Today is a rainy day in Mwanza. Its beautiful so smell the rain and hear it dropping in the metal roof of the house. The garden we see from our window is vibrant, drinking water as if it would have been very thirsty.
We are waiting for a ride that would take us to the office. Today we are going to finish a presentation we have been working on this week. This, we will show tomorrow to the Mwanza urban planning area. Its about the field trips we have been conducting during the weekend and the beginning of the week. It will also point out the opportunity areas that we think the city should work at first.
Regarding our findings, after several hours under the warm sun of Mwanza the Mwanza-Tampere team has enough information to continue with an analysis of Central Business District (CDB) of the city. Some important findings are:
- Around the CBD we find that most of the buildings are commercial. The majority of them serve also as housing to the owners of the shop.
- Most of these buildings are 1 or 2 stories high, meaning that the skyline of the city is mostly low rise.
- The market area is very chaotic. It is not easy to recognize and it extends towards the streets full with traffic.
- There is a lack of public spaces around the city. People normally rest in a chair on the side of a sidewalk, under a tree, or even close to streets full of smog and traffic.
- The waterfront, one with the nicest views, is not used as a public space. Instead it serves as a back side of the buildings there. Some parts are now starting to be used for informal commercial stands.
- The river coming from the lake is very contaminated as it carries trash from the whole city. Currently the space along the river is forgotten.
- Informal settlements on the hills are a big challenge to the city as it is difficult to provide better housing for this people.
These are few and important issues that we can point out now and that make this task very interesting, and the team has done a lot of brainstorming to provide good solutions. However the most difficult task would be to implement the new development plan. This step, is normally the most challenging one as it involves a lot of stakeholders and should be oriented to the economy of the city.
Below a map of the old CBD. The borders of the old city center have now expanded towards the fishing market (north), the city council (north east), and the informal settlements (south). The buildings in black represent a religious, governmental office or market area, while the other ones are mostly commercial and market settlements. With the lake on the west side and the market on the south east area, how would you walk through the center of Mwanza? Which path looks more appealing to you?
Below a map of the old CBD. The borders of the old city center have now expanded towards the fishing market (north), the city council (north east), and the informal settlements (south). The buildings in black represent a religious, governmental office or market area, while the other ones are mostly commercial and market settlements. With the lake on the west side and the market on the south east area, how would you walk through the center of Mwanza? Which path looks more appealing to you?
By: Natalia Rincon
I would really wish to be part of the team that transfoms Mwanza into a world class city. I believe Mwanza has 3 problems:
ReplyDelete1. Low publicity. If you google the word Mwanza, you will get 541,000 results as opposed to say Arusha's 1,380,000 results and Kisumu's 854,000 results. This low PR is not good for any city that wants to become a world class centre. Many people in East Africa even believe that Arusha is more important than Mwanza.
2. Tourism promotion: Mwanza is closer to Serengeti than Arusha, being only 2hrs drive away and besides it has lake victoria and 2 island national parks close by (Saanane and Rubondo). The majestic rocks are also an all time allure to visitors. Mwanza needs to tap into that potential by improving the Airport to international standards like Kisumu and promoting the entry of Serengeti through the Western Gate at Lamadi.
3. the third thing i believe that Mwanza can do to change its history forever is to make itself the Minerals hub for East Africa. Eastablish a gold/ diamond trading centre in Mwanza and traders will come from all over the world to buy and will jet in through the new Mwanza international airport. Expand the Kisesa industrial park and give incetives to investors to start factories in Mwanza. I also think more univiersities need to set up to produce skilled labour force.
I agree with you that we need more recreational parks in the city where people can rest and that the river running through the city needs to be cleaned up.
I wish all the best in your endeavors.
2.