Revolutionizing Francophonie Cities: Luc Gnacadja Unveils Vision for a Greener, More Sustainable Urban Future

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The international conference was organized on October 2 and 3 by the International Association of French-speaking Mayors (AIMF) and the Association for the Promotion of Teaching and Research in Planning and Urban Planning (APERAU), as part of the initiative Urban Planning in Francophonie. In this high-level meeting, fruitful debates took place around the table of Mayors of French-speaking capitals and metropolises, internationally recognized architects and urban planners, academics, but also Ministers in charge of urban planning. Present this time, during his speech at the opening of the International Conference in Paris on the theme: “The re-enchantment of cities: Urban planning in Francophonie, horizon 2050”, the former Minister of the Environment, Habitats and Urban Planning, Luc Gnacadja Insisted essential point.

“Africa does not need Clone Cities. Let’s create our own Sustainable Cities.
“When it comes to town planning, we must stop copying. Sustainability is a cultural project that must be anchored in the territories.”
Dear African architects and urban planners or stakeholders in Africa,
It is time to re-examine our habits. We can no longer reduce today’s Computer Aided Design (CAD) and artificial intelligence (AI) to “Computer Aided Copy and Paste or AI”.
The richness of our cultures and the diversity of our territories call for a creative, bold approach that is rooted in our local reality. Sustainability cannot be copied. It is the fruit of reflection that stems from our roots, our history and our vision for the future. Tools like AI should be used to innovate, not to reproduce standard solutions. Let us shape our own responses to Africa’s urban challenges, anchored in our authenticity.
For universities and training centers in town planning and architecture,
Your role is critical. It is essential to train a new generation of experts who can place urban solutions in their context and co-design them according to the needs of our territories. Our future depends on skills that can take local challenges and transform them into opportunities for urban planning that is truly African.

Dear mayors and policy makers on urban issues in Africa, I urge you to abandon the miracle of Dubai (or “Dubaiization”) as the horizon of African urban sustainability.
This dream of duplicating artificial cities is neither realistic nor applicable to our territories; it could become a nightmare in a few decades.
Africa deserves better: cities built by and for its inhabitants, that respect equity, resilience and harmony with our environment. Let’s stop looking for imported models; let us make sustainability a reality shaped by our resources, knowledge and shared vision.
Now is the time to innovate, not copy.
This reflection triggered many reactions among the participants, and he wanted to amplify it by launching an appeal to my fellow architects, African urban planners or stakeholders in Africa, as well as to mayors and political decision makers. Internet users also reacted after his intervention.