The Covid-19 pandemic has put the brakes on many high growth assumptions. It is an understatement to say that sectors which, until a year and a half ago, were buoyant, suffered a sharp decline and threw hundreds of thousands of workers onto the streets. As there is growing talk of post-covid, salvation could come from the city.
By Daouda Mbaye
The African population is urbanizing. All these cities of more than one million inhabitants, added to urban conurbations, are the source of real development. Upstream, the master plans would take into account their respective ecosystems, ranging from utilities (energy, water, sanitation) to connectivity, including schools, markets, places of worship, leisure … without forgetting the green for Green Towns. Because a city constitutes an abundance of activities, where exchanges must be regulated, secured, where services must be accessible to all, it can be the crucible for the formalization of this entire population of young people and women who operate in the informal sector.
In the name of the comfort of its residents, not to sacrifice on the altar of promiscuity, pollution including noise and savagery – someone pointed out « the savagery of these wild cities of Africa » - it is high time to design and build green, sustainable and smart cities. Smart cities are part of pleasant landscapes, where investments are correlated with demographic growth …
« Because a city constitutes an abundance of activities, it can be the crucible for the formalization of this entire population of young people and women who operate in the informal sector »
A city also produces waste, pollutes its environment, is subjected to the vagaries of nature, etc. There are local solutions to deal with them. They can respond to the problem of an adequate sanitation system, with liquid and solid waste treatment plants. In high-risk areas, making earthquake-resistant constructions compulsory could open up new outlets and markets.
As for cleaning up a beautiful bay and making it a popular spot for water sports, winning a “Pavillon bleu” for a beach cluttered with rubbish, or even digging hoppers, building bridges, erecting pedestrian bridges, swarming the city of line tramways… the intramuros of our cities are thousands of potential jobs.
Daouda Mbaye
