The global population continues to grow and shift to urban centers. As countries in the developing world rapidly urbanize, their people face myriad risks including urban poverty, disease, and conflict. How do urban planning, transportation, and architecture contribute to peace and a sense of community? How might these factors exacerbate existing rifts? From architecture to service provisions and resilience planning, this session will explore how the “built” environment can create common ground in a world with so many differences.
Christian Benimana
Director, Rwanda Programs, MASS Design Group
Director, African Design Centre
Christian joined MASS in 2010 and is currently leading the implementation of the African Design Centre, a field-based apprenticeship to train top design talent on the continent in impact-based methods. Christian was a 2011 Global Health Corps fellow with MASS and a 2014 Aspen Ideas Festival: Spotlight Health fellow. He has been involved with design/build projects, development initiatives, and operational and administration leadership, as well as with teaching at the architecture school department of the former Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST). He is currently the chairman of the Education Board of the East African Institute of Architects.
Christian holds a Bachelor of Science in Architecture from the School of Architecture and Urban Planning (CAUP) of Tongji University in Shanghai, China (2008), and worked with LongiLat Architecture and Research in Shanghai prior to joining MASS.
Founding Director, Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres
Sheela Patel is the founder Director of the Society for Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC), an NGO that has been working since 1984 to support community organizations of the urban poor in their efforts to access secure housing and basic amenities and seek their right to the city. She is widely recognized – nationally and internationally – for seeking urgent attention to the issues of urban poverty, housing and infrastructure onto the radar of governments, bilateral and international agencies, foundations and other organizations.
SPARC has been working in alliance with two Community Based Organizations – National Slum Dwellers Federation (NSDF) and Mahila Milan (women’s collectives in slums) that are active in 70 cities in different states of India.
Since 1999, she has also been Secretary and Chief Executive of SPARC Samudaya Nirman Sahayak (SSNS), a non-profit company set up to assist slum communities take on construction projects in cities to provide slum dwellers to build homes and sanitation for themselves. She is a founder member of Slum/Shack Dwellers International (SDI), an international network of poor people’s organizations and the NGOs that support them in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and is currently its Chairperson.
Associate Director, City and Practice Management, 100 Resilient Cities
Liz Agbor-Tabi is Associate Director of City and Practice Management for Africa at 100 Resilient Cities, pioneered by the Rockefeller Foundation. In this role, she’s responsible for working with a portfolio of African cities to facilitate the building of a global practice of resilience among governments, NGOs, the private sector, and individual citizens. She has an extensive background in public health, policy, strategic planning, and international development. She has a unique blend of experiences; she worked with vulnerable populations in New York City and helped to implement health programs with national governments in Sub-Saharan Africa. Liz began her career in healthcare as a critical care nurse. Domestically, she has worked in federal, state and local governments in support of human services development. Liz served as a Health Policy Analyst and Presidential Management Fellow at the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) where she developed and implemented Emergency Preparedness policies for vulnerable populations. Before joining 100RC, she was responsible for the development and management of Orbis International’s global clinical training activities, and helped to develop and implement health systems programs in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
