Gret
The Pitch
GRET addressed Ouagadougou’s need for public facilities and social cohesion by co-designing accessible urban spaces with the community.
The Problem
National tensions in Burkina Faso eroded public trust in the government and created fractures in the community. The public was excluded from leading and maintaining development projects, which created dissatisfaction and a demand for public services.
The Process
- Conducted a socioeconomic assessment of seven sites and their surrounding environments to understand needs and expectations, with 100s of residents, local civil society organizations and key stakeholders participating
- Utilized results of the socioeconomic assessment to create the Ouagadougou Urban Fabric Initiative
- Trained civil society organizations in project design and fund management
- Designed community facilities and cultural sites though a participatory process
- Mobilized residents (future users) to mark site boundaries, remove waste and install art projects
- Hired local contractors to build complex structures
- Established a community management system to care for sites long-term and ensure community buy-in: Seven community-site management committees, comprised of 123 residents, users and community leaders, collaboratively operate facilities, collect fees, maintain sites, mediate conflicts and partner with the district authority to determine rules of access to community facilities
The Impact
- Planted 992 trees
- Improved dense, unplanned neighborhoods by installing 35 community facilities at seven sites; facilities include basketball and volleyball courts, football fields, fitness areas, playgrounds, theaters, street furniture, public lighting, access facilities and a rehabilitated library
- Distributed $156,000 in project funds to 59 civil society organizations to design and implement urban micro-projects
- Organized 34 major community events, such as musical performances and sports competitions, with 8,500+ participants at the sites, encouraging people to use the sites and support local businesses
- Encourages local authorities to use democratic planning approaches
- Increased community awareness around the need for site management
- Increased community capacity
- Improved accessibility to public spaces for all
