Flood resilience and coastal protection

As urbanization in Africa accelerates, the impact of water-related hazards and disasters on lives and livelihoods becomes increasingly critical. In African cities, where growth often outpaces infrastructure development, the consequences of inadequate drainage systems and insufficient maintenance are evident. It is resulting in a weakened economy, damaged infrastructure, destroyed houses and businesses and a rise in poverty levels. Moreover, the region is experiencing the amplified effects of climate change, including more frequent and intense storms and higher rainfall intensities. Addressing these challenges requires an integrated approach for sustainable development. At DASUDA, we employ a step-wise approach including vulnerability and risk assessment to design cost-effective solutions in African cities that are often innovative and nature-based.

Our strategies and designs encompass multiple scales, ranging from catchment to plot. It also includes various water management techniques such as surface water runoff collection, conveyance, retention and storage.

One of DASUDA’s lead partners, CDR International, has the expertise to leverage in SMART scenario identification, hydrodynamic and morphological modelling, and GIS analysis to assess damage and severe prone areas. Through projects with these experts, we have successfully designed and implemented resilient flood management measures across African cities, integrating concepts like “building with nature” and “room for the river”. Our programs prioritize capacity building and foster partnerships with communities, government agencies and related organizations.

DASUDA is dedicated to create sustainable and resilient flood risk management strategies and design of flood and coastal protection for African cities with expertise from CDR International and integration with all parties involved.

Furthermore, we recognize that droughts are threatening rural and urban areas across the African continent, jeopardizing livelihoods and ecosystems. To combat climate change, flooding and drought vulnerability, further focus on climate adaptation strategies are needed also to counter soil erosion and preventing the loss of fresh water and nutrients. Mitigating landscape degradation is a crucial aspect in this regard. 

>> See the projects related to this theme

<< back to themes

Smart mobility planning

Integrated transport planning is essential for the future of cities and countries in Africa that foster sustainable development of mobility. Here, urban mobility currently faces significant challenges that hinder accessibility, liveability, safety and economic development. These challenges are result of factors such as rapid urbanization, climate impact, inadequate infrastructure and limited public transportation options. DASUDA recognizes the urgent need to address these issues and practices her motto ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail’. In these processes, planning decisions involve all stakeholders: from local, national and international authorities, to civil society members, NGO’s and business people. With a strong emphasis on the human side of mobility, DASUDA lead partner MOVE Mobility aims to connect people through networks and create Smart Moving Cities.

Our objective is to enhance the overall quality of life for urban dwellers in African cities and improve accessibility to essential services such as education, healthcare and employment opportunities.

Before designing and implementing successful policies, we build strong visions and viable scenarios. These scenarios might strive for enhancing concrete infrastructure measures (“Hardware”), as well as organisational improvements (“Org-ware”). ”Hardware” transport policy measures include infrastructure design or the management of transport, “software” policy measures refer to actions such as information dissemination or voluntary switches to sustainable modes of transport and model split. “Orgware” measures refer to institutional and financial arrangements, as were successfully set-up multiple times by DASUDA lead partner Rebel Group. Depending on the set of measures used, they can then be formulated into different mobility scenarios accordingly.

PLAATJE

DASUDA adopts an integrated approach, the ‘quadruple bottom line’ of transport sustainability: the social, environmental, economic and participation dimension. We strongly believe that a sustainable transport system should:

• Social dimension: Respond to safe basic transportation needs of people and goods, provide affordable, inclusive and equal access to transportation means for all people, regardless of their race, gender, background, pedestrian-friendly etc.
• Environmental dimension: Reduce and limit air polluting emissions and waste, minimise noise and impact on land use.
• Economic dimension: Be affordable, efficient.
• Participatory dimension: The process of achieving a sustainable transport system should be a participatory and co-creative process and should include all relevant stakeholders, through vertical (at different government and administration level: national, regional, local) and horizontal (actors from the public sector, from businesses and the civil society) multi-level governance.

