students from the African Studies Centre. Looking back on March 23rd I think we managed, the seminar together with the publication and the exhibition was just as much a surprise to Coen as the unexpected turnout at the seminar to us.
There is a large number of people from various institutions, backgrounds and countries that contributed to the success of this project making the event a perfectly balanced mix of friendly atmosphere and sound debate on matters related to urban planning in Africa.
The session opened with more historically-oriented presentations by Coen Beeker and his colleague from Burkina Faso, the former Director of the Direction Générale de l’Urbanisme et de la Topographie in Ouagadougou, Joseph Guiébo . Followed by presentations by Anteneh Tola, a Doctoral Candidate from TU Delft and Muhammad Juma, the Director of the Department of Urban and Rural Planning in Zanzibar, which provided some glances into current challenges of urban planning in Addis Ababa and Zanzibar Town.
Coen Beeker and the Beeker Method remained, as planned, the red-thread throughout the seminar, but it was first during the panel discussion that the panellists including Jan Fransen (IHS), Peter Pels (UvL), Yolande Lingané (DGUT*), Muhammad Juma and Anteneh Tola were asked to consider more substantially the relevance of Beeker’s approach for contemporary urban planning in Africa. Discussions considering such complex matters can go on forever without reaching a conclusion, which doesn’t make them any less valuable. In the end, conclusions and answers were not so much the goal of this debate, as the wish to generate the feeling that urban planning in Africa is an urgent matter that requires not only further debate, but more importantly, action.
The seminar was a truly international affair and it certainly ended in a manner befitting the importance of Coen Beeker, the unsung pioneer of bottom-up and participator urban planning in Africa. As a token of gratitude for the work Beeker did (and continues to do until this day) in Burkina Faso, country’s official delegation decided to decorate him in a rather unconventional manner. Since Beeker refused to be decorated with an official medal for his merits, he was instead awarded the ‘Étalon de Yennenga’ , the most prestigious award of the biannual Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) normally awarded to an African film that succeeds best in showing "the realities of Africa". A well thought alternative which unleashed a festive mood among the audience continued afterwards with refreshments in the canteen.
The work of Coen Beeker, his people centred and pragmatic approach to urban planning has been an inspiration to many who have had the chance to work with him over the years. His considerate and step-by step planning has affected the life of countless numbers of inhabitants living in informal settlements in African cities. This project grew out of the desire to honour the work and person of Coen Beeker, and to put a spotlight on his achievements and approach so it can continue to inspire others the same way it did before. His method proved effective back in the days, the question we wanted to ask ourselves and others today is whether it is still applicable, and if yes, in which form?
For people who would like to get a copy of the book, it is currently on sale from ASC’s online bookshop. It can also be downloaded for free from the website in a digital format. For those who didn’t get the chance to join us during the seminar the publication is a good place to start familiarizing oneself with the work of Coen Beeker. It provides comprehensive study of Beeker’s work and thought and includes a number of chapters on contemporary urban planning in Africa, in which the writers consider the extent to which Beeker’s approach can still be useful today.
The digital version of the publication is available here.
The book can be purchased for € 15 here.
The exhibition presenting most important aspects of Beeker’s Method and his crown project in Ouagadougou will remain on display in the corridors of the University of Leiden (Pieter de la Courtgebouw / Faculty of Social Sciences, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden. Room 1A20 - first floor) until the end of May. After that we will be moving the exhibition around the Netherlands for the next couple of months. More details will follow.
The Beeker Method:Planning and Working on the Redevelopment of the African City.Retrospective Glances Into the Future.
Seminar, Exhibition and Book Launch, 23rd March 2017, 14.00 at African Studies Centre in Leiden.
Coen Beeker is an unsung pioneer in bottom-up and participatory approach to urban planning with over 40 years of experience in Africa. During this international seminar, organized in partnership with the African Studies Centre Leiden, we will celebrate the work and thought of Beeker and take a retrospective glance at his achievements and their benefits for contemporary and future urban planners. The seminar features speakers from Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Zanzibar & the Netherlands.
The event will also launch a travelling exhibition on Coen Beeker, Urban Fields: Coen Beeker at Work in the African City and a book The Beeker Method. Planning and Working on the Redevelopment of the African City: Retrospective Glances Into the Future with contributions from scholars and practitioners from Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Zanzibar and the Netherlands. The seminar will be followed by refreshments.
