The future of sustainable and affordable housing is taking shape in Diender, Thiès region. On November 19–20, 2024, partners, experts, and local stakeholders gathered for the fourth Eco District (EcoQuartier) seminar of the Cité FSH project.
On November 19–20, 2024, the fourth Eco District (EcoQuartier) seminar of the Cité FSH project was held in Thiès, Senegal. The event was organized by urbaSEN, urbaMonde, the Senegalese Federation of Inhabitants (FSH), and the municipality of Diender.
This project, aimed at building 150 affordable homes for low-income households—primarily women—has been supported since 2020 by the French Ministry of Ecological Transition. The ministry’s support ensures the integration of the EcoQuartier approach into the architectural and urban planning of the future Cité. This backing has enabled an annual seminar to bring together project partners (including Senegalese ministries, local governments, national public agencies, NGOs, financial institutions, and representatives of the Senegalese Federation of Inhabitants) to showcase progress and operational choices aligned with the internationally promoted EcoQuartier approach.
The opening of this fourth edition included a site visit to the future Cité FSH, where the first pilot houses are beginning to take shape. This key moment was attended by Mr. Moussa Tine, Director General of Construction and Housing within Senegal’s Ministry of Urbanism, Local Governments, and Territorial Planning (MUCTAT). He reaffirmed his ministry’s interest in this type of pilot operation, which addresses the needs of low-income and informal sector households.
The discussions continued in the seminar hall, focusing on the project’s progress and the challenges it faces (financial, land-related, and administrative), as well as a presentation by the mayor of Diender on the project site’s surrounding area.
The seminar concluded with stakeholders committing to support and advance the project through a steering committee, to which most will be invited in the coming months.
In addition to support from the French Ministry of Ecological Transition for the EcoQuartier aspect, the Cité FSH project benefits from funding by the Abbé Pierre Foundation, the Fédération Genevoise de Coopération (FGC), and the Fédération Vaudoise de Coopération (FEDEVACO). It is also aligned with various initiatives led by urbaSEN and the FSH, such as community savings tools, training for artisans in eco-construction, and the production of bio-based construction materials.
