DODOMA is set to become the country’s first Sustainable City come 2025 under Sustainable Dodoma Vision 2025. According to reliable sources, a sustainable city, or eco-city (also “ecocity”) is a city designed with consideration of environmental impact.
Under the Dodoma Vision 2025, the regional authorities will ensure residents access safe and affordable housing, and upgrading slum settlements. It also involves investment in public transport, creating green public spaces, and improving urban planning and management in a way that is both participatory and inclusive.
The Deputy Minister of State in President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Governments) Mr Seleman Jaffo, speaking here recently, said to make Dodoma a Sustainable City the government would adopt the Metro-Hub concept.
“The Metro-Hub concept which links Emerging Small Towns, Satellite and Capital City will help to address urbanisation in Dodoma Metropolitan City,” explained the Deputy Minister at a workshop on Rural-Urban Interface with Focus on Sustainable Urban and Metropolitan Planning for Dodoma Vision 2025.
The workshop which was organized by the Ministry of Regional Administration and Local Governments and attended by Head of Urban Basic Services, Dr Vincent Kitio, centred on how best to execute plans to achieve the Sustainable Dodoma vision 2025.
Dr Kitio says UN-Habitat is ready to offer assistance required by the Municipality of Dodoma to promote adequate, affordable houses and sustainable human settlements in the country’s capital.
“UN-Habitat will bring different expertise to the municipality to attain its goals in the area of human settlements,” said Dr Kitio during the workshop. The workshop came up with the Action Plan to enable the government to intervene largely in the areas of priority and relevance with time.
The components of the Action Plan include Declaration of the Dodoma Metropolitan planning area. It also recommended that the regional authorities embark on a campaign to raise awareness on the Sustainable City in which is inhabited by people dedicated towards minimization of required inputs of energy, water and food, and waste output of heat, air pollution-CO2, methane, and water pollution.
Workshop participants recommended to and carry out research in planning and development of the National Capital, surrounding areas, small towns and hinterlands as well as mobilisation of resources.
The Deputy Minister in President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Governments) says there have been shortfalls in linking urban and rural planning and development although these areas are interdependent socially and economically.
“These shortfalls have been the root cause of uncoordinated development in both areas,” says the Deputy Minister. Dodoma District Executive Director (DED), Mr Godwin Kunambi, says Dodoma Regional Authorities plan to team up with the National Housing Corporation (NHC) to attain the Sustainable Dodoma Vision 2025.
“We’re planning to meet with NHC on how to implement plans for Satellite Cities under Sustainable Dodoma Vision 2025,” he says. According to the Minister of State in President’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Governments) Mr George Simbachawene, Dodo ma Town with a population of about 410,956 people like most urban areas in the country is growing very fast.
“A collective effort is vital to transform Dodoma to have capacity to accommodate incoming civil servants, diplomats and agencies with appropriate houses, and basic service facilities,” said the Minister while opening a workshop on Sustainable Dodoma Vision 2025.
Mr Simbachawene points out that the government will work closely with UN-Habitat particularly in identifying potential areas of emphasis for collaboration and improvement and use Dodoma Region as a model towards scaling up across the country.
He notes that there are major sector development operations going on in Dodoma in terms of industrial investment, strategic improvement of urban roads under the Tanzania Strategic Cities Project (TSCP), water supply, electricity, airport infrastructure improvement, individual house building and real estates, health and educational facilities, agriculture and livestock.
The Minister underscored the importance of all those facets to be well nourished with regard to the Green Environment Concept in achieving Sustainable Dodoma Vision 2025 that aims to make the Capital City safe and sustainable.
The Minister therefore urged the workshop to consider the disadvantaged social groups towards achieving Sustainable Dodoma Vision 2025 so to relive them from the burden of high costs in transport and transportation while opening up room for them to benefit Land Use Planning, setting aside reserve space for non-motorised transport.
Other topics in the workshop included Rural-Urban Development Interface; Settlements and Land Use; Clean Energy Efficiency and Climate Change issues in which the participants recommended energy efficiency by promoting Green Building for enhancing comfort and energy serving in Dodoma Metropolitan City.
Drawing from the history, the establishment of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in 1973 with the Dodoma National Capital Master Plan in place by 1976 was vivid path to where Dodoma is today.
In 1973, the Tanzanian government announced that the capital would be moved from Dar es Salaam to a more central location to better serve the needs of the people.
Dodoma was selected for this purpose, as it was an already established town at a major crossroads with an agreeable climate, impressive landscape, and room for development.
DailyNews
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