Dialog-oriented Urban Design Processes and the Place-led Approach: Upgrading Informal Settlements in Maputo, Mozambique

Abstract

This case study shows the contribution of the World Bank consultancy provided by the architecture and urbanism studio superwien urbanism to the Municipality of Maputo in the rehabilitation of twenty public spaces in irregular settlements of Maputo, Mozambique. The project consists of the rehabilitation of these spaces into multifunctional community spaces and neighbourhoods’ centralities, as well as the rehabilitation of 20 km active mobility pathways to connect pedestrians and cyclists on the city scale. The development of the project was based on a dialog-oriented urban design process and the place-led approach, involving locals in all project phases. From the site selection to the final design, various local stakeholders and specialists had the main role in the project development, including local architects and urbanists, residents of the project area, local leaders and architecture students. In addition, superwien implemented a process to develop, adapt, combine and use various participatory tools in five pilot neighbourhoods, in order to approach the community in a meaningful way and achieve positive results. The findings of these participatory activities were shared with different stakeholders in the Maputo Urban Lab, which also included local architecture students. Within Maputo Urban Lab’s various activities, the local students learned about the different participatory tools and had the opportunity to apply them in participatory workshops in the remaining fifteen neighbourhoods of the project area. Their results were presented to the Municipality of Maputo and the superwien team through a rapid design, where the students could make their own design suggestions for the spaces they visited. Finally, superwien has been developing the final 22 public spaces designs which aim to ensure an inclusive, diverse and accessible approach.