The name of Coen Beeker may be unfamiliar to many; however, with increasing interest in urban Africa and the topic of urban planning on the continent, Beeker and his extensive work in several African countries deserves a more critical look.
Beeker’s work focused primarily on urban redevelopment projects in Ethiopia, Tunisia, Sudan and Burkina Faso, of which his involvement in the modernization process of Ouagadougou is perhaps the most notable.
Beeker applied an approach to urban planning that was not only ahead of its time, but which has also proved highly successful. The Beeker Method, as we would like to call it, is, in essence, about redevelopment carried out by residents themselves, through a dynamic process of palavers and long community consultations, and planning and site work conducted with little interference from above.
The importance of community participation has been widely acknowledged in the current urban planning discourse. It is considered a fundamental prerequisite to fair and representative decision making in contemporary urban planning practices and the democratization of a process that was once in the hands of experts. Although there is considerable interest on the part of authorities and practitioners working in developing countries to apply bottom-up and participatory approaches, involvement of the poor and often disadvantaged groups in these processes remains difficult to achieve.
Can a contemporary reassessment of Beeker’s projects and the underlying principles of his approach contribute to the current debate on urban planning in Africa?
Speakers:
Coen Beeker, University of Amsterdam
Joseph Guiébo, Former director of the Direction Générale de l’Urbanisme et de la Topographie, Ouagadougou and UN Habitat expert.
Muhammad Juma, Director of the Department of Urban and Rural Planning, Zanzibar.
Gilbert Kibtonré, Secretary General of the Ministry of Lands and Developemnts in Burkina Faso
Yolande Lingané, Direction Générale de l'Urbanisme et de la Topographie, Burkina Faso.
Dick van Gameren, Professor of Dwelling, Department of Architecture, TU Delft
Anteneh Tesfaye Tola. Doctoral Candidate, TU Delft.
Date, time and location:
23 March 2017
14.00 - 17.30
Pieter de la Courtgebouw / Faculty of Social Sciences, Wassenaarseweg 52, 2333 AK Leiden
On the 6th of November, the Aga Khan Awards for Architecture were presented to their winners in the beautifully lit Jahili Fort in the United Arab Emirates. Unfortunately no winner from the African continent, although some of the projects in the final round were from Africa. Nevertheless the winning projects can give inspiration to all architects, also from the African continent. Read the review by Berend van der Lans at ArchiNed (in Dutch).
During a lecture on Tuesday 25 October as part of the 60th Anniversary of Stadsherstel Amsterdam, the international activities of Stadsherstel will be in focus. Paul Morel will expand on the interest from abroad in Stadsherstel’s approach that combines private investment and interest with the public goal of using heritage as a driver for development. If this approach is successful in Amsterdam, it may also be effective in other parts of the world, where there is great potential in the built heritage but public funds and interest is lacking. Stadsherstel’s foreign activities have until now lead to the establishment of a similar company in Surinam and Zanzibar.
Hifadhi Zanzibar (’preserve Zanzibar’) is existing for just over a year now and has a small but active group of shareholders and a small organisation that is working hard on obtaining the first building. It is positioning itself as organisation that raises awareness on the potential of heritage in development by taking action. AAmatters plays a key role as consultant in the process and in the transformation of the Amsterdam model to the Zanzibari base.
If you want to hear more, please join at the Amstelkerk, 25 October at 20:00hrs. For more information, check Stadsherstel’s website. The lecture will be in Dutch.
Difficult Dialogues on the WHS status of Stone Town @ ZIFF.
Hifadhi Zanzibar is asked to co-organise the Difficult Dialogues debate at the Zanzibar International Film Festival, with generous support from ACRA. This takes place on Wednesday 13 July from 19:20 at the Old Fort in Stone Town. For more information, please visit http://www.ziff.or.tz/2016/07/12/ziff-2016-difficult-dialogues/.
The dialogues concentrate on the World Heritage Status of Stone Town, which is a subject close to Hifadhi’s heart. Its’ office manager Maryam Mansab will host the debate with representatives from the institutional, cultural and private sector on the panel. But the audience will be heard as well! Make sure you take part!
Right now, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is gathered in Istanbul to discuss the status of World Heritage Sites across the world. In this yearly meeting the committee decides on new sites and advises on the status of existing sites.
