Nampula, 07 March 2016-- UN-Habitat last month organized a Rapid Planning Studio in Nacala corridor with 25 participants. Nacala corridor is one of the designated economic corridors in Mozambique that connects the main cities of Tete, Nampula and Nacala with the surrounding urban and rural areas and connects the hinterland of Malawi and Zambi to the port of Nacala. This 3-day workshop was the first of a series of workshops in which local technicians, leaders, civil society, academics and private sector will develop action plans that will accommodate rapid growth, exploit the potential economic benefits that derive from economies of agglomeration, enhance urban resilience and connect rural and urban development.

The programme Enhancing the Planning Capacities of the Cities in Nacala Corridor is funded by Cities Alliance and builds upon other UN-Habitat’s engagements in the corridor, such as Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme (PSUP) and Achieving Sustainable Urban Development (ASUD) and former projects with Cities Alliance During the Rapid Planning Studio participants and UN-Habitat experts work together to integrate three basic pillars—urban legislation, urban finance and economy, and urban planning and design—of sustainable urban development simulating a full planning process in a rapid, three-day format for municipal staff.

It harnesses the knowledge, talents and energies of all parties to identify a process towards sustainable urban development. The cities in Nacala corridor have one thing in common that they all grow rapidly. If the current speed of growth continues, during the coming 30 years Nampula will grow from the current approximate 700000 inhabitants to 3 million inhabitants.

During this 3-day workshop participants and experts assessed the impact of the expected growth. In Tete and Nacala it was clear that if one keeps on building the way we are doing now, with large plots and with functional zoning, there is not enough land available and distances will be too long to benefit from one another.

The way forward

During the following workshops UN-Habitat experts, the cities’ technicians and leadership will further assess the resilience needs and integrate these into a draft structure plan and action-for-implementation list that will be discussed with all stakeholders and potential investors. The resilience assessment is a participatory process where the Rapid Planning Studio and the CityRAP, City Resilience Action Plan, approach will be integrated. Other needs for development, such as further capacity building, enhancing municipal finances and strengthening of the national framework will be addressed in a roadmap.