UC-IUC 2022 (Phase 1) - Institutional University Cooperation with Ardhi University (ARU)

TZ2022IUC042A104 01/09/2022 - 31/08/2027 Dar es Salaam is expected to attain a megacity status by 2032 with over 10 million people, whereby its current population of 5 million will more than double. This increase will have profound implications in terms of labour markets, housing, service infrastructures, environmental management and city-wide spatial planning. Reality shows that urbanization patterns in African cities, including Dar es Salaam, are linked with complex challenges, such as: informal economies coupled with low rates of economic growth; expensive and low-grade housing; inadequate and poorly managed urban sanitation and infrastructures; and poorly planned and inadequately connected cities, which are vulnerable to climate and health disaster risks; inadequate utilization of data infrastructure in supporting governance of the city in the aspects of optimal allocation of resources and effective delivery of services. ARU as a specialized higher education institution in lands and built environment disciplines has a potential to become a driver of change and contribute in addressing the aforementioned complex challenges. ARU will develop an African Centre for Sustainable Cities Studies (ACS) in order to (i) build capacity in education and training, research, innovation, societal outreach and create partnerships to contribute in generating solutions to these challenges and contribute to the sustainable growth of Dar es Salaam and its wider region in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in general and SDG 11 in particular, and (ii) realize the ambition of becoming an internationally recognized, inclusive, civic university that responds to societal and environmental problems. In the ACS, the focus will be on attaining the sustainability of Dar es Salaam city in-line with SDG 11 through the implementation of seven sub-projects namely: 1) Land Use Planning, 2) Decent Housing, 3) Socio-Economic Development, 4) Urban Transport, 5) Cultural Heritage, 6) Gender and Participation and 7) ICT and Smart Sustainable and Inclusive Cities (SSIC).