Zanzibar’s Stone Town is renown for its rich history that is reflected in its buildings and urban structure. In the 90’s, the Government of Zanzibar made efforts for Stone Town to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This lead to the implementation of the Stone Town Planning regulations, Stone Town Heritage Management Plan and Stone Town Conservation Guidelines and all set up to save the historic character. This status was granted in 2000.
The aim for the government was to protect Stone Town as source of identity and cohesion for all Zanzibari’s and to improve its attractiveness for the tourists.
Zanzibar is known for its excellent beaches, but there are more places on earth offering this. However there is only one Stone Town in the world. Zanzibar recognised the potential of economic growth that comes with a successful tourist industry.
In the World Heritage Committee, it will be discussed if the World Heritage Status of Stone Town is at risk. Over the last years, UNESCO has been monitoring the way Zanzibar was maintaining its status and is questioning the way it operates.
What advise can we give the Zanzibar delegation that is currently in Istanbul to defend our case?
On Thursday 14 July in Montreal: The voyages of four reflective practitioners
This year will see the transfer of a considerable part of the extensive mediatheque from African Architecture Matters into the hands of the Canadian Centre for Architecture. CCA is much better equipped to make sure that the material will be available for students, scholars and researchers than our small organisation.
For that reason, Antoni Folkers is visiting the CCA and this was seen as an opportunity to organise a lecture on the voyages that are caught in the AAmatters mediatheque.
You are welcome at CCA in Montreal on Thursday 14 July at 18:00hrs at Shaughnessy House. For more information, please visit http://www.cca.qc.ca/en/calendar.
Colourful umbrellas, flowery dresses and Swahili vibes: the Ng’ambo we want!
Ng’ambo: Tuitakayo! - The Ng’ambo we want! - was shaped as ambitious and innovative project back in 2012 by the Department of Urban and Rural Planning in collaboration with UNESCO, the City of Amsterdam and AAmatters, with the aim to find support through an European Development Fund call. The proposal was turned down in 2013, but even before the proposed project period is over, the results were met anyway; the development of an innovative draft Local Area Plan based on the intrinsic values of Ng’ambo following the UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape approach.
On Saturday 4 June this was presented to the residents of Ng’ambo, combined with performances of some of the gems that one can find in Ng’ambo: Wanandege, the dance group that originally was scoffing the colonials with their umbrellas, and Tausi Taarab, a taarab group in the tradition of the famed Siti Binti Saad and Bi Kidude.
Contemporary cultural Ng’ambo was represented by Swahili Vibes, while tour guides in training from Kawa Training Centre were uncovering the rich history of the area for many of its own residents. The Zanzibar International Film Festival that kicks off a little bit more than a month from now, closed of the festivities with a film show that will be repeated in Ng’ambo during their festival.
In the coming month the final draft of the Local Area Plan will be completed and presented to the Government of Zanzibar. We are proud on what has been achieved with our colleagues from the Department of Urban and Rural Planning of Zanzibar, our fantastic, energetic and dedicated team that was built up over the past few years and the great support from the City of Amsterdam and Stadsherstel Amsterdam. We are grateful to the support we received along the way, from the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, from the Zanzibar Social Security Fund, the UNESCO Netherlands Fund in Trust and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency. Next steps are in the making!
We are pleased so share some of the images of the event, for those who had to miss it.
Saturday 4 June: Ng’ambo Tuitakayo presentation at Mapinduzi Park (Michenzani) in Zanzibar
Join us, Saturday 4 June from 14-21hrs for the public presentation, with also music performances of Swahili Vibes, Tausi Taarab, Mwanadege, tours by Kawa Training Centre and an on site film show by ZIFF!
In September 2015, the production of the Zanzibar City Centre Local Area Plan was taken in hand by a joint initiative of the Department of Urban and Rural Planning (DoURP), the City of Amsterdam and African Architecture Matters (AAMatters) with support from the Netherlands government. Through research, planning and design work by the project team, a final draft of the Zanzibar City Centre Local Area Plan is now ready to be shared with the community and private stakeholders.
