News

Liberia inception mission

In the second half of July, DASUDA lead partner CDR International kicked-off the Liberia Urban Resilience Project with an intensive Inception Mission. We support the Ministry of Public Works of Liberia in implementing this The World Bank-funded project, aiming to improve urban resilience in four flood-prone areas of Greater Monrovia —Northern Bushrod Island, Omega Market Area, Central Monrovia, and Southeastern Paynesville. The project addresses site-specific hydraulic challenges and systemic gaps in water management and urban planning.

The project consists of the following tasks:

• Carry out detailed flood risk assessments of the areas
• Developing urban resilience plans, focusing on participative approach, and selecting flood resilience and community infrastructure services;
• Developing preliminary and detailed designs for mitigation measures
• Preparing Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs)
• Providing procurement support to the Client.

CDR International and joint-venture partner Earthtime lead this multidisciplinary initiative, supported by DASUDA partner VE-R landscape and urbanism, Deltares, Geo2, and various other specialists.

During the mission and multiple site visits before and after the formal Inception Programme, we were reminded of the value of having boots on the ground, especially in such complex and dynamic urban settings. With Monrovia receiving some of the highest annual rainfall globally, its low-lying deltaic terrain, combined with rapid urbanization and informal development, poses severe challenges for drainage and resilience infrastructure.

This project is a typical DASUDA project which aims to tackle these challenges by combining technical flood risk management with community-centered urban upgrading. Its dual approach includes (1) improving critical drainage infrastructure through blue-green-grey solutions—such as stormwater retention zones, vegetated wetlands, and engineered drainage—and (2) upgrading public facilities in vulnerable areas, including markets, sanitation systems, public lighting, water kiosks, and recreational spaces.

Our visits led to various new insights into the local hydrological systems and deepened our understanding of the socio-economic and urban fabric of the study areas. With the local knowledge of Earthtime and John C. II. Mayson, and regular visits from international experts, we continue to work towards a safer, more flood-resilient Monrovia, where community-supported infrastructure and integrated planning reduce vulnerability and protect livelihoods.

 #UrbanResilience #FloodMitigation #Monrovia #WorldBank #Liberia #CDRInternational #DASUDA #SustainableCities #ClimateAdaptation

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Advancing Flood-Resilient and Transit-Oriented Development Along the Nairobi Commuter Rail

CDR International, leading a consortium of DASUDA partners—VE-R, Move Mobility, and Rebel—is finalizing Activity 3 and 4 in the ongoing Flood Risk Management Study for the Nairobi Commuter Rail. This Study is commissioned under the Kenya Urban Mobility Improvement Project (KUMIP) and supported by the World Bank and Kenya Railways Corporation (KRC).

This project addresses two critical challenges for Nairobi’s rapidly expanding urban population: flooding and mobility issues. The Nairobi Commuter Rail (NCR) system serves as a vital public transport backbone connecting key residential areas like Ruiru, Syokimau, Embakasi, and Kikuyu to the city centre. However, frequent service disruptions due to flooding threaten the reliability of this essential infrastructure—undermining economic productivity and public confidence in rail as a viable alternative to road transport.

After carrying out a detailed flood risk assessment of the rail infrastructure and surrounding areas, Activities 3 and 4 focus on delivering strategic, pre-feasibility-level solutions to strengthen the commuter rail system’s flood resilience and support sustainable urban development in the Nairobi Metropolitan Area (NMA).

• Activity 3 has resulted in a comprehensive Flood Risk Management Plan for the entire commuter rail system. The plan provides prioritized recommendations—both structural and non-structural—to guide future investments in flood mitigation. These measures aim to reduce vulnerabilities, improve asset durability, and ensure continuity of operations during extreme weather events.
• Activity 4 applies these insights to three critical commuter hubs along the Thika Line—Githurai, Mwiki, and Kariobangi South. This phase introduces urban flood mitigation strategies that integrate with Transit-Oriented Development (ToD) principles. Draft guidelines developed for these stations provide a framework for scaling DRM-informed urban planning to other rail nodes across Nairobi.

Importantly, the plans for both activities were developed in close collaboration with national and local stakeholders. During a series of dedicated engagement workshops, stakeholders identified and evaluated potential interventions using a multi-criteria analysis approach—ensuring that proposed solutions reflect local priorities, feasibility, and long-term impact.

Using open data, government inputs, and a high-resolution terrain model, the study identifies strategic interventions that align with Kenya’s goals for resilient infrastructure and inclusive mobility. These outputs will inform future design and investment decisions, ensuring that flood risk is not displaced but responsibly managed.

By addressing the intersection of flood resilience, mobility, and urban planning, this project contributes meaningfully to Nairobi’s long-term sustainability, economic performance, and quality of life.

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DASUDA hosts participatory design workshop with farmers in Kitui

VE-R and Africa Wood Grow recently hosted a participatory design workshop in Kawongo with local community members, including farmers, to develop a resilience-building intervention. The farmers’ engagement was remarkable—they actively participated in every step of the design process.

The workshop began by exploring a range of measures such as agroforestry, beekeeping, sand dams, and more, evaluating their impact on the community and the ecosystem. Together, we developed an integrated solution. The farmers identified water access as a critical need, especially in upstream areas, as it enables other investments in the value chain of products.

Kawongo faces severe water shortages during the dry season, exacerbated by vegetation loss, soil degradation, and erosion on steep slopes, making agriculture increasingly difficult. Climate change has worsened these conditions, causing longer, unpredictable dry periods that threaten farmers’ food security. Access to water is limited to kiosks, dams, boreholes, and sand dams, with community members often spending hours walking to and waiting at water sources. During droughts, farmers face difficult choices: pay for water, risk crop failure, or spend the entire day fetching free water from the Tiva riverbed, 1-5 km away.

