Benita Hussain describes an innovative architecture project serving Rwandan women in their quest to rebuild the country.
A collaboration between Women for Women International, a D.C. based NGO, and New York architecture firm Sharon Davis Design, will result in an award winning facility, scheduled to open next year, for Rwandan women. The design and execution of the Women's Opportunity Center has taken on a holistic approach. The facility itself will incorporate sustainable elements such as leaf shaped roofs for rainwater collection, which will serve utilitarian, as well as, educational purposes. Other features are designed to nurture relationships and open dialogue. For example, classroom spaces are rounded and will lack the traditional row seating that lends itself to a hierarchic environment.
The Women's Opportunity Center is not waiting until the doors open to create economic opportunities for Rwandan women, however. Project manager, Bruce Engel, wanted to involve women in the creation of the center and found the ideal opportunity when the team discovered the poor quality of bricks traditionally used in the region. Engel describes the rationale behind his idea:
"Then we thought, 'How about we combine our desire to make a better brick, the desire to have the women more involved in their own center, and WfW's mission for job creation and income generation?'"
The resulting cooperative of 30 women produces 20,000 sand-molded bricks per week and will soon have enough to build the Women's Opportunity Center. Once the bricks for the Center are finished the cooperative hopes to continue to sell bricks to Rwandan developers.
Thanks to Jessica Brent
FULL STORY: Building a Future for Rwandan Women, Brick by Brick

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails
Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

Bend, Oregon Zoning Reforms Prioritize Small-Scale Housing
The city altered its zoning code to allow multi-family housing and eliminated parking mandates citywide.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail
The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

LA Denies Basic Services to Unhoused Residents
The city has repeatedly failed to respond to requests for trash pickup at encampment sites, and eliminated a program that provided mobile showers and toilets.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
planning NEXT
Appalachian Highlands Housing Partners
Mpact (founded as Rail~Volution)
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
City of Portland
City of Laramie