LUANDA

AT STAKE

LUANDA

LUANDA CENTRE

RECONSTRUCTED RAILWAY

Areas of forced migration

1 million housing projects

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AT STAKE: LUANDA INTERPRETATIONS & REACTIONS

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LUANDA: A CITY IN TRANSITIONAfrica will experience the strongest growth among all regions of the world until 2050 (UN-HABITAT). From 2000 to 2030, Africa’s urban population will grow from 294 million to 742 million people, an increase of 152%. In the forecasts, Luanda will be among the four most rapidly growing cities on the African continent. The Economist

The rapid growth of Luanda will both imply major problems and create outstanding opportunities. The challenges are obvious. They range from infrastructure gaps and missing capacities for power, water, and food supply to loss of agricultural land and chaotic traffic situations, not to mention the huge health problems originating from air pollution, lack of sanitation, and huge piles of garbage.

In this challenging urban haze, we need to understand problems are also opportunities. Clever city planning methods, innovative waste management procedures, and cost efficient water treatment technologies, belong to this category of opportunities.

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PORTUGESE COLONY

Angola has been a Portugese colony since the 15th century

1500

09

2002Peace declarance

CIVIL WAR

1975Independence

Before the war, most people supprted themselves by small-scale farming.

“The key globalization issue for Luanda how more people can be productively engaged in the development process”. Allan Cain. Architect, and founder and head of Development Workshop, Luanda.

FORMAL

INFORMAL

RAPID URBANIZATION

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THE URBAN ADVANTAGE & OVERCROWDING

1 man = 2 landmines

The urban advantage implicates the abundance and variety of goods, services, amenities and opportunities, as well as social connections or ‘’human capital’’. In the cities there is also a high concentration and availability of social, cultural and health facilities. Other benefits are the access to water and sanitation, and transportation networks.

RAPID URBANIZATION

During the civil war people migrated to Luanda as it was considered the safest city to live in. The war left the country devastated by mines, and the degradation of the soil left large rural areas useless for farming. People were forced to leave the periferi and migrate to the city for better opportunities.

Luanda experienced an immense growth, and the migration to the city has only accelerated with the post war economic boom which has strengthened the hope in the urban advantage.

LuandaLuanda

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Luanda 1964 Luanda 1986 Luanda 2001 Luanda 2010

FORMAL SETTLEMENTS

INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS

COUNTRY-ESCAPE

Angola is one of the world most land mine affected countries. It was estimated a spread of two land mines for each inhabitant during the war.

Luanda was build originally by the portuguese to house 400 000 people. Today the population exceeds 6 million, which means a ten-doubling of the population in only ten years. This immense urbanization, today at a rate of 55.8 per cent, is a hard pressure on the city, and the Government is struggling to meet the challenges of overpopulation and poverty.

80 % of the population in Luanda live in informal settlements. With the immense growth comes fewer access to facilities that make urban living possible, such as water and electricity, and the rapid growth coming out of a 25-year civil war has caused a huge bottleneck in infrastructure, most notably transportation, housing, public utilities and fixed communications.

“This is where the possibilities are, possibilities for creating a life and arranging employment”.Pedro Sapista. Police / Micro Finance.

CITY EXPANSION: A LARGE DIVISION IN FORMAL AND INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS

LUANDAS EXPLOSIVE GROWTH IN POPULATION

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GROWTH VS DEVELOPMENTOIL AND THE ECONOMIC BOOM

Angola is Africa’s top oil producer and among the fastest growing economies on the continent with a growth rate of 10 % per year since the end of the civil war in 2002. Oil accounts for almost 90 % of the country’s exports, and 83 % of its national income. The majority of it’s revenues come from oil and diamond exports. The oil-rich country is a magnet for foreign workers who push up already high prices inflated by a reliance on imports.

Despite the abundant natural resources, output per capita is among the world’s lowest. Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood for 85% of the population. The growth in population is outstripping the rapid economic growth, and together with the damages from the 25-year civil war it has put a strain on the country. In Luanda, large-scale slums, known locally as musseques, are suffering from poor access to water, electricity, and proper sanitation.

Today several Chinese companies have been contracted to large-scale projects of construction and infrastructure to repair the country. All in exchange for Angola’s oil, and a deal that 70% of tenders for public works must go to Chinese firms.

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Human Development Index

HDI and GDP data refers to 2010 as reported in the HDR 2010.

GDP per capitaPPP US $

Angola

BUILDING BOOMFive years ago there were only two high-rise buildings in this skyline.

OIL BOOM

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750 000 bb/d

=100 000 bb/d Oil Exported

=100 000 bb/d Oil Used Internally in Angola

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750 000 bb/d

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TOP-DOWN APPROACH & THE FOREIGN IDEAL

The horizon of Luanda is in constant transformation, with numerous prestigious high-rise building-projects about to shape its skyline. It reveals a desire to exhibit an image of a world-class city. In contradiction, slum dwellers constitute the majority of the urban population.

Most building materials in new constructions in Angola are imported, along with the construction workers, and the design repeatingly take on a foreign look with large glass-facades and extensive use of steel.

