What will the African city of 2025 look like? FUTURE CITIES AFRICA SUMMIT STARTS [LIVE BLOG]

Mayors, urban planners and policymakers are gathered in Lagos today to discuss the future of Africa’s social, physical and economic environments at an Economist Conference, Future Cities.

The Chife Foundation is pleased to be attending the event and will be live blogging the sessions here at anamcity.wordpress.com, and tweeting @anamcity.

The Economist will be broadcasting via Twitter @EC_Cities using the hashtag #africacities.

Today’s speakers include:

• Executive Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola
• Mayor of Harare, Muchadeyi Masunda
• Chief Executive Officer, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, Dayo Mobereola 
• Architect, David Adjaye

Please see the full agenda for Future Cities on the Economist’s website here.

Join Anam team at FUTURE CITIES AFRICA (Economist Conference) in Lagos May 30/31st

Join us for a major summit on the future of cities in Africa

The most compelling growth opportunities are in Africa’s cities. In the next 10 years the continent’s population will rise beyond 1.5bn and consumer spending is predicted top $1.5 trillion.  The Anam design team will attend the event and live blog many of the sessions. 

Future Cities:  Managing Africa’s urban transformation

May 30th–31st 2012

Eko Expo Centre, Lagos

Future Cities, organised by Economist Conferences, is a major international conference, exploring innovative new approaches to designing, managing and financing Africa’s cities.

The event will feature leading authorities in urban planning, construction, transport, energy, architecture and sustainability, including the mayors of Lagos State, Johannesburg, Harare, Durban, Dar Es Salaam and Cape Town.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Babatunde Fashola, Executive Governor of Lagos State
• Parks Tau, Executive Mayor of Johannesburg
• Mohamed Alabbar, Chairman, Emaar Properties
• Kuma Demeksa, Executive Mayor of Addis Ababa
• He Liehui, Managing Director, Touchroad International Holding Group

Special NGO and academic rates are available. For further information and to register, visit www.economistconferences.com/africacities quoting code ANAM.

 

RELAUNCH: over 70 interested workers attend Brick Factory kick-off meeting

Both men and women came for information about working at the Anam Bricks factory

Now that the flood has receded, the Anam Development Company held an open meeting on Friday at the Bricks Factory in Anam New City to launch a new work season. A free boat left Otuocha in the morning bringing many people, while others walked or rode okada to the event from nearby towns of: (1) Iyora, (2) Umueze Anam, (3) Aboegbu, (4) Otuocha, (5) Nmiata, and (6) Ebenebe.

A total of 72 people were present at the meeting, including 55 men and 17 women, joined by several elders in the community. It was very positive to see such a large showing of people with an interest in contributing to the progress of the new face of Anam. Among this number there were 13 trained workers who received a certification from the Auroville Earth Institute in the technique of making bricks from the local atachikpa and laterite earth.  During the event, three of these trained workers were recognized for their outstanding commitment to the Anam City project since the training in March 2011.

Trained workers discussing their plans for forming work teams

After discussing the importance of the entire City project and the role of local brick production, many other issues were brought up regarding ways to move the brick factory forward.  There was a special interest by all in knowing when the brick making work will commence, as many people are very eager to start working there. Several applicants also asked when there could be another training at the factory.

The creative operating model of the Anam Bricks was also explained and discussed by the group.  Each trained brick factory worker will lead a team of 6-10 people, and be paid as a team by the number of bricks they can produce.  It is currently estimated that one team can make 1,000 bricks in a day on a single machine.  The factory also requires that each team include at least one female worker so that they can also have a fair chance at the work and learning new skills.   The team-based model will also allow the workers to have flexibility so that they can still continue other part-time occupations, such as farming or fishing.

An applicant asks a question about working in the Bricks Factory

Brick production will begin in early December 2011.

Anam Brick Factory maintains a list of prospective workers and trainees; if you would like to be added and contacted via SMS regarding updates on job or training opportunities, please contact Brick Factory Coordinator Ayodele on 07086139095.

Blog Post by Ayodele Eneji, Brick Factory Coordinator

Brick factory employment form

Anam City presents in Casablanca at African Perspectives Conference

Recognized as an emerging model for urbanism in Africa, the Anam City project presented at the 2011 African Perspectives conference, a prominent symposium that brings together top academic and professionals engaged in design and architectural work around the continent. The conference, organized by ArchiAfrika out of the Netherlands was held from November 3-7^th, 2011 in Casablanca, Morocco.  This year’s main theme was the ‘The African Metropolis’, offering the challenging topic of urban growth in Africa.  Keynote speaker, sociologist Saskia Sassen kicked off the event by discussing the importance of technology in the city and ways that the urban metropolis and its residents can communicate.    Other speakers from around the world presented on subtopics including:

• African urbanity: informal/formal
• From landscape of industrial production to productive cultural cityscape, and
• The periphery of the African metropolis

The Anam City project was very well received and the Chife Foundation team was able to connect with other practitioners and researchers who are developing other concepts compatible with our interest in sustainability in the African city.   African architect, Joe Osae-Addo in particular lauded the Anam City Project as an example of using design to stimulate social entrepreneurship.

The next conference will be held in 2013 in Nigeria.  The Chife Foundation plans to participate and will bring updates on the construction of Anam City.  We will have a lot to show off in two years!

Building on Water: Intensive Site Trip Advances Urban Design

The design team travelled to the project site this month for an extended work trip aimed at guiding the urban design development phase.   The extensive land surveying shed great light on the existing site conditions.  With the help of GPS units, canoes, local farmers and other volunteers from the Umuoba Anam community, the team was able to traverse the full extent of the first phase site (Ebenebe), identifying inland waterways and gaining a better understanding of traditional socio-economic and settlement patterns.

The Ebenebe river edge

Of particular importance was understanding and recording the extent of the peak seasonal flooding on the site.  Because the Anam communities are in the Niger/Anambra river basin, most of their land is heavily impacted by the seasonal tropical rain.  So why build a new city in a flood zone?  How can such a significant greenfield development be feasible, let alone ecologically responsible?   It is the most important urban design challenge; balancing environmental protection with an urgent need to improve human quality of life.  The fact is the land is all the Anam people have, the hand they’ve been dealt.  It is both a source of life and struggle.  The flood cycle effectively cuts off communities from public services, economic activities and each other.  At the same time, it is a necessary ecological process that enriches the land and enables the Anam farmers to produce over 70% of the regional food demand.   As their present living conditions worsen, the Anam people have a right to self-actualization and preservation.  Proposed urban design strategies for the new Anam City will balance the regional hydrological cycle with domestic water solutions for a sustainable settlement.  Furthermore, the rurban/agropolitan model cultivates prosperity where it’s needed the most, the rural periphery, and mitigates the destructive forces of mass urban migration.