Beachcomber Magazine 05

Zaheer Allam THINK THE CITY Zaheer Allam, 32, has received the Republic of Mauritius’ highest order of merit and is one of the “100 most influential urban strategists on the planet”. His free-thinking innovative vision suggests a need for a total re-think of cities and how we live in them. Décoré de la République de Maurice et élu parmi les « 100 urbanistes les plus influents de la planète », Zaheer Allam, 32 ans, est habité par une vision aussi libre que novatrice qui invite à repenser la ville et la vie. M y parents were both bank employees and didn’t go to university, considered a luxury back then. That’s why it was very important for them that my older sister – who is now a doctor – and I did well at school, ” says the young man from Terre-Rouge. He studied abroad in England and Australia where his thinking was shaped by his mentors, the American Nikos Salingaros, and the Australian scientist Peter Newman. With plenty of qualifications to his name (architecture, urban planning, sociology and philosophy), the young prodigy is calling for urban strategy and the environment to be considered together as a matter of urgency, and is active on many fronts. He helped create the Citizen’s Platform in 2012, started a petition – followed by an unprecedented demonstration – against a coal power station in Mauritius, gave a speech at the United Nations in favour of sustainable energy, and representedAfrica at the International Society of Biourbanism … CHANGING THE WAY WE LOOK AT THINGS While his way of thinking is prevalent abroad, it seems to fall on deaf ears in Mauritius, but that’s certainly not stopping him. Back on his island, “ where my heart is, ” as he puts it, he works as an urban strategist with Mauritian architect Gaëtan Siew as well as with the Port Louis Develop- ment Initiative, where he chairs the youth consultative council. “ Thinking about tomorrow’s cities means putting people at the heart of the plans. It is about restoring a sense of belonging. From this perspective, we need to break away from our dependency on cars and fossil fuels, encourage pedestrianisation and smaller neighbourhoods in order to promote more contact between people. We need to put a stop to theWesternmodel of vertical concrete and glass buildings that have no past. Modern architectural language has little to offer, ” says Dr. Allam who chairs the Internatio- nal Network for traditional buildings, architecture and urban planning for small developing island states. THE CREATIVE REVOLUTION The young man is anti-modernist, very much of his time, and is not afraid of reconciling paradoxes. He is in favour of totally digital Smart Cities, and inter-connectivity, and he understands the virtues of rammed earth (pisé) used by builders in San’aa (his model of excellence), Yemen thousands of years ago. “ Our small island has all the human and natural resources required to construct its own identity .” Zaheer Allamshoots down traditional ways of thinking. He calls on us to question the environmental risks of certain religious practices and models like marriage, children, and families living in isolation. “ Every family is a nuclear unit that, when added to all the others, greatly increases consumption and energy costs. Is this way of doing things still appropriate given the perils faced by the environment? Can’t we try and reinvent life and make sharing central to our way of thinking? Thinking about citiesmeans also thinking about our relationship with others and questioning tradi- tional values and sectarianism. We are seeing the rise of many excitingmovements in theworld – like the Youth Strike for the Climate – which call for radical change. We are living in interesting times, ” concludes Zaheer Allam, with contagious enthusiasm.  BY VIRGINIE LUC PHOTOGRAPHS NATHALIE BAETENS PENSER LA VILLE “