Transform Freetown: Enhancing Homes, Improving Environments, Transforming Lives
This Project Showcase is part of the Community Voting, vote here for your favorite session.
Freetown has 74 informal settlements, where the population is living in extreme vulnerability due to lack of land-use planning, housing and basic services that are exacerbated by climate impacts, e.g. flooding, landslide, heat stress, coastal erosion, sea level rise and water shortages.
To address this, a multi-level governance partnership was built with vulnerable communities to co-design nature-based resilient housing, basic services and infrastructure that ensure inclusion, equity and well-being for all residents.
This includes: i) structured planning through re-blocking processes of Cockle Bay and Kolleh Town coastal communities where zoning plans were developed with designated areas of green zone (safe to build), yellow zone (safe to build with concern), and red zone (to be vacated and greened); ii) co-designed action plans for planning new housing units, infrastructure, services and greening; iii) commitment from Freetown City Council and the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning (MLHCP) to designate a special planning area for the 2 settlements, increasing security of land tenure to guarantee occupancy and dignified living; iv) community learning platforms established for engagement and learning across communities to roll out slum upgrading across Freetown.
This may be incorporated into the World Bank Resilient Urban Sierra Leone Program (RUSLP) in 2024. A journey of transforming lives and restoring hope for Freetown’s 40% vulnerable population.
This session is part of the “Living Better Together” block, which runs from 17:15-18:00 CET. The sessions in this block will appear in the following order:
· Transform Freetown: Enhancing Homes, Improving Environments, Transforming Lives
· Putting the Community at the Center to Provide Safe Water for All
· Digital Archipelagos: Connecting Communities
· Enabling the Disabled Through the Public Purse in Lithuania
· Empowering Collaborative Innovation in Cities Across Latin America and Africa
Richard Bockarie
Program and Technical Manager, Centre of Dialogue on Human Settlement and Poverty Alleviation
Yirah Oryanks Conteh
National chairman of FEDURP, CODOHSAPA / FEDURP
Alusine Sesay
Program Manager Infrastructure Shelter and Settlements., Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
Jamiatu Sesay
Community Mobilizer, Federation of Urban and Rural Poor /CODOHSAPA