The Zanzibar City Centre Local Area Plan consists of a three components:
1. The Zanzibar City Centre Local Area Plan
2. The Historic Urban Landscape Atlas of Ng’ambo
3. The Michenzani Green Corridors Project appraisal
The Zanzibar City Centre Local Area Plan is a structure plan that outlines the proposed future spatial development of Ng’ambo Tuitakayo in policies, maps and images for the next ten years to come. The main strategic vectors that direct the planning proposals are:
a. (re)connection of the people and the parts of the city with its rich culture, history and natural environment, through improved public transport, pedestrian malls and modern car parking facilities;
b. Enhancement of the vibrancy of the City Centre through expanding commercial activity, improving public recreation facilities and culture;
C. Protection and improvement of the quality of inclusive residency in the City Centre.
The Historic Urban Landscape Atlas of Ng’ambo is fruit of the cultural heritage research that was carried out and unveils the vast riches of Ng’ambo’s cultural, social and natural heritage. The Atlas underpins the Zanzibar City Centre Local Area Plan, following the UNESCO Historic Urban Landscapes principles.
The Michenzani Green Corridors Project appraisal is an urban scheme design that explores and proposes the upgrading of the public realm in the heart of Ng’ambo Tuitakayo, as well as suggests distinct areas for private and/or public development.
The above outcomes will be publically presented in the heart of Ng’ambo, in the park at Mapinduzi Tower on Saturday 4 June 2016 between 14-17hrs. The presentation includes an exhibition, a public debate, music, food and pleasure. A film show organised by ZIFF closes the event (between 19-21hrs.). We look forward to see you there. Follow Ng’ambo Tuitakayo via Facebook
Never too late to start caring about urban heritage?
By Iga Perzyna and Marie Morel
On Friday 1st of April we had the pleasure to present our project Ng’ambo Tuitakayo alongside renown scholars and urban activists as Hannah Le Roux, Johan Lagae, Joy Mboya and Iain Jackson (only to mention a few) at the Simulizi Mijini symposium on Urban Heritage in Dar Es Salaam.
The symposium was jointly organized by DARCH and the TU Berlin. It started with a session on urban heritage in an international African context and gradually narrowed down its focus towards Tanzania and Zanzibar to end up with a discussion on built legacy and cultural heritage in Dar Es Salaam.
Many issues related to the topic of urban heritage were raised along the way which later on led to interesting discussions on the political nature of heritage, the contested and highly problematic notion of shared heritage in the postcolonial context and the overall difficulty of defining the term heritage in relation to the multi-layered nature of cities.
On a more practical note we also discussed various methods of engaging with local communities and stimulating a more conscious approach to urban heritage. Here a special thanks to Joy Mboya for sharing some insights from the incredibly inspiring annual festival Nai Ni Who? taking place in Nairobi.
Despite the considerable length of the symposium the topic in itself appears to be close enough to everyone’s heart to keep the public engaged until the end. While no one dared to come with a definition of heritage, it seemed like the majority of people in the room would agree on the fluid and mutable nature of heritage and the importance of a more holistic approach to urban heritage.
The day ended with a reception on the rooftop of the Old Boma, itself a listed monument, and the future quarters of DARCH. The choice of venue seemed only appropriate in the context of the discussions that had taken place earlier that day. Especially, when regarding the setting of the Old Boma, literary dwarfed by the surrounding high-rise buildings, and pondering one of the last remarks of the symposium that it is never too late to start caring about urban heritage. It’s needless to add that in that particular physical context, the sub-title of the symposium Reconfiguring Urban Heritage From Below took upon a whole new meaning.
Stories from Ng’ambo at the Urban Narratives symposium
In the past weeks, a team of Zanzibar’s Department of Urban and Rural Planning and AAmatters have been working in Ng’ambo to explore the hidden stories of this historically rich area in Zanzibar town. On Friday 1 April they will present their preliminary findings at the Urban Narratives / Simulizi Mijini symposium at the British Council in Dar es Salaam. The symposium further brings an interesting group of people together from other parts of the continent and beyond, like Hannah Le Roux, Johan Lagae and Joy Mboya. For more info visit DARCH Facebook page.
The ‘Ajax Amsterdam maskan’ in Ng’ambo (Photo Marie Morel)
Peter Pels - professor in the anthropology of sub-Saharan Africa at the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology of Leiden University - moderated the discussions in the afternoon sessions of the symposium ‘Finding Stories’ that took place on 30 January at Stadsherstel in Amsterdam. His report on the symposium has just been published on the Leiden Anthropology Blog. A good read!
