Comunidades Urbanas Fase II | Cabinda

The Urban Communities Project was contracted in 2011 by the Israeli developer Kora Angola under the Angolan National Urban Planning and Housing Programme (PNHU) to conceptualize and propose 13 Masterplans in different provinces in Angola, adding up to the provision of 40. 000 housing units, drawing up six architectural typologies, preliminary Institutional Equipment projects, inserting institutional equipment, as well as defining urban infrastructure and green areas, such as parks and squares, with a total area of 10,200,000 m² (1,020 ha). In January 2021, Phase 2 of the project was contracted, containing three Masterplans that add up to the provision of a further 5,000 homes, with a total area of 893,511 m².

Within the Masterplan for each of the 16 contracted locations, the following were drawn up: (i) macro-drainage studies; (ii) road system proposal; (iii) housing location; (iv) location of urban sewage and water services; (v) location of institutional health, education and security facilities; (vi) proposal of leisure areas such as parks and squares; (vii) urban design and general landscaping; (viii) studies detailing furniture, toponymy and housing colors.

The province of Cabinda is considered an enclave outside Angola, as its territory is located in discontinuity with the rest of the country, bordering the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The region's climate is hot tropical, defined by a rainy season (from November to April) and a dry season (from May to October).

Considering its magnitude and the context in which it is inserted, the site will have 3000 housing units, various institutional and leisure areas, and a linear park that aims to dampen floods during the rainiest months.

The project considered the physical space derived from the construction of the housing, giving it a sense of neighborhood and community, placing the housing together with the streets, commercial activities and institutional services, leisure areas and landscapes, which together make up the sense of living in the city. The formation of this "urban community" worked on the dimension of sustainability on two levels.

By concentrating an orderly complex, it made it possible to optimize networks (sanitation, communication, energy) and ensured the density necessary for economic efficiency; and by promoting a diversified complex - "community modules" - it made it possible to consume less vital energy when carrying out the routine activities of its residents, both of which, in accordance with environmental constraints, resulted in different designs for occupying the territory. It brought the functions of housing, work and leisure closer together, ensuring shorter commutes - saving time - and easy access to the demands of every city dweller.