"Bernadette and Franko - the founders and directors of PDC were the key people behind the decision to align our urban development projects with permaculture principles. This orientation contributes significantly to our identity to this day and is a very central element of the success of our projects. Our customers attach great importance to a design of our cities that is in harmony with nature and the environment. They want a green, healthy environment and sustainable, clean city services. PDC offers all of this, from design and implementation to maintenance of the areas and facilities. The cooperation is not only professional and transparent, but above all characterized by the consistent interest in building better and greener cities. It is a pleasure and an honor to work with PDC and we look forward to many successful years in the future."
Katrin Dietzold (Chairman of the Board CPS)
Fumba Town, a new residential development on Zanzibar, East Africa slated to be home to over 15,000 people in a few years became the initial project for PDC.
Within this urban development, resilience has emerged as a central theme.
Resilience can be defined as the capacity to prepare for, withstand, and bounce back from probable natural and anthropogenic hazards particular to the functionality of the system and location.
The developers aim to increase the sustainability of the project by including green building design, the treatment and handling of waste and water, a landscape design focused on local and productive plants, and empowering locals with skills in order to create eco businesses.
The PDC takes care of all natural and non-natural resources of Fumba Town by working in the areas of water, waste, biodiversity, food forest as well as education and training.
The developers aim to increase the sustainability of the project by including green building design, the treatment and handling of waste and water, a landscape design focused on local and productive plants, and empowering locals with skills in order to create eco businesses.
The PDC takes care of all natural and non-natural resources of Fumba Town by working in the areas of water, waste, biodiversity, food forest as well as education and training.
Fumba Town Website
Parks and other green spaces
A balanced system of polycultures, water features and a productive landscape gives Fumba Town a refreshing & enjoyable atmosphere.
In a nutshell
A green infrastructure has been carefully woven throughout the residential neighbourhoods of Fumba Town
Eco-friendly green corridors, tree-lined avenues, tropical gardens and parks for the pleasure, and leisure, of our residents.
Fumba’s commitment to showcasing sustainable, permaculture principles in residential environments creates a healthier lifestyle for our communities, respecting and improving the biodiversity of our is- land and creating a place of natural beauty and wellness in which to live. The Town is built on bulldozed coral rock, that is low in organic material, fertility, and bad soil structure. Moreover, moving and buying of soil in Zanzibar is illegal. Faced with these challenges, the problem became the solution. Fifty percent of the waste in Zanzibar is organic, that can be turned to soil. By layering organic materials together with charcoal, sawdust, cardboard boxes, paper etc. and letting them decompose, we are imitating nature’s way of soil building. It provided our landscaping plants with the nutrients needed for growth, and will continually develop our soil quality as we continue. The landscaped spaces will be irrigated using recycled water from the town's own water recycling system. This will avoid stressing the boreholes strategically positioned that supplies drinking water to the homes and businesses within the town.
The Green drain is our simple floodwater control system as well as recharging ground water.
It includes several layers of organic matter and a dominant canopy tree is planted and covered with mulch. Each unit will have a Green drain in front of the house. The surface of the Green drain is below the surrounding grade, which is enough to allow the water to be retained, while it infiltrates. Plants with deep fibrous roots will ensure cleaning and filtering of the water. We loved the idea of letting every homeowner choose, which fruit tree he or she wants - productivity and taking care of a scarce resources in one. All of these trees have been grown organically at PDC nurseries, to ensure the trees are already acclimatized to the growing conditions in Zanzibar. They will cool the area and produce flowers, fruits or timber. Green drains are beautiful and effective elements for reducing flooding and simultaneously improving water quality. The Green drain slows down the flow of H2O, allows water to soak into the ground, filters and reduces pollution using the natural processes of soil and plants and it creates a lush, green neighborhood for everyone to enjoy.
Waste Management
We have implemented a waste management system which includes waste collection points called Greenrooms - strategically positioned throughout the Town and beautifully landscaped - and our composting area on the grounds of PDC.
The design of the Green Room, our waste collection point between houses, came about by wanting it to become an effective location for neighbors to gather, a space to chat and people watch.
We ensure that it is safe, clean and well-maintained.
The waste collection points are accessible to homeowners as well as for collection, repair, replacement for our street cleaning & maintenance staff. We are including in all our Green Rooms small pockets of green. All waste collected is managed at the PDC grounds, the first decentralized waste management area. Organic matter will be composted, plastics and bottles recycled, repurposed and/or sold.
Recreational & community developments
Natural building structures One of our core focuses for landscaping at Fumba Town is using sustainable building materials. We employed the earthbag building technique to create the various islands in our parks. This is a way of reducing the use of fossil fuel by choosing an alternative method of building technique. Earthbag building is a sustainable method of building structures for Fumba Town Development's first playground. It is based on an ancient building method that offers superior economy and durability. It uses basic materials and offers broad possibilities for affordable, low impact housing, specially in regions where timber, grasses, cement and fuel are scarce. Earthbag domes also provide unparalleled safety in wooded areas prone to wildfires as well as sites exposed to extreme weather conditions. It holds great thermal mass and cannot rot or be eaten by insects. We have trained and empowered a number of our own team members, out-of-school youth apprentices together with women from the neighboring villages in using this building technique.
The Halima Communal Gardens
The community gardening movement is flourishing in conjunction with rising concerns about food security and access to chemical-free food as well as the need to nurture a sense of community involvement. Halima Garden is Fumba Town’s answer to our segment of the homeowners who live in apartments without access to cultivable areas. It is a designated garden to grow food while transforming the space into a community asset. The Halima Garden is a space where you can find a plot for a source of fresh produce, a place to engage children in gardening, a place to meditate or simply just sit and ponder and feel connected to nature.
Kwetu Kwenu Kiosk & Community Farmers Market - building community spirit amongst residents & visitors
The beginnings of a small kiosk to become the heart and soul of Fumba Town is testament to PDC’s commitment of building community spirit amongst the residents. The kiosk offers a place to enjoy food and share the pleasures, issues and challenges of daily life. Situated next to the popular playground, the kiosk also offers a meeting point for the children and the whole family as well as a venue for birthdays and celebrations. The Kwetu Kwenu Community Market done every month is a community-inspired activity to bring people and local and organic products together surrounded by music, inspiration and laughter. This popular market is set among the beautiful spaces of the parks inside the Town.
Lao Tzu
"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."
