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The heart of Sierra Leone’s capital is set for a major environmental facelift following the conclusion of the Freetown Urban Greening Competition.
Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr recently presented certificates and prize cheques of NLe 10,000 each to three winning teams whose innovative designs aim to breathe new life into the Central Business District (CBD).
The competition, a key pillar of the city’s regeneration agenda, showcased creative solutions to combat urban heat and improve public aesthetics.
The Urban Greening Competition is not a standalone project but part of the broader Freetown–Zurich City-to-City Cooperation. This international partnership seeks to modernize Freetown’s infrastructure while prioritizing sustainability.
Implementation of these winning designs will be a multi-agency effort led by the Freetown City Council (FCC) in collaboration with UN-Habitat, GOAL SL, Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA), and Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority (SLRSA)
Mayor Aki-Sawyerr emphasized that these initiatives are vital for the CBD’s regeneration, aiming to create a cooler, more attractive, and environmentally sustainable environment for residents and businesses alike.
Finally, the three winning concepts include: Team T&B’s (Murad Taqi & Nyakeh Baio) design, which largely featured a beautiful green corridor improving public space around St George’s Cathedral. And Team Resilience (Samuel L Koroma & Mackie Peters) presented an amazing concept for our iconic Cotton Tree, featuring a metal framework that mirrors its canopy and is wrapped with creeping plants to symbolise regeneration.
Team ArchSpace (Edward Carew, Deema Joyfui Lebbie & Yusif Sesay) proposed the total transformation of building facades, including the Africell office on Siaka Stevens Street, into vertical gardens.
