Workshop SoSe 2026
Dr. Hassan Elmouelhi, M. Sc. Hellen Aziz, Prof. Dr. Philipp Misselwitz

Green Nouakchott
in the Making

Nouakchott, Mauretania’s capital,  faces structural challenges in expanding public green spaces due to limited municipal resources, informal urbanisation, and governance complexity. While large-scale projects remain difficult to deliver, there is a clear need for practical, visible, and inclusive interventions that enhance everyday public spaces and test alternative delivery models.

This concept proposes a small-scale, participatory greening and tactical urbanism pilot, inspired by previous regional experiences in Jordan, Iraq, Tunisia, and Cairo, as a part of the international research cooperation project “PR-GPS! Power Relations in Local Urban Governance: Participation in Public Space of the Arab Cities”,  funded by the DAAD Ta‘ziz Netzwerk programme (2023–2025). Led by the Habitat Unit at TU Berlin. It will be adapted to Nouakchott’s context. The initiative emphasises design-built methodology, learning-by-doing, community involvement, and rapid, tangible results. 

TU Berlin students will join the workshop offered by the Habitat Unit, Chair of International Urbanism and Design, with local students from different faculties from Nouakchott University. The workshop is scheduled for 1 to 9 May 2025, with 1 and 9 May designated as arrival and departure days. The main workshop activities will take place from 2 to 8 May, culminating in the inauguration of the public space. The workshop will have different phases, starting by mapping and understanding Nouakchott city, then focusing on the case study: participatory needs assessment with the user groups, the co-design process, design validation with the local community, and the implementation.

Language skills: English is the working language. Knowledge of French and/or Arabic is an asset.

Profile: Prior experience or interest in co-design, participatory practices, public space design, community-based planning, mapping, or sustainable urbanism is highly valued. 

Open to Master’s students in Architecture, Urban Design, Urban Planning, Landscape Architecture, Environmental studies, or other related disciplines. Students from all universities are welcome to apply.

All workshop-related expenses are primarily to be covered by participants. Partial funding may become available. In such a case, selected participants will be informed.

Photo: © Hassan Elmouelhi

Download poster here.