project
Promoting green urban development in Africa
Anchor carried out research on ways to enhance the relationship between urbanization, environmental assets and ecosystem services in three African cities. In Dar-es-Salaam, we modelled the impact of natural and green engineering options on flood risk in the city. In Kampala, we showed how a series of investments in urban drainage and wastewater treatment would complement investments in wetland restoration to improve the quality of recreational areas and reduce the costs of treating water drawn from Murchison Bay. In Durban, we showed that planning for natural green open space can provide returns that are more valuable than alternative engineering invesments for managing urban drainage. Our studies involved household surveys, hydrological and ecosystem modelling, ecosystem services modelling and valuation, engineering models and costings, and economic cost-benefit analysis.