Mnazi Mmoja: Urban Watering Hole
Fall 2014, Cornell University
With population and urbanization on the rise across Africa, demand for clean water is at an all-time high. The percentage of those with access to clean water plummets, as infrastructure cannot keep up with population boom. Rural drinking water coverage lags far behind urban drinking water coverage. How can the downtown portion of Dar Es Salem improve upon the lack of Rural drinking water?
Mnazi Mmoja, the site of the historic Sanitation Belt of Dar, originally separated the Indian and African quarters of the city. Today it serves as a fenced-off monument park and is closed to the public, making its edge condition especially unique.
Busy bus stops located at Mnazi Mmoja serve as transportation hubs for thousands of commuters who take the bus to work in the central business district from more rural inland areas of Dar. The Dar Rapid Transit (DART) bus system becomes the focus of transporting clean water to more rural areas – commuters pick up clean water on their way home from work to bring back to their families.
By investigating congregation typologies of public water amenities, water containers, and congregation of people, the design of the Urban Watering Hole Wall creates spaces of waiting that correspond to the choreography of the water bus station – obtain container – fill container – take container home – return container – wash container - REPEAT
