Our proposal for a new city located on a 36 ha site at the outskirts of Abidjan on the edge of the laguna Ebrié, seeks to create a bridge between the airport and the city of Abidjan. Location rather than size make of the Aerocité an important urban pole connecting the city and the airport. The city is harmoniously integrated in the framework of the larger Abidjan redevelopment and will help to prevent uncontrolled urbanization. The objectives are the creation of sustainable city; a city viable because diverse, functional, compact and safe. Safety and functionality are the result of the diversity and density of mixed programs that encourage public engagement. The city is horizontal, with limited heights but high density. Buildings design, materials, careful stormwater management and the high vegetation to buildings ratio make the Aerocité highly sustainable and ecological.
Single family pavilions are organized by a master plan that integrates the structure of the local bocages farmland. Multifamily housing is inserted in areas of dense urban activity to create a dynamic core. The main axis connects provides views all the way back to the laguna. The core is made of multiples nodes that connect retail, offices, hotel, school and healthcare on multiple levels: spatial, ecological functional, economic and social. A parkway activates the waterfront and is part of the city’s green network. The connective tissue of the urban fabric is a green network that weaves dense natural vegetation, public spaces, and urban parks. The green network is the symbol of the Aerocité’s environmental consciousness and close integration with nature.