Bujumbura 2050 : A New Design Matrix

The history of vertical living has been continuously and dynamically evolving in parallel with the history of urban development. As African cities are continuously experiencing rapid urban growth, foreign-driven, mega-urban projects are radically shifting the physical, socio-cultural and economic makeup of these emerging cities. A major shortcoming of these projects is their inability to account for the spirit and specific phenomenologies of the place in which they are built. Bujumbura 2050-A New Design Matrix rejects this placeless, global urbanist approach, and develops a design strategy that engages and sustains local identity, culture and phenomenology. This project asks: What will be the optimal urban block typologies for meeting the socio-cultural, economic and environmental demands of Bujumbura 2050? Using the principles of relational urbanism, urban ecology and incrementalism, the proposed solution transforms an existing golf course into a dense, flexible, multi-functional urban block which enriches the existing urban fabric of Bujumbura.