This webinar is organized by Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei in collaboration with the I and II Level Specialising Master “Design for Development. Architecture, Urban Planning and Heritage in the Global South” Politecnico di Milano – DAStU/Poliedra.

In this webinar Catherine Kalisa (UN-Habitat) and Christian Benimana (MASS Design Group) will discuss the topic of urban sustainability and the concepts of urban circularity and resilience with reference to the development and planning of African cities.

The planet Earth is facing a climate emergency. Economic and population growth are the most relevant drivers of increases in CO2 emission from fossil fuel combustion. Notably, cities produce 50% of global waste and 60-80% of GHG emissions. Meanwhile, population is expected to increase by 2 billion persons in the next 30 years, the Sub-Saharan African region is projected to double the population by 2050. African cities are suffering a bold development most often without the benefit of policies or investments able to meet these challenges. This is the time to intervene in order to enhance administration and liveability of urban agglomerations. This meeting wants to quest if there is space for concepts as circularity and resilience in African cities. Those two concepts were born in Europe, but today lower and middle-income economies are more ‘circular’ and ‘resilient’ than their counterparts in high-income countries, and a shift towards a sustainable living might be more intuitive and immediate.