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Accra Airport City ACCRA AIRPORT CITY A Phronetic Approach to Urban Development Theory, Practices and Forms at the Intersection of Global and Local: the Case of a West African Central Business District Candidato: Arturo Pavani Tutor: Matteo Robiglio XXVIII° Ciclo di Dottorato Corso di Laurea in Architettura, Costruzione e Città Dipartimento di Architettura e Design Politecnico di Torino Aprile 2017 ACCRA AIRPORT CITY A Phronetic Approach to Urban Development Theory, Practices and Forms at the Intersection of Global and Local: the Case of a West African Central Business District Candidato: Arturo Pavani Tutor: Matteo Robiglio XXVIII° Ciclo di Dottorato Corso di Laurea in Architettura, Costruzione e Città Dipartimento di Architettura e Design Politecnico di Torino Aprile 2017 ABSTRACT n the feld of African urban studies, contemporary authors tend to agree upon the fact that current research should focus on its ability to have ‘a real impact’ on the urban environment. Academic research has in fact the power Ito provide better analytical tools for its quantitative and/or qualitative under- standing, which would enable the practitioners and stakeholders in charge of its development to make better-informed decisions. In time, the academic world and the world of practice seem to have grown farther apart, something that is evident from the instruments that they utilize. Te market reports upon which Real Estate developers and governments base their decisions use frst-hand data and interviews to give a ‘feel’ of the market, while academic literature mostly relies upon theory and abstraction. Scientifc research has the power to shed the light on otherwise inexplicable trends and dynamics, but it somehow seems fail to connect with the decision makers that have the actual power to afect the evo- lution of the contemporary urban environment. Recognizing the values of both worlds, this thesis attempts to counter this phenomenon by reversing the traditional deductive approach of urban research. Here, the forms and dynamics that shape the urban environment are investigated by combining the instruments of market analysis and academic research, using a problem-driven and phronetic approach that starts from local practices and later reframes them within scientifc literature. Tis thesis frst analyzes the scientifc theory about African and Global cities and then, a specifc case study, the Airport City business district in Accra (Ghana) to investigate what are the specifc char- acteristics that infuence its urban and architectural development, starting from the analysis of its practices and forms. Tese are elaborated to form what Cliford Geertz’ conceptualized as a ‘thick description’, which is used to contextualize the issues that emerge from the analysis within its specifc social and cultural context. Interviews, photographs, frst-hand data and documents are utilized to illustrate the characteristics of the case study, outlining its specifcities and the power dynamics behind them. Te themes that emerge from the analysis of the- ory, practices and forms are successively integrated within the broader scientifc discourse. Ultimately, they are evaluated according to the phronetic planning research method with the goal to elaborate proposals for practical action towards their improvement. Tis research’ purpose is to expose, understand and efective- ly communicate these issues, improving on the specifc knowledge about African cities, Accra, and the implications that the local dynamics that it unearths might have within the global urban picture. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 08 1.1 : A Phronetic Study 12 1.1.1. The Gap 1.1.2. Phronetic Planning Theory 1.1.3. This Research 2. CITIES: AFRICAN/GLOBAL/ORDINARY 42 2.1 African Cities 46 2.1.1. Narratives 2.1.2. Urbanization 2.1.3. African Cities? 2.2 Global Cities 96 2.2.1. Globalization 2.2.2. Urban Globalization 2.2.3. Architecture Globalization 2.3 Ordinary Cities 126 3. ACCRA AIRPORT CITY 128 3.1 West African Business 132 3.1.1. Lagos 3.1.2. Abidjan 3.1.3. Accra 3.2 Background 158 3.2.1. From Port to Airport 3.3 Forms 166 3.3.1. Plans 3.3.2. Sections 3.3.3. Photographic Survey 3.4 Practices 194 3.4.1. Urban Evolution – Nat Nunoo Amarteifo 3.4.2. An Inno-Native Approach – Joe Osae-Addo 3.4.3. Sustainable Real Estate – Carlo Matta 3.4.4. Building in West Africa – Jimmy Castagna 3.4.5. An Italian Architect in Ghana – Alessandro Masoni 3.4.6. Abidjan: The Francophone Choice – Ivan Cornet 4. RESULTS 264 Forms 1: Architecture 268 4.1 Architecture Issues 272 4.1.1. The Profession 4.1.2. Sustainability 4.1.3. Construction Forms 2: Access 288 4.2 Urban Issues 292 4.2.1. Planning 4.2.2. Informality 4.2.3. Land Rights Forms 3: Market 316 4.3 Research Issues 320 4.3.1. Data 4.3.2. Theory 4.3.3. Knowledge Production 5. CONCLUSION 336 5.1 ‘So What’ issues 340 5.1.1. Architecture 5.1.2. Urban 5.1.3. Research BIBLIOGRAPHY 344 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 364 1 INTRODUCTION 8 1 INTRODUCTION 9 10 n the