BergerWorld: 3rd Quarter 2006

YEMEN
The Berger Group initially assisted Yemen in 1978, preparing 20-year master plans for several of its fabled cities, including Sana'a, Al Hudaydah and Taiz. With development accelerating at a rapid rate in Yemen, especially in Taiz, the government recognized the need to update and expand on the city's original master plan. Berger was again selected for consultancy services, with a planning horizon to the year 2025. Funded by the World Bank, the primary objectives of the study were to: revise and update the earlier Berger master plan; formulate an implementation strategy for the new master plan; and work closely with the Taiz Urban Planning Department to strengthen local capacity to execute and continuously update the master plan in light of future needs. Berger's services were divided into five phases. In phase one, Berger prepared an analysis of recent population growth in demand for shelter and urban services, and the impact and the limitations of the current plan, based on a review of available data, field studies and discussions with key stakeholders. The Team also evaluated the existing legal and institutional framework for local administration and governance; current urban planning and management; the topographic, geologic and climactic characteristics of Taiz; the city's environment, including natural assets, environmentally sensitive areas, and sources and volumes of pollution; and the quality of present service delivery. Finally, population studies were prepared, including forecasts of proposed land use and the demand for public facilities and community services. In light of existing and anticipated development patterns in the city, planned parks and open spaces were reviewed and updated. In phase two, the Team consulted with key stakeholders to develop scenarios for future growth. Building on the findings of phase one, Berger developed more detailed forecasts of economic activities, population growth, transportation demand, traffic movements and demand for land, infrastructure, housing, public facilities, and community and urban services. In phase three, draft recommendations were formulated with the stakeholders' feedback for specific revisions of the master plan, including the identification of particularly underserved settlements and the formulation of alternative development plans for accommodating future growth by expanding transportation, electricity, and sewerage and drainage facilities and services. In phase four, after further consultation with the stakeholders, Berger prepared a comprehensive master plan with an emphasis on ensuring the preservation of the historic Taiz Old Medina and the revitalization of inner city areas. In the final phase, a report was prepared for the stakeholders, detailing the overall process of the project study and the Team's recommendations for the revised master plan to remedy future needs and services for the city of Taiz.

AFGHANISTAN
Kabul is not only Afghanistan's capital, it is the economic and cultural hub of the country. The Berger Group, in association with SMEC, provided master planning and design services to strengthen the local urban infrastructure, as well as the managerial capacity of the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing and the Kabul Municipality. Under the World Bank-financed Emergency Infrastructure Reconstruction Project, the Team evaluated development options for the sanitary sector. To improve Kabul's solid waste management, a community-based solid waste collection system was planned and implemented. The Team also developed access roads to connect previously inaccessible neighborhoods. In steep areas, hill-side steps were designed and constructed, and surface water drains adjacent to the steps were provided to reduce slides, while generators were provided in areas lacking power. Finally, with assistance from the German government, potable drinking water was provided to communities in the selected neighborhoods. The results of the assistance were overwhelmingly successful, as upwards of 250,000 people now have access to basic urban services at a level that has not been seen for 25 years.

QATAR
Qatar is home to 839,213 people. Most of those inhabitants reside in Doha, the country's capital and industrial, cultural and tourist center, located halfway down the East Coast of the peninsula. The Berger Group prepared a master development plan for Qatar, including detailed physical plans and zoning ordinances for the nation's two largest cities, Doha and Al Khor. The master plans entailed establishing a state-of-the-art GIS system to enable the government to manage and guide physical development needs to the year 2020. The system also allowed the country to establish specific land-use designations for resorts and tourism, heavy and extractive industries, aviation and port facilities, agriculture, and urban and rural areas. The Team also analyzed key plan elements, including current and proposed land use, settlement patterns, socioeconomic trends and forecasts, environmental concerns, and social and cultural constraints. Finally, the project included an assessment of the most appropriate institutional framework for implementing the plan, recommended land-use, transportation and public utility networks as well as the creation of a dynamic tool for future development plans.