Urban Planners love Fumba

The first university poised for Fumba Town in Zanzibar, the renowned African School of Economics (ASE), opened with an extraordinary diploma course on urban planning.

The first university poised for Fumba Town in Zanzibar, the renowned African School of Economics (ASE), opened with an extraordinary diploma course on urban planning.

Around 40 participants are taking part in the ongoing program by the school’s inaugural research centre Africa Urban Lab (AUL); all were staying in Fumba Town. “The growing town is actually a living urban lab”, said AUL founder and director Kurtis Lockhart. A highlight of the first lab: famous French architect and urban planner Alain Bertaud, 83, held a public talk in Fumba. The renowned academic from Marseille is a fellow at the Marron Institute in New York.

In his well-attended lecture, the scholar rejected state regulations for housing but demanded more long-term infrastructure planning.The new diploma is “aiming to prepare African city-builders to tackle the continent’s rapid urbanisation”, said Lockhart. The first cohort of students included Ethiopian mayors, UN staff, directors of ministries and other early and mid-career urban professionals from across Africa. With African cities expected to gain nearly a billion residents by 2050, there is urgent need for innovative solutions.

Picture:

Guru of urban planning: Alain Bertaud from Marseille

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