Aziza Chaouni: How I brought a river, and my city, back to life
Aziza Chaouni: Bagaimana aku membuat sungai, dan kota ku kembali hidup
Aziza Chaouni focuses on projects that integrate architecture and landscape, and that ultimately give back to their communities. For years, she has worked to revive the Fez River, which runs through her hometown of Fez, Morocco. Full bio
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medieval cities in the world,
terbesar di dunia,
dengan lembah sungai
situs warisan dunia UNESCO
population of the medina grew,
saat populasi medina tumbuh,
dan saluran kotoran
dan sangat menghawatirkan
the medina in its middle
Medina tepat ditengah
sedikit demi sedikit
yang sempit di medina.
dengan cepat menjadi tempat
yang tidak terawat
dari kerajinan penyamakan kulit.
aku mendengar bahwa kota itu
memindahkan saluran kotoran
atau karena banyak paksaan,
work with a team of engineers
bekerja dengan tim insinyur
menjadi pedestrian
menjadi ruang publik
di sungai Fez Medina
tepat di atas sungai,
garis titik-titik.
transportasi yang kacau
yang memiliki jalur
bridge that you can see here,
yang bisa kamu lihat disini
pedestrian seluruhnya,
di sepanjang tepian sungai,
tempat parkir ilegal,
menggunakan ban daur ulang
membersihkan air sungai
ketika banjir terjadi.
received several design awards,
mendapat penghargaan desain,
untuk bisa membawa
yang tidak biasa
yang berkepentingan
membersihkan airnya,
untuk semua orang.
di alun-alun Rcif.
digunakan sebagai lahan sampah.
seperti ini sungainya
of the project into motion;
dari proyek menjadi gerakan
kota dari sungai Fez
bagi para penduduknya
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Aziza Chaouni - Architect + ecotourism specialistAziza Chaouni focuses on projects that integrate architecture and landscape, and that ultimately give back to their communities. For years, she has worked to revive the Fez River, which runs through her hometown of Fez, Morocco.
Why you should listen
Civil engineer and architect Aziza Chaouni creates sustainable, built environments in the developing world, focusing on the deserts of the Middle East. Chaouni’s design philosophy holds that it is not enough for sustainable buildings to have zero impact—they must give back to the community on social, economic, infrastructural and environmental levels too. The founding principal of Aziza Chaouni Projects, she collaborates closely with local communities and experts from other disciplines to integrate architecture, landscape and infrastructure in innovative ways.
Born and raised in Fez, Morocco, Chaouni has long found herself fascinated with the Fez River, which winds through the city's ancient Medina. Once considered the city's soul, sending water to both public and private fountains, in the 1950s, the stream started to become a toxic sewer because of overcrowding, over-development and pollution. The city responded by covering the river over with concrete slabs, bit by bit, in the process destroying houses and creating dumping grounds. When Fez received a grant to divert and clean the river's water, Chaouni proposed the Fez River Project to uncover the river, restore its riverbanks and create pedestrian pathways. Her vision: to reclaim these areas as public spaces and reconnect them to the rest of the city.
A project that Chaouni has been working on for two decades, her mission to transform the Fez River began with her thesis in graduate school and has continued throughout her career. Over the course of years, the river is gradually being uncovered—illegal parking lots are being transformed into playgrounds, trees and vegetation are being planted to create public spaces. Overall, the project is revitalizing Fez as a living city.
Aziza Chaouni | Speaker | TED.com