The importation of foreign ideals and techniques is not necessarily the best solution to address the local climate conditions or the Angolan urban lifestyle. In addition it should be argued that an emphasis on local materials and techniques could boost local production and create job opportunities for the Angolan people.

Chinese large-scale planned city being build 30 km outside of Luanda city. Mainly planned a residencial hub for the lower-income class.

There are widespread construction projects in Luanda, many of them housing projects contracted to Chinese companies. Most of the rebuilding is sponsored by Angola’s government.

Monolithic blocks and striking uniformity, looking more like China than Southern Africa.

Luanda calls itself the “New Dubai”. The similarities are evident, with several show-off projects aimed to give a portrait of wealth and high-class.

“Luanda Sul is the opposite of development. Sure, it’s creating something, but development is creating works for people, like jobs and houses. This is nothing. It’s only for rich people who have houses.”

Justine Pinto de Andrade, director of the economics department at Catholic University in Luanda.

There are more than 100 Chinese construction companies in Luanda, and these are responsible for about 90% of all new construction work. They are working on oil credit.Hermenegildo Nunda, BI

China came and proposed a “China house”. The Brasilians did the same. The buildings are not adapted for Angolan life. And the quality is not good.”

Mauricio. Architect and Professor at ULA

We teach the architectural history of europe and try to bring what we learn from European and the Portuguese development to AngolaMaria Joao. Teacher in Architecture, Lusiada University in Luanda

THE URBAN DIVIDE

INFORMAL SETTLEMENT80%

FORMAL SETTLEMENT20%

THE URBAN DIVIDE

The rapid urbanization in Luanda has brought an even larger share of urban residence into total poverty, making out a huge challenge for Angola in the coming decades. Along with the increase in urban poor, the informal sector is growing largely. The development taking place seem to further a polarization of groups, with social housing projects being built far isolated from the city.

The transformation of the city should call for a more nuanced apprehension of the slums, which, apart from its negative implications, also demonstrates substantial economic potential and productivity. A sustainable growth of the city should acknowledge the dynamics of all layers within the urban fabric, encourage integration and foster diversity.

THE MOST EXPENSIVE CITY IN THE WORLDRatings of july 2011 puts Luanda on top of the most expensive cities in the world. This rating do obviously not include the informal city in their measures. A standard flat in the centre of Luanda costs $10,000-$15,000 a month to rent or at least $1million to buy. Many urban dwellers are pushed to the outskirts of the city because of the high cost of housing.

“The state do not acknowledge the qualities and productivity that exist within the informal structures in Luanda.”Mauricio. Architect and Professor at ULA

Joao Handanga Gil Administration Manager, Dof Subsea Angola

“In Luanda you will find all the indexes you are looking for. You name it, you will find it.”

You want to find the richest of the richest, with five swimmingpools, with excess water spilling over; you will find it. You want to find the poorest who do not even have access to one cup of water; you will find it.

“I would say there are three key issues that are important, not only for the city itself but for the whole of mankind. One is the problem of mobility. Another is the problem of sustainability.

The other is social diversity and co-existence”.Jaime Lerner. Architect and Mayor of Curitiba, Brasil.

1 MILLION HOUSES 30 KM OUTSIDE LUANDA

AT STAKE

FORCED MIGRATION

Massive seafront highrise development

...OUTSIDE THE CITY

GOVERNMENT OFFERS AN APPARTMENT IN ONE OF THE 1 MILLION HOUSING PROJECTS

RE-ALLOCATION; A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT?

1. THE GOVERNMENT PLANThe urban sea-front is high value land with its pictur-esque view and closeness to the beach. A develop-ment of high-class prestiguos projects including casinos, hotels, luxury apartments and commerce, are planned for the area.

2. THE INFORMAL DWELLERSToday, the sea-front surrounding the city is inhabited by informal dwellers who depend on the cities opportunities and networks. The informal settlements remind you that Luanda, with its immense economic boom, still faces many challenges. The Government see the informality as an unwanted portrait of poverty.

3. THE NEW SOCIAL HOUSING CITYAddressing the need for social housing, large-scale projects are being built 30 km outside the city, where the informal dwellers are offered apartments. The large distances to work and urban amenities does however cause a worsened poverty trap. It also require huge investment in connecting the new with the old if congestion is to be avoided.

“Re-settlement is the term the Government is using for the forced movement of dwellers from high value areas in the city centre to periferic locations. The urban slum-areas will be replaced it with high-class, multi-storey buildings.” Allan Cain. Architect, and founder and head of Development Workshop, Luanda.

8 appartments á 8 stories = 68 appartments, housing about 200 inhabitants (3,1 person per unit)

1 000 000 / 200 = 5000 blocks

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“The flats are not prepared for the Angolan people and it will become difficult for them to adapt to this new imposed lifestyle. In the high-rise city you take the responsibility and the engagement away from the people.”

You can critizice the projects happening in Luanda, like the sea-front development, if they are good or not good, but that is not important. The problem is how the people are treated. They are treated like rubbish, moved far out of the city centre. Mauricio. Architect and Teacher in Architecture, Lusiada University in Luanda.