Public Space Resiliency in Dar es Salaam

Abstract

A masterplan, commissioned by the Municipality of Dar es Salaam aims to redevelop the Lower Msimbazi River Basin with new urban development. In the context of rapid urbanisation and sustainable development, uncovering the relationship between public space and resiliency as mediated by urban form is essential to contribute to resilient master planning in developing environments and in this context, a more resilient public space in the redevelopment masterplan in Dar es Salaam. The research departs from an ongoing tension in master planning – how to assess and determine optimal qualities of urban form to enhance resiliency of public spaces. The research aims to define, spatially assess, and explore the relationships of factors influencing public space resiliency in central Dar es Salaam using a combination of a transdisciplinary literature review, geospatial quantitative analysis, ethnographic observations, and in-depth interviews. To inform a more resilient public space in the redevelopment masterplan, the research urges approaching resiliency in terms of ward-based identities and typologies. It recommends improving resiliency through the creation of space by enabling polycentricity, designing for wider conceptions of public space and strategically densifying through the creation of new urban forms. The research opens up possibilities for strategic interventions given further local investigation and site-specific acceptability by residents in Dar es Salaam.