During the workshop, participants proposed an intervention centered on a shared farm pond serving approximately five households. This pond would be complemented by agroforestry, cover crops, and terracing to reduce siltation, improve water quality, and maximize its effectiveness.

Last month, we refined the design and are eager to implement it this October before the rainy season starts. The farm pond will be monitored throughout the rainy season to gather insights for further improvements. We hope this prototype will inspire other stakeholders to enhance water security throughout the Kitui region.

The GRASSROOTS project is funded by de Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie

More information

https://ve-r.nl/

https://africawoodgrow.org/

josje@ve-r.nl

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National Teacher Colleges awarded Architizer A+ Awards 2022

Studio Akeka, lead partner of DASUDA, in cooperation with Oubuntu Consulting, has been honoured with the public award in the category ‘Architecture for Good’ for their National Teachers Colleges (NTC) project in Uganda. The project involves a significant campus renovation and construction of new facilities at two education locations near the towns of Kaliro and Mubende.

The A+ Awards recognizes extraordinary work of the world’s best firms, highlighting the work of pioneering architects and designers that strives to create architecture that will stand the test of time. The ‘Architecture + for Good’ category celebrates projects and architects that address societal challenges in collaboration with communities.

The NTC encompasses 24 renovated and 8 new buildings, providing education to approx. 2000 students, housing for students and teachers, classrooms, energy-efficient kitchens, sports facilities, sustainable energy facilities, waste recycling and food production. The design process began in 2019, and construction has recently been completed. Notably, the NTC project is acknowledges as climate-responsive design best practice in Uganda.

The NTC encompasses indoor and outdoor spaces, incorporating indigenous artisan technologies and prioritizes green spaces, biodiversity preservation and water protection. It uses locally available material such as bamboo and earth bricks which encourages community participation. The architecture emphasizes natural lighting, ventilation, and passive cooling, resulting in thermally comfortable spaces with reduced energy consumption. Furthermore, the project demonstrates cost-effective maintenance, reduction in project costs and shorter implementation period. Remarkably, the buildings maintain a cool interior temperature without the need of air conditioning. DASUDA is immensely proud and honoured to have received this award.

More information

– National Teachers College, Mubende

– Architizer

–Studio Akeka

– Oubuntu Consulting

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DASUDA will present Msimbazi project at IFLA conference

VE-R, lead partner of DASUDA, is invited to facilitate a Round Table / Workshop at the IFLA World Congress 2023 to be held September 28-29, 2023. The focus of this engaging workshop will be River and City Park Design in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We will take this invaluable opportunity to share and exchange knowledge on the Lower Msimbazi Upgrading Plan (LMUP) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. By participating in the IFLA World Congress 2023, VE-R and DASUDA are excited to contribute to the global dialogue on sustainable urban development and foster collaboration towards realizing better African cities.

The IFLA World Congress is organized by the International Federation of Landscape Architects, attracting global professionals who want to participate in creating a sustainable built environment. The 2023 edition of the IFLA World Congress will take place in both Sweden and Kenya. The workshop on LMUP will take place in Nairobi, Kenya.

The selection of LMUP for the workshop is a testament to its relevance to the conference theme “Emergent Interaction”. This theme aims to explore ‘emerging forms of collective problem solving, networks of ideas and borderless strategies in order to find new solutions to the urgent issues of climate change, social inequality and biodiversity’.* LMUP address these critical issues while showcasing contextual relationship, innovation, sustainability, originality and quality of spatial design.

It also relates to all three subthemes of the IFLA conference by 1) stakeholder involvement on all levels, realized through a ‘Charette process’ 2) a site-specific approach, while also considering global effects of climate change and international best practices, and 3) an integrated approach through joint efforts of a multi-cultural (Dutch and Tanzanian) and -disciplinary team.

Josje Hoefsloot, representative from DASUDA and VE-R, will be presenting the LMUP project during the conference. Her presentation will emphasize the project’s achievements so far in public space design, flood resiliency, Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), Non-Motorized Transport (NMT) networks, and biodiversity. Long term collaboration with CDR International, also lead partner of DASUDA, has led to a very special project. We would like to warmly invite all our friends and partners who will be present in Nairobi during this period to join us in this discussion. For further details, kindly reach out to Josje, on this matter.  

More information

Lower Msimbazi Upgrading Plan

VE-R landscape architecture and urbanism

josje@ve-r.nl

– IFLA Congress 2023IFLA 2023 – IFLA2023

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DASUDA celebrates 10 years

In 2012 Mark Hendriks, Robert van Kats en Remco Rolvink got the first idea of setting up an umbrella organization for SME with expertise in the spatial development and design field and with specific focus on sub-Sahara Africa. In 2013 the foundation DASUDA was established and 10 years later we look back on many very interesting collaborations, challenging endeavors, and successful projects. We are grateful to all of you with who we were able to work with and what these teams have delivered. Now DASUDA is ready for a next step.

In those 10 years the variety of topics and spread of locations was impressive. From Agri hub development to Teacher college campus design, from Non-Motorized Transport strategy to Flood Safety measures, from Tanzania to South Africa, from Nigeria to Sao Tomé.

Now DASUDA is ready for a next step. Out of all forms of partnerships over the last years a group of five companies have formed organically the position of frontrunners. CDR International, MOVE Mobility, Rebel group, Studio Akeka and VE-R. These five are the lead partners of the foundation from the first of July. A new DASUDA website will represent this. DASUDA is even more then before a platform to encourage collaborations and strengthen forces to achieve the goals in sub-Saharan Africa. You are invited to reach out to us. We aim to give all attention to seize opportunities in the rapid growing and changing African cities to make a better living environment together.

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