The Zanzibar & Stone Town Bicycle Master Plan is a landmark initiative funded by the African Development Bankand implemented by the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) through the SARChI Chair in Spatial Transformation, in partnership with Platform100 and the Centre on African Public Spaces (CAPS).
It’s a blueprint for sustainable transport that combines data-driven design, community co-creation, and AI-assisted mapping to build a cycling ecosystem that serves both residents and visitors.
The project draws together voices from government, academia, community groups, artists, and residents ensuring every pedal stroke reflects shared ownership.
Prioritise safe and inclusive cycling infrastructure
Protect Stone Town’s UNESCO heritage while improving access
Reduce congestion and pollution through non-motorised mobility
Support small businesses and tourism built around cycling
Empower women, youth, and informal traders through accessibility
The planning process followed a hands-on, immersive method combining observation, AI tools, and community dialogue.
Understanding how people move through markets, schools, and heritage sites.
Testing ideas through small-scale pilots and temporary routes.
Co-designing solutions with locals, NGOs, and city officials.
Using generative AI to simulate design outcomes and site aesthetics.
Integrating lessons learned into a long-term mobility framework.
This Project was made possible by the contributions from our respected partners
The project was made possible through the dedication of a multidisciplinary team
Project Lead | SARChI Chair in Spatial Transformation
Amira Osman is a Sudanese/South African architect, researcher, academic, activist, public speaker, and author. She is a Professor of Architecture at the Tshwane University of Technology. She holds the position of SARCHI: DST/NRF/SACN Research Chair in Spatial Transformation (Positive Change in the Built Environment). Osman is a joint coordinator for the international CIB W104 Open Building Implementation network, the President of the South African Institute of Architects (SAIA) and convenor of the conference series: A City is [Not] a Tree: The Urban Ecologies of Divided Cities launched in 2022.
She is the director of the organisation PLATFORM 100, a thinktank and collaborative vehicle for promoting change in conversations and practice around architecture, space and cities. Osman is a registered professional architect (SACAP 7267) and the Built Environment in Emerging Economies (BEINEE) Book Series editor. Osman has extensive experience curating international events, coordinating complex programmes and exhibitions in terms of design, conceptualising content and managing diverse teams.
Project Manager | Architect & Urban Designer
Tebogo Ramatlo is an architect, artist, and academic at the Tshwane University of Technology. He is passionate about transforming cities, education, and policies for the betterment of sustainable human environments. Ramatlo is a doctoral candidate in architecture, and his thesis focuses on the defragmentation of colonial cities in Africa from the centre to the in-between and the periphery.
He has been invited as a guest lecturer, contributing exhibitor, and workshop facilitator locally and internationally to address mobility, migration, informality, sustainability and homelessness issues.
Collaborator | Architect & Urban Planner
Robert Krasser is responsible for Village and Town Development at the Salzburg Institute for Regional Planning & Housing (SIR). His keen passion for cycling, as well as his interest in Christopher Alexander’s patterns in the contemporary city and transport planning processes – and the links between theory and practice, have meant that he is an integral part of this team and was, indeed, the main reason for the conceptualisation of the project.