Martin Schnitzler & Steffeb Stupp

A strategy to grade up peripheral housing areas in the City of Kananga, D.R. Congo.

Since the end of the colonial era in 1960 a strong movement from rural to urban has been taking place all over the D.R.C. Without any urban planning small cities has turned into messy urban agglomerations. The rural population has brought their way of life into the cities and has transformed them into high dense subsistence economy focused areas.

Kananga, a city in the mid-south of the D.R.C. lays on a hilly plateau surrounded by small flows. The post colonial districts are mostly situated around the slope areas of the city. Extreme weather condition combined with deforestation led to strong erosions that threatens the people´s livelihood.

Urban life is an every day challenge.

Our project aims to an adjoining development process of the district Apollo and to answer the question: How Congolese urbanism could be like?

A Vision The central market and the new place of assembly have become the most frequent meeting place in the district Appolo.

As a visible example the City´s University and the inhabitants develop four types of parcels. Focusing on the different requirements of urbanity, manufacturing, living and cultivating. The usual parcel organization is added prevention of erosion, maximum use of space to cultivate plants and sanitation.

To protect the soil from new erosion the main organisation of paths and parcels shifts to a radial urban structure.

Parcels that provide access to energy, drinking water and sanitation create several sectoral centers. Around these parcels the competence to organize adapted parcels led to a district that combines Congolese urban life with the production of goods and cultivation of plants. The four different types of parcels create an associated economic structure that provides food and income supply for the population of Appolo.

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