Cultivating Prosperity: Markets & Opportunity [PHOTOS]

The Anam people are successful farmers who produce an estimated 70% of the food in Anambra State in yams, cassava and fish. For these farmers, the urban market is the cornerstone of economic activity and livelihood as it facilitates diversity and opportunity. In order to compete with a globalized marketplace, the Anam City project team is working with the community to grow more resilient agricultural systems that can integrate technology with sustainable land use. In particular, the October 2010 site visit included dedicated research in the local market at Otuocha, and the regional market in Onitsha. The Onitsha Market is the largest in West Africa and admired by Anam people for its high level of organization and legibility. The Anam City market under development will also demonstrate exemplary design while providing innovations in storage, circulation and information technology.

The photographic slideshow above includes portraits from the Markets in Otuocha and Onitsha in Anambra State, Nigeria in October, 2010.

New LOGIC for Africa

S-E-T SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK

The urgent need for sustainability today demands new systems of thinking and new approaches to problem solving — new spheres of logic.  Societies are no longer considered independent of the natural environment and neither can both exist outside of the influence of technology.  The Logic of the ANAM model is the unique conceptual basis and theoretical underpinning of our sustainability perspective, which lives in the confluence of three spheres: Sociologic, Ecologic and Technologic (SET).  The three spheres together form a regime of sustainability in which all three interactively control viability, performance and outcome.  These mutually reinforcing logics are used to assess each urban design strategy.

Sociologic: Communalism and interdependence are embedded in most African traditional cultures, yet often lost in modern society.  Because a truly sustainable urbanism is facilitated and manifested through its social roots, it must be grounded in cultural heritage, both in practice and in form.  Thus the system of collective progress, as defined by the society itself, is most resilient against socially destructive forces and reflective of the African tradition of development.  Therefore, a sociological strategy is understood as one that is culturally relevant, collectively improves human quality of life and encourages responsible citizenship.

Ecologic: Africa is blessed with abundant and diverse natural resources. The local ecology has been a source of physical sustenance, creative inspiration and a struggle for survival.  These three experiences are independently significant yet must be fairly and simultaneously addressed. Therefore, an ecological strategy is a balanced and respectful management of natural resources that meets human needs, enhances natural beauty and mitigates natural hazards.

Technologic: There is an urgent need in Africa for practical solutions to life-threatening problems stemming from natural and man-made causes.  An ‘urgent practicality’ means solutions must be readily implementable, scalable and able to yield tangible results for the present generation. Furthermore, local innovation within traditional systems is an important counter to the vulnerabilities of aid dependency. Therefore, a technological strategy is a practical, problem-solving application that appropriates indigenous knowledge systems, advances innovation, supports resilience and optimizes processes (time, money, resources).

Economics, though traditionally understood as the third sphere of sustainability, is excluded from this SET not as a devaluation of the global phenomena, but to advance the assertion that a system of production of material wealth is not central to, but results from the collective endurance and progress of humankind as derived from this SET.  The model posits the Logical SET of interrelationships as the basis for articulating a truly sustainable city, one that is both uniquely African and universally laudable.

Project Team Presents to Anam Community

Community Presentation

The project team travelled from the headquarters in Accra, Ghana to the future Anam City site in Anambra State, Nigeria this week to present developments in the new city project.

Led by Dr. & Mrs. Chife, the first community presentation was in Igbo & English and detailed the preliminary research and sustainability analysis (SWOT) to the community and Elders.

The presentation took place in Otuocha and was attended by over 100 members mainly of the Umuoba Anam community in the local illu (public square).  The attendants, which included the full spectrum of residents from young children to Elders, men and women, received the presentation with interest and enthusiasm.  The Elders in particular communicated their eagerness to see the project move forward as soon as possible following several months of discussion.

In addition to continued site surveying on the first phase site (Ebenebe), the team also traveled to surrounding settlements in the region to meet with the elders and members of other Anam communities in order to promote a city-regional development program and continued partnerships.

Anam City Regional Map

Ebenebe