This project examines the river as an instrument for addressing three major problems in Libreville – food insecurity, lack of sanitation infrastructure, and urban sprawl. Situated between the Atlantic Ocean and Akanda National Park, Libreville is slowly sprawling far to the north and south of the city and to the east into Akanda National Park through informal settlement. By providing a meaningful resource such as connection to a new sanitation system along with public lavatories the rivers could be re-engineered to promote densification within the city. This new system would integrate biological filtration with crop growth along the river and ravine corridors, addressing a second issues in Libreville’s future, food insecurity. As a former French colony, Gabon’s dietary consumption has historically shifted towards a more European non-native diet and a reliance on French importation. This means that over 80% of all food in Gabon comes from either France or Cameroon. Integrating a combination of small and large agricultural areas along the river corridors would provide an increase in domestic food production, local job training and income generation, and a potential shift in dietary demands towards native crops over time.

Due to the pervasiveness of the system and its functional independence from a central hub, this project could be implemented on various stretches of river across the city independently, eventually leading to more integrated resource for Libreville.

Three Major Issues Facing Libreville: Food Insecurity, Insufficient Sanitation, and Urban Sprawl

Implementation Process For One Section of River

Programming the River: A Tool for Zoning & Sizing the New Open Space Network

Landscape Types

Potential City-Wide Open Space Network Resulting From Implementation Across the City

Focus Studies