Greening Urban Development in Bamako (Mali)

Project Summary:

The objective of this grant is to tackle spatial and institutional fragmentation in Bamako by making more productive use of land, improving urban service, and supporting institutional development and coordination. Bamako is the world’s 6th fastest growing city, but it is not fulfilling its role as an engine of sustainable urban growth and service delivery.  The city’s population rise averaged 5.4% between 1998 and 2009 and is expected to reach 4.2 million by 2025. Urban sprawl has been associated with unequal access to basic services and limited mobility, mostly due to the absence of adequate investments in infrastructure. There is also a lack of institutionalized support that hinders development, significantly limits access to high-quality disaggregated data, and hampers technical capabilities and administrative coordination. In consequence there are barriers to creating well-informed, inclusive urban planning, and implementing knowledge of green approaches to infrastructure. The activities proposed under this grant will inform the metropolitan-wide urban planning process and capability building. They will support the Bamako Urban Master Plan through completion of feasibility studies for green infrastructure, technical assistance, creation of a comprehensive data platform and rapid area-based diagnostics.

This grant is linked to Pipeline Lending ($250,000,000)

List of Activities:

1. Digital Platform for Bamako: Creation of an open digital platform for the Bamako Metropolitan Area through drone mapping, citizen mapping and mapping of formal and informal transport system
2. Bamako Urban Master Plan: Technical Assistance for the development of the Master Plan through feasibility studies for potential grey and green interventions on the main river basin, review of measures to address inclusivity, environmental sustainability, and resilience in urban planning, and detailed area-based investment and business plans
3. Building Capabilities for Implementation: Assessment of scope of administrative remit of national and local governments, and technical skills available at each level

Outcomes:

Output 1:

• Digital Maps constructed for land-use, transport and other infrastructure 
• Communities engaged to provide data on risk perception across identified areas 

Output 2:

• Area-based urban plans completed

Output 3:

• Urban planning capabilities increased
• University faculty and students engaged in data collection and utilization process

Outcomes:

1. Improved efficiency:  Strengthening of planning and implementation capacity within the sub-national and national levels of government, including coordination across sector agencies, is expected to result in improved efficiencies on several fronts. For instance, having a well thought through master plan, with buy-in from different stakeholders, will dramatically improve affordability for households, and productivity for firms, within the Bamako metropolitan region. In addition, better connectivity and greater compactness within the city will help reduce climate emissions, and greater efficiency in service delivery. In the longer term, this would help to free up crucial private and public resources for other much-needed infrastructure investments in the region.  

2. Greater resilience:  Bamako is growing at exponential rates of growth, much of this on the extensions of the city leading to sprawl. At the same time, the city is dealing with frequent events of floods and mudslides. Building the capacity of local and national officials to plan for higher density and increasing their understanding of greener, more nature-based solutions to climatic shocks, will results in much greater resilience for the medium term.  

3. Increased competitiveness: The WBG’s recent engagement in Bamako has revealed how the city’s form and infrastructure choices have limited its competitiveness. Utilizing elements of transport-oriented development, green spaces, and urban regeneration, the project will lay the foundations for a greener and more competitive environment for future growth, starting with specific area-based interventions to demonstrate success.

Collaboration with K-Partners and Others:

• Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements (KRIHS)
• Land and Housing Corporation (LH)
• Land & Housing Institute
• Seoul Metropolitan Government
• Seoul Institute
• Seoul City Development Corporation