Too many traffic jams, too expensive rents, inaccessible coastline … These are some of the residents of Dakar. How can the quality of life of the people of Dakar be improved? This is the theme of a virtual exhibition, “Living in Dakar”, which is aimed at residents and also those involved in urban planning. A project led by two architects, with Goethe Institut.
as reported from Dakar, Charlotte idrac
Work in progress in the Point E district, a building is under construction. It is one of the many construction sites in Dakar: “It was a district that consisted entirely of houses and is now being completely transformed with large and very dense buildings.”
Caroline Geffriaud is an architect. With his colleague Nzinga Biegueng Mboup, they analyzed the development of housing in Dakar since the pre-colonial period: “First on the plateau, we channeled the Lebou villages, the Lebou concessions that existed. After the colonial era, the new typologies of houses with a certain logic. And then Dakar gradually spread. Being a peninsula, space is actually limited, the densification is done very vertically ”.
Not everyone lives up to the task
The observation for architects: the current offering of housing in the capital is very far from the expectations of the inhabitants. Caroline Geffriaud: “It is a question of thermal comfort, visual, olfactory and also sound comfort. There is a lot of noise everywhere in Dakar. It is also a question of the allocation of public spaces, the question of outdoor spaces and also of housing policy in general, whether it is adapted to the socio-cultural characteristics of Senegal, if it is not fair. “application of an imported model”.
Covid demands, the exhibition is completely virtual. Every day new content is offered on Facebook and Instagram pages “Living Dakar”.
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