PAST PROJECTS

Fifth World Bank Urban Research Symposium (2009)

Mona Serageldin, Erick Guerra and Christa Lee-Chuvala prepared a paper entitled Climate change in the local development agenda: Promoting resilience through enhanced understanding of early threats. Serageldin presented the paper on June 28 at the symposium in Marseilles.









May 2011 Construction at Ladysmith/Emnambithi Local Municipality, South Africa

The construction of a taxi rank and other key interventions proposed as part of I2UD’s urban regeneration plan for the Township of Ezakheni is under way with funding from the Neighbourhood Development Programme Unit of the South African National Treasury. In 2010, I2UD worked with the South African engineering firm Worley Parsons RSA and in close consultation with the Ladysmith/Emnambithi Local Municipality to develop an urban design framework and pilot projects for this economically distressed township located 3.5 hours southeast of Johannesburg. The treasury has also agreed to provide funding for an entrance feature to the town as well as a public park, and has approved the upgrading of a key vehicular bridge by early 2012. Technical assistance to Ladysmith/Emnambithi Local Municipality, South Africa (2010) I2UD worked in collaboration with KV3 Engineers from February to October 2010 to provide technical assistance for the township of Ezakheni in the Ladysmith/Emnambithi Local Municipality. The KV3/I2UD team developed a regeneration plan for this economically distressed township located 3 ½ hours south-east of Johannesburg in KwaZulu Natal. As part of the regeneration plan, I2UD developed an urban design framework and identified key development projects to be considered for funding under the South African Government Neighborhood Development Partnership Grant (NDPG).

The physical strategies of the urban design framework focus on renewal, connectivity and socioeconomic integration. These strategies include:

Developing the town’s east-west corridor and north-south spine; Creating a hierarchy of road networks; Improving the two main entrances; Utilizing open space in the urbanized areas for parks, housing, commercial and institutional uses; Identifying existing and future nodes where the infrastructure and urban setting will attract and support investment and business growth; Providing an appropriate setting for generation of local job opportunities. Mona Serageldin and Alejandra Mortarini traveled to South Africa in February 2010 to begin working with the local KV3 team, which included initial site investigation and analysis of Ezakheni. The draft urban design framework was then presented to the city council at a meeting in early March at which officials of Emnambithi/Ladysmith Municipality as well as Ward Councilors participated.

The final urban design framework will be presented in conjunction with KV3’s presentation for the business cases, contextual analysis and environmental analysis to the Municipality in the fall of 2010. The I2UD team working on the township improvement in South Africa has been led by Alejandra Mortarini and includes Natalie Pohlman and Kendra Leith.

(Mona Serageldin, Alejandra Mortarini, Natalie Pohlman, Kendra Leith)



Technical assistance to Arusha District, Tanzania (2009)

I2UD is providing technical assistance to the Arusha regional, district and municipal authorities to generate an urbanization strategy and a metropolitan development plan to guide the city’s accelerated expansion. Arusha has been designated as the capital of the East African Community and has been chosen as the site of the new Aga Khan University (AKU) East Africa Campus. It is also located at the junction of two segments of trans-African development corridors, which account for its 4% annual growth rate. Phase 1 of the project, sponsored by the AKU, was completed in March 2010.

Over the course of seven visits to Arusha in the last year, the I2UD team has worked closely with the Regional Commissioner, local officials and council members to identify opportunities and constraints for growth. The team instituted a participatory planning process and met with all key stakeholders including regional, district and municipal officials; elected representatives to parliament and local councils, ward development committees and village councils. The team also held working sessions with the managers of the Arusha Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (AUWSA), the Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO), and the Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS). Plans and projects were assessed and agreement on priorities has been highlighted in several reports.

Throughout this process, the I2UD team has interacted with the AKU-EA facilities planning team as the project sponsor and a key stakeholder in Arusha. To make up for the lack of maps, IKONOS satellite images were acquired covering the entire study area. For the first time, officials could see the extent of development within the municipal boundaries and the spread of informal settlements around the city. The aerial images as well as the new maps generated from them have been critical in helping local planning officials understand growth patterns and issues arising from accelerated urbanization.

The Regional Commissioner established a task force to work with I2UD on this project in August 2009. This is the first time that an interdepartmental senior official group from the three levels of local governance (regional, district, and municipality) has been assembled in Arusha. The working sessions are being regularly held with the task force to discuss the opportunities and constraints on development in Arusha and setting the priorities underpinning the action plan.

In the coming months, the I2UD team will work with the task force on a development plan and action program for the northwest sector. Study team: Mona Seregeldin, Richard Kruger, Biorn Maybury-Lewis, Natalie Pohlman, Caroline Jordi, Daniel Tsai, Christa Lee-Chuvala and Kendra Leith.

(Mona Serageldin, Alejandra Mortarini, Biorn Maybury-Lewis, Christa Lee-Chuvala, Natalie Pohlman, Kendra Leith)



Technical assistance to Sedibeng District Municipality, South Africa (2009) From March to August 2009, I2UD worked with KV3 engineers in South Africa to provide technical assistance to the Sedibeng District Municipality and the Local Municipality of Emfuleni, about one hour outside of Pretoria, to prepare plans to integrate and upgrade three to four established townships in the area housing a large number of low-income residents. Key elements of this project include:

Identifying and designing corridors and hubs for economic, social, and government activities; Creating plans for upgrading of roads and pedestrian areas; Formulating open space plans; Developing a strategy to preserve and valorize local historic sites; and Creating an environmental management plan. I2UD also engaged community residents in all aspects of the project by conducting meetings with key stakeholders, including community leaders, business owners, ward committees and local groups active in the townships. Stakeholders’ viewpoints were instrumental in the formulation of the neighborhood development strategies. Mona Serageldin, Alejandra Mortarini and Christa Lee-Chuvala traveled to South Africa at the start of the project in March 2009 to visit the sites, begin to work with the local team and hold community meetings.

(Mona Serageldin, Christa Lee-Chuvala, Alejandra Mortarini)