Aziza Chaouni: How I brought a river, and my city, back to life
Aziza Chaouni: Como recuperei para a vida um rio e a minha cidade
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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a arquitetura:
medieval cities in the world,
cidades medievais muradas do mundo,
aninhada no vale de um rio.
Património Mundial da UNESCO.
population of the medina grew,
a população da medina aumentava,
e ficaram muito pressionadas.
the medina in its middle
as fontes privadas e públicas.
foi acompanhado
depressa se tornaram
é bastante saudável.
aos esgotos sem tratamento
de ofícios como o curtimento.
da minha cidade —
e tratá-la.
work with a team of engineers
uma equipa de engenheiros
em caminhos pedestres,
ao tecido da cidade
em espaços públicos
um centro caótico de transportes
a integridade urbana da medina
bridge that you can see here,
que aqui veem,
ao longo das margens do rio.
usando pneus reciclados
a uma zona húmida artificial
received several design awards,
e recebia vários prémios de "design"
e o "design" do projeto.
para conseguir atingir
em sermos ativistas
principais do projeto,
para toda a gente.
ela tinha há cerca de 6 anos.
pela população local.
que a Rcif Plaza terá
que, ao reimaginarmos
of the project into motion;
do projeto em curso,
de um cano de esgoto
para os seus habitantes
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