ARCH9000: Studio VII: Special Topics Fall 2017 – Benin
A Tale of Two Cities
Akpakpa-Dodomey, Cotonou, Benin
Ganvie, Benin
Syllabus Statement - A tale of two cities
In May 2015 the United Nations released a report suggesting that 10 million more people are added to the urban
population of Sub-Saharan Africa each year, over two-thirds
or slums, and only 2 million can expect to ever move out from them.
(7
million)
live
in informal settlements,
Urban planning and governance have not adapted fast enough to the extraordinary situation of rapid urban
change in Africa. The planning profession is in many respects still prisoner of received laws and codes tied to
the colonial tradition, and established prior to the rapid urban expansion of the post-colonial period.
Many urbanists have observed in post-colonial Africa a new process of urbanization unleashed by the masses
of relatively low income migrants who have flocked into the cities since independence, and who are seeking to
solve their problems of accommodation and employment informally, and on their own terms…, the urban
poor are dominant, and in most cases are transforming the city to meet their own needs, often in conflict with
official laws and plans.
While slums are defining the characteristics of cities in the region, it is really 'a tale of two cities.' For cities in
West Africa have some of the most expensive real estate. Cost of homes in high end areas compete with
some of the most expensive cities in the world. So the tension between the formal city and informal city will
run for some time as the formal city comes to acknowledge the reality that has always been there. The
informal city is part and parcel of the urban landscape of West Africa and cannot be wished away
Indeed a more pragmatic view that acknowledges the reality of slums, and at the same time the
dynamism of slum inhabitants to resolve their very problems can go a long way in helping cities in the region
cope with rapid urbanization. In the case of Benin this dynamism is magnified by the diverse ethnic, cultural,
and religious make-up of the people and their capacities to live together in peace.
The foci's of the 2017 fall Benin Studio will be the tale of two cities, the formal and informal. We will listen and
respond to historic and contemporary stories of two very different places separated by less than 12 kilometers
of water. We will focus our energies on the informal settlements of Ganvie, a city formed by refugees from
the slave trade, and the other Akpakpa-Dodomey, a city formed by contemporary economic refugees from
Benin, Togo, Ghana, Burkina-Faso, Niger, and Nigeria.
Students will work individually in developing a personal thesis and design method in support of their
own interests and discoveries while focusing on one of these two contexts. This will require that
students cultivates a particular point of view towards architecture and define its role in the making of a better world.
Program Cost:
The airfare cost is $1,546.00, payable directly on-line to Student Universe travel agency. The estimated
program cost is $1,300.00, payable to the Department of Architecture. The total is $2846.00, and
includes accommodations, local transportation, most meals and entry fees. It does not include visa fees,
transit to and from Logan airport, entertainment, shopping, or personal excursions or expenses. Students will
be responsible for applying for any necessary visas for travel to Benin. A visa and yellow fever card are required
for all.