April 16, 2024
OC Global leads Completion of First Tactical Urbanism Pedestrian Crossing in the DR Congo, as part of the Kinshasa City Urban Transportation Master Plan Implementation Promotion Project
Kinshasa, DR CONGO – As part of the technical cooperation project by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), in which Oriental Consultants Global Co., Ltd. participates as the lead firm in a Joint Venture, a pedestrian crossing constructed using Tactical Urbanism was completed. The crossing is a component of the Kinshasa City Urban Transportation Master Plan Implementation Promotion Project. A commemorative ceremony was held on March 24, 2024; related events such as community exchange events for students in the target area and traffic safety campaigns were also conducted. Participants not only experienced the newly created public space centered around the pedestrian crossing, but also learned fundamental knowledge about the Urban Transportation Master Plan (PDTK: Plan directeur des transports urbains de la ville de Kinshasa) and traffic regulations.
Representative Presentation at the Commemorative Ceremony Mr. Tresor KATAMBO, Kinshasa City Development Unit
Presentation of Design Concepts by Students at the Commemorative Ceremony
Tactical Urbanism is an innovative approach to urban development that focuses on short-term actions by community stakeholders to improve public spaces long-term. It has been practiced primarily in cities in developed countries in recent years. However, such initiatives in cities in developing countries facing urgent transportation challenges are few globally, and there were no precedent in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The initiative of this Tactical Urbanism intervention, conducted through collaboration amongst various local counterparts and university students in the target area, is the first of its kind in the country and serves as a pioneering example within the Japan International Cooperation Agency’s (JICA) technical cooperation efforts.
Painting of the Pedestrian Crossing by Local University Students
Progress of the Pedestrian Crossing Under Construction
This project is a technical cooperation project by JICA aimed primarily at capacity building of local stakeholders towards the realization of the Urban Transportation Master Plan (PDTK), approved by the Kinshasa Provincial Assembly in 2019. It is being implemented by Japanese experts, including OC Global staff, in collaboration with administrative agencies such as the Infrastructure Unit (CI) of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Works of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As part of the pilot activities of this project, this initiative was realized through co-creation with students from two universities (ISAU and ABA) located in the target area, together with counterparts such as the Kinshasa City Development Unit (CDUK), the Road and Drainage Authority (OVD), and the National Traffic Safety Committee (CNPR). Focusing on urgent issues of traffic safety in the target area, the initiative aimed to promote traffic safety for drivers and pedestrians based on the vision of achieving “Roads without accidents – Tala Ngambo Na Ngambo”. Multiple designs for new pedestrian crossings were proposed by groups of university students. Based on designs selected through voting at the universities, the students painted the new pedestrian crossings. Ultimately, the number of university students actively participating in this initiative exceeded 250.
Traffic safety campaign for local elementary school students
Citizens crossing the pedestrian crossing after construction
Through these series of activities, it is expected that a sense of ownership towards the new pedestrian crossings will be cultivated across the entire district, leading to sustained awareness improvement regarding traffic safety within the local community. Additionally, as this initiative represents the first case in the DR Congo, it is anticipated that future interventions can be done not only within Kinshasa city, but also to other cities within the country and even across other African nations, fostering further dissemination of Tactical Urbanism.
*Consortium Composition: Oriental Consultants Global Co., Ltd., Angelo Secchi Co., Ltd., Asia Aerial Survey Co., Ltd.
[Related Links]
Introduction Video on this Tactical Urbanism (Tactical Urbanism – Tala Ngambo Na Ngambo)
JICA ODA Visualization Site: Kinshasa City Urban Transportation Master Plan Formulation Project
OC Global aims to contribute to long-term urban and transportation environment improvement through its practice of community-based urban transportation development in developing countries (SDG 11).