The symposium ‘Finding Stories :: The Role of Immaterial Culture in City Planning’ that took place in the Amstelkerk (Amsterdam) on 30 January attracted more participants than expected and certainly broadened perspectives and brought new ideas to the fore when it comes to how to include intangible heritage in urban planning.
Soon we will give you more feedback on the outcomes and conclusions.
We are grateful for the financial support of RVO, Stimuleringsfonds and Dutch Culture and our smooth partnership with the Municipality of Amsterdam and Stadsherstel, that made it possible to organise the event.
Meanwhile Zanzibar’s Department of Urban and Rural Planning and African Architecture Matters are preparing return to Ng’ambo again for the continuation of the mapping and planning exercises, enriched by the inspiring presentations.
While the hall at Pakhuis De Zwijger was almost completely full for the presentation on Hifadhi Zanzibar today, we are already preparing for the next public event: the symposium Finding Stories :: The Role of Immaterial Culture in City Planning. Also for this event the amount of registrations has exceeded our expectations and we are happy to bring together at least 19 nationalities.
You can now download the full programme. In case you are still interested to join, please send us an e-mail so we can see what we can do.
Update Symposium Finding Stories with all speakers
We are happy to inform you that all speakers are known and apart from the contributions from Morocco, Benin, Chad and of course Zanzibar and Amsterdam, we are proud that we can introduce Mr. Karim Hendili from the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and Prof. Gabri van Tussenbroek from the University of Amsterdam to you as key note lecturers. The audience is growing steadily, but it is still possible to register until 27 January.
Please check the updated announcement and follow the registration instructions if you want to join! We are keen to welcome you next week!
Hifadhi Zanzibar can be seen as an innovative start-up in heritage management in Zanzibar. The innovative model forms the basis of Stadsherstel Amsterdam since 1956 and overseas it is embraced as opportunity to find a new future for threatened heritage. Stadsherstel and Hifadhi, in which AAmatters plays a pivoting role, present in the Stadslicht (city light) lecture series in Pakhuis De Zwijger:
City Trip – Zanzibar Town, Tanzania
Wednesday 27 January 2016, 18:00 – 19:00hr.
Pakhuis De Zwijger – Workspace
Piet Heinkade 179
1019 HC Amsterdam
Stadsherstel Amsterdam works closely together with the Government of Zanzibar to safeguard heritage and monumental buildings. In Zanzibar, Stone Town is earmarked as UNESCO World Heritage Site, just like the Canal Zone in Amsterdam.
However, the governmental ability to financially support heritage maintenance and management is very limited. The local government recognised the model of Stadsherstel as a chance to involve the private sector in heritage management. The local investors were easily convinced, because they realised that Stone Town is a unique asset, attracting tourists to Zanzibar, while tourism is the most important driver for development. If Stone Town loses its appeal, competition with other beach destinations will become harder and economic development will be tempered.
Mid 2015 Hifadhi Zanzibar was established and currently the first projects are being prepared. In Amsterdam there is an intensive collaboration between the municipality and Stadsherstel in cases of urban regeneration. This is also the case in Zanzibar, where the government is collaborating with Hifadhi in unprotected but historically rich Ng’ambo – the ‘Jordaan’ of Zanzibar - to acquire property at strategic locations for restoration and renting out, to save this area for unrestrained private development.
Paul Morel is senior project manager at Stadsherstel, who has been involved in safeguarding many characteristic buildings in Amsterdam. He will explain how Stadsherstel works, the interest from abroad in the private company with a public goal and specifically about the collaboration with Zanzibar.
Dr. Muhammad Juma is initiator of the collaboration between Zanzibar and Amsterdam and director of the Department of Urban and Rural Planning. Maryam Mansab is office manager of Hifadhi Zanzibar, the pendant of Stadsherstel. Juma and Mansab will share their experience with Stadsherstel, how the collaboration is perceived, the importance for the built heritage in Zanzibar and where Hifadhi is at the moment.
You are welcome to join the presentation. Entrance is free, but please register beforehand via the ‘reserveer’ button. The lecture will be in English.
