Studio+: Dakar Greenbelt

The Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI) was conceived in 2005 to halt the expansion of the Sahara Desert and restore 100 million hectares of degraded drylands that sustain at-risk communities across 11 countries in the African Sahel. The original vision of a “wall” of trees quickly evolved into a more inclusive one. Human communities, sustainable farming, livestock cultivation, livelihoods, food security, market value chains, resources and amenities are now integral to the implementation of the Initiative. 

Studio+ creates space for interdisciplinary collaboration on projects that are planned, designed, built, implemented, and programmed in partnership with movements, communities, and local leaders. The Dakar Greenbelt is the fourth iteration of Studio+, which is a permanent initiative of the Weitzman School focused on community-engaged design, planning, art, and preservation, created as a vehicle for interdisciplinary action on the part of Penn students and faculty to increase equity and reduce systemic racism embedded in processes, uneven distributions of resources, under-achieving buildings and spaces, and erasures in the city. The studio cultivates long-term dialogue between communities of color and the university to shape new agendas and partnerships that deliver concrete benefits.