>> See the projects related to this theme

<< back to themes

Inclusive and climate-friendly architecture

In African cities, the pressing challenge of providing sustainable, adequate safe and affordable housing is at the forefront of DASUDA’s endeavour. With rapid urban population growth, the demand for housing continues to rise, straining existing resources, services and infrastructure. Many cities suffer from spatial fragmentation and weak infrastructure, isolating populations from work opportunities and social life. Simultaneously, African cities have the potential to drive economic growth. DASUDA promotes the significance of spatial planning, land use regulations, building codes, master plans and zoning practices to create well-distributed, liveable and vibrant cities. It encompasses provision of affordable housing, upgrading of informal settlements and not the least controlled densification to combat urban sprawl.

To minimize the environmental impact of urbanization, sustainable housing practices are essential. DASUDA actively promotes climate-friendly building approaches that utilize smart natural principles to create energy-efficient structures and comfortable living conditions. By reusing materials or employing locally sourced natural resources like wood, clay, stones and bamboo, DASUDA lead partners of BKVV architects and VE-R landscape architects and urbanists have emphasizes the importance of eco-friendly designs over and over again. 

Providing sustainable, adequate, safe and affordable housing in African cities is a core goal. Through innovative approaches, community engagement, and partnerships, DASUDA strives to contribute to the realization of inclusive and thriving African cities.

>> See the projects related to this theme

<< back to themes

Participatory design workshops

Plans are not made behind closed doors by the experts, but in direct collaboration with the engaged stakeholders. Plans are the outcome of co-creation. Co-creation within the consultant team, but most important, also co-creation by collaboration in participating in the design process by stakeholders. Their local knowledge, interest and insights help a lot to make a plan tailor made and most effective on the ground. DASUDA’s lead partners apply various methods for series of workshops during the various stages of the design process. These participatory workshops inform the consultant with local input, end-users insights and local regulations and policies.

In a later stage in the process workshops are a tool to take a core team of representatives from the local community alongside the professional engagement and get a much richer yield of findings on design concepts, and on top of that make participants often more ‘own’ the project and understand the interventions proposed in a plan.

Besides the external participation the various DASUDA partners make projects together and in conjunction with local people in the team. This we see as use of essential local knowledge inputs (reverse knowledge exchange). Our project teams work with experienced experts that lead and do the actual key activities of the assignments. This ensures the client of the high input of valuable international experience and knowledge in the project, while with the local partners on board the local knowledge is guaranteed.

>> See the projects related to this theme

<< back to themes

Knowledge exchange and capacity building

In order to advance towards sustainable urban development, transport systems, resilient water systems and sufficient housing solutions especially in developing and transitional economies, cities, countries and experts should be able to learn from theirs and other’s successes, failures, and challenges during their decision-making, planning and implementation processes. Sharing experiences with practitioners within and across countries improves development outcomes, leads to better decisions, and accelerates the development processes. The “Knowledge Exchange Programme” that MOVE Mobility developed and DASUDA supports aims to share the experiences of the Dutch integrated planning system, which is recognized for being one of the most sustainable and efficient systems in the world.

To this end, workshops and other interactive sessions are initiated and facilitated by us and these take place either in the Netherlands or in the target countries. The main purpose of this programme is to support mutual learning from best practices and to increase international cooperation in the field of transport, mobility and in general, spatial planning. One of the key points is to increase institutional capacity for creating smart moving regions and cities and to teach people from various institutions how to efficiently work together in multi- and transdisciplinary topics.

Under the guidance of experts from DASUDA experts the participants attend a program that shows them in practice and in discussions with designers, engineers and stakeholders how to create better places. In these programmes that MOVE Mobility have been leading participants gained knowledge about inter- and multimodality, the governance and financing of transport related projects, road design, traffic management, tender processes. BKVV architects and VE-R landscape architects and urbanists have multiple times guiding international partners on excursions for ranges of spatial topics to learn and translate to sufficient local specific translation of inspiring examples visited.

>> See the projects related to this theme

<< back to themes