Finding Stories :: the role of immaterial culture in city planning
On 30 January 2016, AAmatters together with its partners City of Amsterdam, Government of Zanzibar and Stadsherstel Amsterdam, organises the symposium ‘Finding Stories :: the role of immaterial culture in city planning’
(photo AforA architects)
It seems obvious that culture and immaterial heritage are important components for regeneration plans in cities. However, it remains a challenge to find the often hidden stories representing the culture of the existing communities and to then incorporate them in planning and design.
The Municipality of Amsterdam and the Government of Zanzibar – both managing UNESCO World Heritage Sites - are working on the development of strategies for heritage-based urban regeneration in Zanzibar. This developed from a particular interest from Zanzibar in the collaboration between the private and public sector in Amsterdam when it comes to using heritage as driver for development. This already led to the establishment of Hifadhi Zanzibar, a company following the model of Stadsherstel Amsterdam NV.
Now the focus is on the heritage based regeneration of Ng’ambo, a less known area just outside of the world famous Stone Town, but equally interesting in historic sense. Next to mapping of the tangible component, it is essential to uncover the cultural and socio-economic framework in the area. This integral approach is the key principle of the UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape approach, for which Ng’ambo is an important pilot project in East Africa.
The mapping of the intangible heritage of the area – based upon intensive community involvement - is about to start. This is the reason to organise the symposium Finding Stories as part of a workshop with colleagues from Zanzibar and Amsterdam.
This symposium is partly open for public. The public programme (between 9-13:00 hrs) includes among others:
Project introductions by Aart Oxenaar (Director Department Monuments and Archaeology City of Amsterdam), Muhammad Juma (Director Department for Urban and Rural Planning Zanzibar) and Antoni Folkers (African Architecture Matters)
Key note lectures on the relation between the planned and the lived city and the relevance of the UNESCO Historic Urban Landscape Approach (speakers to be confirmed)
Cases from Casablanca (by Abderrahim Kassou), Benin, Chad and Morocco (by Franck Houndegla) and Mozambique (by Silje Elroy Sollien)
A panel discussion on tools and techniques for involving intangible heritage in urban planning and the relevance of this for the urban climate.
The afternoon sessions are closed and specifically focused on the Zanzibar case:
Tools and techniques for Finding Stories in Ng’ambo
Translating Stories in Urban Planning and Design for Ng’ambo
The results will be presented and discussed in a public conclusive session between 16-17:00 hrs.
If you are interested to join the public programme, please register by sending an e-mail to [email protected]. You will receive payment instructions for the participation fee:
Regular: € 20,00 per person
Reduction fee for students: € 10,00 per person (please provide copy of student card)
Please register before 27 January 2016. A more detailed programme will be distributed later.
The symposium is organised by AAmatters, also involved in the collaboration between Amsterdam and Zanzibar. This symposium is financed through funding from RVO, Stimuleringsfonds and Dutch Culture.
You can download a printable document with above information here.
Affordable housing in urban regeneration in Ng’ambo closer by
For Zanzibar Social Security Fund and with the Department of Urban and Rural Planning and in collaboration with the City of Amsterdam, AAmatters conducted a research on Housing Strategies for Historic Urban Landscapes. The report was issued few months ago. Today we presented the outcomes and in particular the Ng’ambo Housing Action Plan, that via a pilot project should lead to an approach that can be upscaled and that will facilitate the required sustainable development of Zanzibar. It aims at densification to save the scarce undeveloped land around the urban areas and addresses the expected growth of the Zanzibar population. It also aims at giving the current population a place in the new development. This safeguards that the intangible heritage and cultural fabric of the area is not destroyed through the renewal.
During today’s workshop we discussed with ZSSF, the Department of Urban and Rural Planning, the Worldbank, Zanzibar Housing Corporation, the Planning Commission, the PPP unit of the government, Quality Building Contractors, Aalto University from Finland and the Pan African Housing Fund from Nairobi how the Ng’ambo Housing Action Plan can be started. Again we came a step closer to putting the Plan in action. The initiating parties were identified, a detailed plan and budget will be prepared and finance will be sourced.
Khamis Ali from QBC and Okomboli Ong’ong’a from Pan African Housing Fund discussing in detail how collaboration may look like with Khalifa Hilal and the Managing Director of ZSSF, Mr. Abdulwakil Haji Hafidh.
