Westminster students visit Rwanda to develop a masterplan vision for a new sustainable community

Westminster students studying on the Urban Design MA, International Planning and Sustainable Development MA and the Master of Architecture (MArch) (RIBA Pt II) courses underwent a tough selection process to have the opportunity to visit Rwanda to develop their international planning and master planning skills and to contribute to the first phase of what could become a fully realised development serving a new local community to include affordable housing for genocide survivors and others.

The Westminster team, led by  David Mathewson, Darrell Kofkin and Abubokkar Siddiki, started the week by visiting the 15-hectare land site in Ruhanga, situated on the urban periphery of Rwanda’s capital, Kigali. There they met with the local landowners, one of whom was a survivor of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, and who recounted his personal family story and the importance of the site to him.     

During the rest of the week the students engaged with local stakeholders including the Director General of the Rwandan Housing Authority, the District Executive Administrator of Gasabo District and the Chief City Planner of the City of Kigali, among others. They also met with Johnson Bigwi, one of Rwanda’s new generation of architects and visited some of his practice’s latest developments to appreciate the challenges of designing for Rwanda’s topography and climate.

These high-level meetings, alongside cultural visits to the Campaign Against Genocide Museum at the Parliament of Rwanda to learn about the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, an out-of-city excursion to Lake Muhazi to gain a better sense of Rwanda’s natural environment, as well as a private reception with the UK High Commissioner to Rwanda, His Excellency Omar Daair, helped to inform the student work that took place in workshops throughout the week. 

David Mathewson explained: “Obtaining meetings with such high-ranking Government officials is a rare honour. These meetings and excursions definitely helped the students appreciate the importance of cultural context and learn about the challenges of urban design in Rwanda given its lack of open space, challenging topography and high population density.  New, innovative urban morphological and development typologies need to be considered when developing a vision for such a site in an emerging developing economy such as Rwanda and it was great to see the way this interdisciplinary team has come together to explore new paradigms.”

Speaking of the new insights he had gained, Master of Architecture (MArch) (RIBA Pt II) student Josh Mooney added: “Working collaboratively on an urban planning project stretched my thinking process beyond the architectural detail I am so familiar with to a more strategic and abstract level required for the urban scale. I had to learn new terminology and communicate my ideas visually to bridge the language barrier between disciplines – despite how closely they are related; the importance of this was clear when, during the design, our diverse backgrounds led to differing interpretations of the same concept leading to misinterpretation, yet at the same time, this sparked real creativity, as sharing our differing visions broke preconceived ideas, leading to a richer, more thoroughly considered proposal.”

International Planning and Sustainable Development MA student Hassan Agha added: “Visiting Rwanda and working on an urban project with local and international stakeholders was a profoundly enlightening and rewarding experience. Initially, I anticipated a challenging yet collaborative environment, and these expectations were not just met but exceeded in many ways. One of my most cherished memories is an evening spent at a karaoke club in Kigali. We dined, sang and enjoyed the vibrant local culture, all while being treated with the utmost hospitality. This beautiful experience allowed me to see the joy and warmth of the Rwandan people up close. Kigali itself was full of surprises, the most striking being its cleanliness. It is, without a doubt, the cleanest city I have ever visited. The city’s dedication to maintaining a pristine environment is both impressive and inspiring.”

Speaking of her experience, Urban Design MA student Mugel Khalafalla said: “Thank you so much for the opportunity. It was truly wonderful. The trip was one of the best I’ve ever been on and a truly eye-opening experience.”

Chevening Scholar and International Planning and Sustainable Development MA student Kainat Azadzoi agreed: “Thank you so much for providing the opportunity, it was such a pleasure to be part of this amazing team.

Over the next few months the team will continue to develop their vision for the site, finalise their report and lead an exhibition with wider stakeholders. It is envisaged that this phase will inform the development of a Masterplan for the site.  

Darrell Kofkin, Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship who has been leading development projects in Rwanda since 2017 with the support of Quintin Hogg Trust funding, said: “It was a testament to the entire team and their commitment that the feedback from our Rwandan colleagues has been extremely positive. Global knowledge exchange projects such as this provide remarkable benefits for our students, both intrinsic and extrinsic. The learning from this real-world project will be taken forward into future sustainable development projects planned in Rwanda for 24/25, including our Sustainable Coffee Plantation project, building capacity for our students and faculty, and those within local institutions who are transforming their country so rapidly and remarkably. We are incredibly grateful for this transformative learning opportunity and others like it that the Quintin Hogg Trust enables.

“The team would like to acknowledge the support of officials from the Rwanda High Commission in the UK, the UK High Commission in Rwanda, Michaelle Kubwimana of Rwanda Business UK, Simon Doody of Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and all stakeholders who gave up their time to enhance our students’ experience.”

This project directly contributed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 10: Reduced Inequalities, 11: Sustainable Cites and Communities and 17: Partnerships for Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.