Parks & Gardens

Thirteen of the planet’s 20 fastest growing cities are in areas of the developing world where AKDN works. Ten of those are in Africa. In many of these cities, green space has often been overwhelmed by growth, migration from the countryside and a lack of planning. In Cairo, for example, one estimate suggested that there was an average of less than one square metre of green space per inhabitant. Overwhelmed by financial demands, municipalities have neglected the problem, assuming that green space was unproductive – or worse, a financial liability.

Over the last 20 years, AKDN has disproved this, rehabilitating and creating 13 parks and gardens in Cairo, Bamako, Kabul, Delhi and elsewhere. They provide a "green lung" for cities and their inhabitants, counteracting pollution; incorporate other facilities from theatres to playing fields; provide education about plants, wildlife, history and Islamic culture; and offer a place to exercise, socialise and relax. The spaces are popular amongst local populations and international visitors.

The 30-hectare Azhar Park in Cairo, for example, transformed an area used as a rubbish dump. It incorporates a children's play area, an amphitheatre and stage, playing fields, a viewing plaza and a historical wall promenade. It was selected as one of the world’s 60 best places in 2008 by the Project for Public Places.

The restoration of Babur's Gardens in Kabul, Afghanistan, received Time Magazine’s “Best of Asia” Award for Revitalisation in 2006. The citation referenced the restoration of the Emperor’s vision, the replanting of trees and the throngs of picnickers who came to hear the classical concerts.

Smaller spaces, surrounding or even within buildings, also have the power to connect visitors to other cultures, and to provide a respite from everyday life. The six gardens, courtyards and terraces of the Aga Khan Centre in London, UK are inspired by Islamic landscape design from Spain, North Africa and the Middle East to Central and South Asia. The Aga Khan Garden Alberta, in Parkland County outside Edmonton, Canada is a modern interpretation of historic Islamic landscape architecture, designed for the local climate and topography.