contemporary urban studies landscape, the adoption of a phronetic approach fts well within the generally shared appeal about urban research’ need to ‘emanate ‘from’ rather than ‘towards’ the African city (Mbembé & Nuttall, 2004). IPhronesis, as defned by Bent Flyvbjerg (2001), is practical wisdom on how to address and act on problems in a particular context. Te goal of phronetic social science is to pro- duce research that has relevance to decisions about what can and should be done, and how to do it. Phronetic planning research explores current practices and historic circumstances to fnd solutions to practical problems. Te underlying idea is that practical rationality, like judgment, is best understood through the exposition to case studies – whether experienced or narrated. Flyvbjerg argues that the development of social research is inhibited by the detachment between its abstract results and ‘real’ practice, which is why phronetic research anchored to its specifc context, its actors and issues. Not being organized around specifc methods of data collection, its only discriminant is to choose the strategy that best promotes change regarding the issues at hand. Te result of phronetic research is a pragmatic interpre- tation of the practices. Te construction and expression of a point of view whose purpose is to incrementally increase the level of knowledge about a specifc context and the issues that characterize it, with the goal of positively infuencing practical action towards their improve- ment. In that sense, the African urban environment can be a source of both inspiration and de- spair, but it defnitely deserves more research, especially given its scale, the models of innova- tion and the implications that its dynamics have an infuence on – both globally and locally. 11 1.1 A PHRONETIC STUDY 1.1.1. The Gap Contemporary urban research, and social sciences at large, is rede- fning its role within society, the academic discourse, and the realm of profession. Te approaches and methodologies utilized in social sciences are evolving, and the advent of modern technologies has expanded ex- ponentially the number of instruments available to researchers. Satellite imagery, big data, GIS, and university networks now provide research- ers with tools and means unimaginable just twenty years ago. When it comes to urban research in the African continent, the relative scarcity of theoretical work combined with the logistical difculties in conducting local research have contributed to great levels of experimentation when it comes to research methodologies and approaches. It is important to be open to a wide range of methodologi- cal approaches – from literary criticism or archival analysis to statistical surveys and geographical information systems science. Te terrain is quite wide open and we need an ecu- menical appreciation of the tools in the toolkit. One major gap, in fact, is evident in the continuing dearth of data col- lected under comparable conditions. (Myers, 2010, p. 21) Such experimentation is a necessity rather than a virtuous exercise. ‘Whether or not Africa’s prospering ‘cheetah’ nations of the 2000’s will continue to match optimists’ expectations of interconnected economic growth and improved governance over the coming years as they have over the past decade, there is little question that urban centers will be a moving target for urban analysts, who will seek to keep pace through the rapid and experimental adoption of new methodological and analytical frameworks’ (Brennan, 2013, p. 38). As also Edgar Pieterse (2014) notes in his Epistemological Practices of Southern Urbanism, contemporary re- searchers have little choice but to rely on what is available in spite of the profound imprecision that characterize data sets on urbanization in Africa. It is evident that there is a dearth of data and knowledge about both the qualitative and quantitative dimensions of cities in much of Africa (Myers, 2010). Previous page Rene Magritte, La Clairvoyance, 1936. Source: ReneMagritte.org 12 Tis can be connected to the long-term erosion and under‐invest- ment in higher education institutions in the postcolonial era, but also to the institutional reforms that African universities have been subjected to, paralleling neoliberal reforms in the global North, even though to begin with the foundation of these universities were already precarious and under‐funded (Pieterse, 2014). It can also be tied to the larger epistem- ic crises that Achille Mbembe and Sarah Nuttall (2004) have mapped in their investigation into the modes of ‘writing Africa into the world’ (Ibid.). Finally, the lack of thick and multivalent knowledges about Afri- can cities can be referenced to the forms of rule that have predominated, especially since the 1980’s (Chabal 2009). Te fact that most African universities are then also embedded in multiple asymmetric relation- ships with Northern universities to serve as extensions for feld work and data collection further complicates the picture (Pieterse, 2014).
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