PART I
When the city of Lagos comes up in conversation, what is the first thing that springs to mind? Is it the ubiquitous black and yellow minibus taxis, or the throaty calls of their passenger-seeking conductors? Is it the teeming markets that melt into each other in dense commercial zones such as Lagos Island, where street hawkers, wheelbarrow salesmen and traders manning lock-up shops all vie for customers’ attention? Perhaps the quintessential image evoked is of more intimate settings: the boys’ quarters and unending hum of generators, the easy familiarity with which strangers seem to interact, exchanging quip remarks and glances – some more friendly than others? Quite possibly, the city’s most dominate image may be driven by more recent ‘mega-city’ interventions: expansive developments, such as the Lekki-Epe axis, Eko Atlantic City, the new Ikoyi-Lekki link bridge and other markers of modern cityness.
Lagos is a city for the big and small – but the interactions and perceptions of those who live and work in it are highly differentiated. With this reality in view, the Open City Lagos project began in 2015 as an investigation into various interpretations of ‘openness’ evident in Lagos, as well as a number of other leading cities across the globe. A year-long collation of ideas, and discussions on the subject resulted in the Open City Lagos Publication which was launched on the 4th and 5th of March, 2016. To mark the occasion, Nsibidi Institute along with Heinrich Boll Stiftung and Fabulous Urban, put together an event series to grant a closer look at some of the themes explored in the publication and open up the discussion to an even wider audience. The packed two-day event brought together local and international scholars, practitioners, stakeholders and policy makers who shared their reflections and opinions in a series of discussions. intended to initiate the discourse on the development of cities where the coexistence of different social groups and the richness of cultural diversity come together to foster growth that is diverse, equitable, creative, sustainable and inclusive.
Our guest speakers shared real stories of translations of, and hindrances to, openness in their cities, identifying actions that need to be taken to allow openness to flourish in cities. Here are a few cogent points we took away::
The Human Scale: Human interaction is the anchor of urban realities. In order to create cities that are spatially and culturally open, the human scale must be factored into decision-making processes and policies. Our keynote speaker, Hafsat Abiola-Costello (former special advisor on Millennium Development Goals to the Ogun State governor and president of the China-Africa Forum and KIND Foundation) in a deeply moving, personal speech. shared her experience growing up in Lagos, and emphasised the importance of one-on-one human interaction in building liveable communities. Andrew Maki (Justice & Empowerment Initiatives), and Ayo Assaf (Axis Design International) insist that the human scale of spatial and community interactions must not be lost in this age of burgeoning city populations. The conversations looked at the human scale issue from two angles:
Addressing city-wide issues can be as simple as solving the challenge for one person. Interventions do not have to come as grandiose, one-fell swoop solutions to the city’s challenges. They can come as solutions on small household scales, and then be replicated or upscaled, allowing community involvement and ensuring openness.
The second angle is engaging as broad a base of citizen participation as possible. Although interests will vary from family to family, tribe to tribe, religion to religion, deliberate effort to put as many of these interests into consideration needs to be made.
Research and Development: Research is intrinsic to the success of any development scheme. Informed decisions are the only way to produce relevant concepts that are responsive to people and their contexts. James Oyewale (BuzzRoute), Emeka Okoye (Cymatics) shared how technology can be a useful tool in gathering data about the city and its inhabitants. This data according to James can be a source to provide ‘asymptotic solutions – solutions that
Forward Thinking: Urban solutions need to go as deep as their corresponding challenges. Fundamental systemic shifts are necessary to go beyond in-the-moment schemes to developing resilient, sustainable cities. Many of these answers are locally available and already being employed, whether by vulnerable groups forced to be resourceful or by innovative professionals. Panelists also suggested that breaking out of traditional molds of planning, as well as pulling down professional boundaries were key to setting the pace for sustainable urban planning. In planning for the future of our cities, we need to:
Reevaluate existing definitions,
Reexamine them with new lenses, and
Reimagine the possibilities they present.
See a highlight of the event in our storify post: http://storify.com/NsibidiInst/open-city-lagos-book-launch-2016
PART II
Day Two consisted of workshops which were designed to put to practice concepts of inclusion deliberated over the previous day. The parallel workshops involved urban and creative professionals and undergraduate students from the University of Lagos’ Department of Architecture in highly interactive sessions of interdisciplinary engagement. The workshops were put together in an attempt to generate new ways of thinking which could be applied to pertinent questions that are arising in contemporary African cities.
Workshop I
Common Ground
What current everyday activities are shaping Lagos and its processes? How can public space be redefined and adapted to fit into city-specific contexts? These were the questions which kicked off the Common Ground workshop facilitated by Tosin Oshinowo (cmD+A), Dr Jenny Mbaye (City University London), Participants were encouraged to resist dichotomist thinking and identify their personal toolboxes – the set of lenses and capabilities that help us shape our urban experience. The aim of this was to guide participants in a more conscious reading of the city, taking special note of interactions in city-spaces and how different players disrupt or contribute to commonality in the city.
Participants were split into three groups and asked to apply one or a combination of tools to a site or specific activity in Lagos to help create or improve its openness. Group One came up with the idea of “natural synthesis”, applied to a broad scheme for a reimagined Marina coastal line populated with interactive, ‘green’ activities; the second group focused on Tejuosho and Balogun Markets, proposing the use of video, photography and social gatherings to enhance the sharing of experiences in order to deepen social connections; and the last group looked at markets as well, along with abandoned sites and interstitial spaces as opportune sites, and proposed inserting pop-up markets, sound installations, and other place-making activities.
Workshop II
Micro Interventions
The workshop began with an introduction by Fabienne Hoelzel (Fabulous Urban), describing the need for planners and communities to think outside the traditional top-down development methods and explore new approaches to dealing with urban and social ills. Working in groups, participants were asked to identify a societal challenge in Makoko and to sketch a small-scale, low-technology scheme to respond that specific need. After some deliberation, each group presented their micro intervention idea. Our guest jurors, Megan Chapman and Lookman Oshodi – gave insightful feedback on the feasibility of each scheme. Here are the initiatives the groups put forward:
Drum Toilet:
The use of sawn-off storage drums as human waste collectors in houses instead of direct disposal into the lagoon waters to help mitigate water pollution in areas of Makoko.
Tawani
In this ‘domino effect’ solution, water is pumped from the lagoon for sanitation purposes, after which it is then purified and used again, this time to generate hydropower for homes and businesses
Ara (Wonder Wheels)
This mobile, collapsible apparatus is a fish smokery, display and storage unit, designed to address sanitation and hygiene issues, as well as enhance the entrepreneurial activities of women in the community.
Hotspot
Communal public toilet and bathroom facilities with waste and water recycling components to answer sanitation, hygiene and unemployment challenges.
The launch event ended on a high note, with a rooftop evening gathering featuring bicycle stunts by Makoko-based riders and short films from Goethe Insitut’s African Metropolis (2013). The rooftop event was an attempt to implement the openness tenets highlighted in the discourse: namely accessibility, mixity, and spatial diversity. Featuring acrobatic performances from Makoko-based cyclists and a screening of short films from African cities, this pseudo-guerrilla effort showed what is possible by adapting vacant spaces in the city for eclectic, social use.
What’s Next?
The launch event might be over but the dialogue on openness in our cities is not. Keep an eye out for future activities and events. If you would like to keep tabs on what’s happening with Open City Lagos, like the Facebook page, and follow the Heinrich Boll Foundation and Nsibidi Institute.
The conversation continues on Twitter #OpenCityLagos #OCLBook16