Sustainable neighbourhood development to improve municipal services

Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous insular region of Tanzania, in the Indian Ocean. The capital Zanzibar Town has a population of more than 200,000. The old town centre has been a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site since 2000. The Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) is held annually, and the city's most famous 'son' is former Queen musician Freddie Mercury. To mark Zanzibar's independence, in 1964 the GDR gifted it with a housing project comprising 13 buildings and 150 apartments. The buildings closely resemble prefabricated structures and are arranged in rows, as was common practice in urban planning at the time. Zanzibar returned the favour by conferring diplomatic recognition of the GDR.

Because of Zanzibar's many similarities with Potsdam – as a UNESCO World Heritage City, a film city and a university city – Potsdam's city councillors decided to establish a partnership with it in 2007. However, it proved difficult to build the necessary relationships between engaged civil society actors at this distance. Consequently, in 2011 Potsdam decided to take part in the BMZ programme '50 Municipal Climate Partnerships by 2015', run by the Service Agency Communities in One World. In a first project under the funding line 'Partnership Projects for Sustainable Local Development (Nakopa)', from 2013 to 2016 the two sides implemented infrastructural development measures in Mnazi Mmoja Square as a contribution to sustainable urban development in Zanzibar Town. The climate partnership, which began in 2011, then led to the establishment of an official city-to-city partnership in 2017.

In the second Nakopa project, Potsdam and Zanzibar set themselves the goal of redesigning the open space in Kikwajuni and reactivating the former botanical garden in Kilimani/Migombani. The University of Potsdam was an important partner in this project. The project focused on providing training in urban planning processes for municipal employees, and environmental education for the local population. It also involved local residents in the planning and design processes, and the construction of urban infrastructure involving playgrounds, horticultural design of open spaces, path construction and solar lighting.

In an integrated participatory process, the project developed the urban open spaces in two areas of Zanzibar Town. For this purpose, employees of the Zanzibar Municipal Urban Council received training in the use of complex urban planning systems, and extended their knowledge on how to use geographic information systems. In the Kikwajuni housing project, which comprises 13 mostly three-storey buildings with 150 apartments, workshops were held to actively involve citizens in the planning processes for developing the open space. The second area is the former botanical garden in the Kilimani/Migombani district. Here too, workshops were held with local residents, and citizens played a very active part in reactivating the garden.

In 2018, two municipal employees received intensive training on the use of geographic information systems at the Humboldt University in Berlin. Furthermore, from February to May 2019, six residents per area (three men and three women each) attended a gardening course at the Practical Permaculture Institute of Zanzibar. In 2020, further participants were enabled to receive training. Together with local organisations, environmental education courses were conducted involving children from both project areas. Following implementation of the tender for the infrastructure measures, the measures – horticultural design, path construction, erection of play equipment and installation of solar-powered lamps – were carried out in 2020. The project was completed by the end of 2020.

Basically, joint projects must be developed jointly. Problems arise where there is a lack of communication. This can only be redressed through continuous, close and transparent communication in a spirit of partnership. The challenge for both sides is to provide the resources needed for this.

The cooperation between the cities of Potsdam and Zanzibar Town is now routine and very close. Great trust has grown, and the partners have proven their reliability. A very high degree of identification has been achieved, thanks particularly to the involvement of the communities in the project.

The local population take pride in the garden. Numerous visitors come and enjoy the well-tended grounds. A new environment day is being introduced at the botanical garden. A small shop and a restaurant have been opened, and plants are sold on the main road. This generates income, especially for women.
A place that previously had a reputation for a high crime rate has now become a centre of attraction for residents.

Not all the news is good, however: Upcoming staff changes in Zanzibar and Potsdam when the project comes to an end will mean a degree of uncertainty as to whether the achieved quality of cooperation can be maintained. Furthermore, there have been organisational changes in the state capital Potsdam. The Climate Office, for which the Lord Mayor was previously directly responsible, has been transferred to the section for urban development, construction, economy and the environment. For the time being, the question of who will provide the resources needed to further support partnership projects remains unanswered.