Mashadipati: The future of green design grows in West Africa

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Our team is headed to Madrid! The Bloomberg CityLab conference, hosted by Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Aspen Institute, will take place April 27 - 29 in the Spanish capital with mayors and urban planners from around the world. Featured speakers will include Madrid Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida, renowned architect Norman Foster and Anne Hidalgo, former mayor of Paris. Watch the live stream on Tuesday and Wednesday, starting at 10 a.m. Madrid time here. A schedule of streamed speakers is here. And look out for our special edition newsletters with highlights from each day.

Gather around the baobab

Goethe-Institut Dakar Photographer: Iwan Baan

One of the most striking things about the Goethe-Institut’s new cultural center in Dakar is the baobab tree it wraps around. In Senegal, the baobab is a symbol of life, endurance and community, and is also a traditional gathering place. For the Burkina Faso-born architect Francis Kéré, who designed the building, the decision to preserve the tree nods to both his native roots and his commitment to sustainability: In 2022, when Kéré became the first African laureate of the Pritzker Prize, the Berlin-based architect won praise for helping to “change unsustainable patterns of production and consumption.”

The building itself — a 18,000-square-foot purpose-built structure whose orange hue comes from the use of clay-like bricks — reflects an urgent need to adapt public architecture to Dakar’s harsh climate reality, in which residents are exposed to coastal erosion, flooding and extreme heat. Instead of concrete, which is the dominant construction material in West Africa but would require air conditioning, Kéré opted for compressed locally sourced earth bricks that offer resistance to outside heat.

“In my village, we always used earth,” Kéré told Bloomberg’s Katarina Hoije. “What changed wasn’t the material, but its reputation.” Other passive approaches to climate control help keep the interior cool: Concrete and metal roofing helps dissipate warm air, while perforated walls allow for cross-ventilation, greeting visitors with a cool breeze the moment they enter the building.

The center will host exhibitions, music, performances, language classes and public events for the wider region — while imagining the future of architecture in Dakar.

Read the story

More on CityLab

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One giant leap for Morocco
The capital Rabat is flaunting the region’s economic progress with a $700 million skyscraper inspired by Saturn V, the rocket that put a man on the moon. And that’s just the beginning; there are also plans to turn the surrounding area into a hub for arts and culture.

The Mohammed VI Tower that sits between Rabat and twin city Sale.

Doing a Cruyff turn
Houston leaders walked back plans to halt police cooperation with federal immigration authorities after the Texas state government threatened to withhold $114 million in funds, most of which is for security at FIFA World Cup matches.

Break the pattern

“What robot cars are promising is the next generation of car dependency.”

Peter Norton

Transportation historian at the University of Virginia

Boosters of self-driving technology are selling it as a game-changer, but Norton’s seen this kind of hype before — back in the early 20th century when automobiles promised to usher in a mobility utopia. In a conversation with David Zipper, he cautions city leaders to tread carefully.

Can Kenya get back on track?

$39 billion

How much Kenya is proposing to spend on a major infrastructure push to build roads, dams, and to complete its “railway to nowhere.” The China-funded railway project stalled in 2019 after Beijing withheld the last bit of money needed to finish construction.

What we’re taking in

Bloomberg Philanthropies’ James Anderson talks about what to expect at the Bloomberg CityLab conference. (The New Urban Order)

To protect public spaces, some cities are turning to physical barriers to keep disorder out — from six-foot-tall gates at rail stations to pay toilets. Welcome to the fare-gate society. (Atlantic)

A coastal manufacturing town once known as the “submarine capital of the world” saw its fortune and population dwindle after the end of the Cold War. Now as the US military looks to ramp up its underwater fleet, Groton is scrambling to figure out how to fill the government’s tall order amid a shortage of workers, homes and transit. (Wall Street Journal)

In a bid to boost fertility rates, China has unveiled a plan to make cities more friendly to young adults, children and families, with proposals for improving matchmaking and social services, and expanding child care subsidies, among other measures. (NBC News)

DC cyclists scored a win this week when a federal judge stopped (for now) the Trump administration’s plans to remove a two-way bike lane in downtown, calling the proposed removal “arbitrary and capricious.” (The 51st)

Remember that time when Meta said the future would consist of people working, playing and meeting up in the “metaverse”? Those who bought into that vision are now left with hundreds of thousands of dollars in virtual real estate that nobody wants. (Fast Company)

One last read

MAHA’s Hopes for Healthier School Lunches Collide With Trump’s Spending Cuts

“We’re managing pennies.” Cafeterias are being pushed to serve healthier meals with less money.

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The future of green design grows in West Africa