The Corona pandemic has affected Iganga’s international work. Goudappel’s, Anne Koot was scheduled to travel to Chiclayo, Peru to hold a series of workshops focused on how to create more accessible, livable and sustainable cities. When the pandemic became a worldwide health crisis, Anne had to cancel her trip. Anne plans to resume the Chiclayo project in 2021.
A workshop with the University of Paramaribo has also been postponed. The purpose of this workshop was to allow the Iganga board to assess which projects should receive support in 2020. Pascale Williams and Lennert Bonnier would have participated in this workshop alongside Anne Koot.
Several ideas and questions became apparent when the pandemic started. In May, the Iganga board chose to focus on three projects for 2020.
Twekkelerveld, Enschede, The Netherlands
In Enschede, there is a project in a ‘low-income district’ Twekkelerveld with many refugees from Syria. This is a neighbourhood where many unemployed and single mothers with children live. One in five families cannot afford a bicycle for their child. A board ‘Samen Twekkelerveld’ (Together Twekkelerveld) was established to help communities work together to create a better and more attractive living environment. In addition, they are in the process of organising the ANWB Children’s Bicycle campaign, which collects, refurbishes, and donates children’s bicycles to children.
Bicycle Parking in Kampala, Uganda
Kampala, the capital of Uganda, requested that Goudappel help to install new bicycle parking facilities, which the city also hopes to produce themselves. Since the inner city of Kampala was been made car-free in 2019, more and more people are cycling. In the current pandemic, the highest-ranked general of their Army is even cycling! However, the bicycles in this metropolis are left everywhere and there many bikes are stolen because of a lack parking facilities. Together with the Falco company, Kampala has requested that a number of parking facilities in the form of “sheds” or “stalls” be shipped to the city in order for the city to set up their own production line in Uganda. Goudappel will prepare a presentation for the 2022 world congress, Velocity, in Kampala.
Accessibility and livability in Marrakesh, Morocco
The city of Marrakesh in Morocco is searching for new ways to manage its many narrow streets (the Medina, Unesco heritage) that makeup its city centre. As Goudappel, we would like to develop an “inspiration book” for the city with proposals that describe how both cycling and walking could maintain accessibility and livability as well as contribute to local economy. This opportunity could also serve as an inspiration for including cycling as a priority in mobility policy in other cities in Africa. Iganga is collaborating on this project with the Pikala foundation, which has been in Marrakech for several years.
We will keep you informed about the progress of these three projects.
Iganga-board,
Tjitte, Pascale, Ilse, Eric en Richard