Gabon Urban Development Project

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The proposed project aims to support the GoG’s efforts in enhancing urban livability and climate-resilience in selected secondary cities (namely Franceville, Oyem, Lambarene, Koulamoutou, Mouila, Lembamba and Ndende) through improved access to climate-resilient infrastructure and investments promoting urban development. The proposed project is a follow-on to the Local Infrastructure Development Projects I and II, and the project design builds upon and reflects lessons learned from the previous urban development projects in Gabon.The project intends to address bottlenecks impacting urban livability and resilience in the seven selected secondary cities. The project will support improved access to climate resilient urban infrastructure and public facilities as well as reduced flood risk in several secondary cities. Infrastructure investments will be complemented by activities to strengthen the capacities of municipalities in urban planning. The project will target integrated investments at the neighborhood level. These interventions will be informed by a spatial analysis of a city’s characteristics to identify gaps in accessibility and quality of infrastructure and services and to prioritize investments that can help overcome existing constraints while limiting urban sprawl. This approach will also support local economic development and connect people to jobs and markets. Drainage and flood protection infrastructure will reduce flood risk in critical hot spots and thus protect people and urban assets. The investments will directly contribute to climate change adaptation and/or mitigation through the following: (i) designing drainage and flood protection infrastructure to withhold flood events with higher return periods ; (ii) upgrading road infrastructure to climate-resilient standards, (iii) retrofitting public facilities, such as schools, with renewable energy and energy efficiency solutions, improved ventilation/cooling solutions, and multipurpose infrastructure, and (iv) where possible, use Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) to address flooding and soil erosion, urban heat effect, and carbon sink capacities (creation or preservation).The proposed Project comprises four components: (1)Integrated Urban Development in targeted Cities; (2) Flood Risk Reduction Infrastructure; (3) Project Management, Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation; and (4) Contingency Emergency Response Component.Component 1: Integrated Urban Development in Selected Cities (US$90 million IBRD equivalent)This component finances investments in climate-resilient urban infrastructure and services, while providing targeted technical assistance and capacity support to national and municipal governments. Sub-component 1.1: Integrated resilient urban infrastructure and public facilities (US$80 million IBRD equivalent) This sub-component improves urban connectivity and promotes climate-resilient development. The proposed investments in resilient urban infrastructure include: a) Rehabilitation and upgrading of urban roads to climate-resilient standards, which will include associated drainage and small complementary structures to improve all-weather accessibility, road safety and pedestrian safety (access ramps, sidewalks or pedestrian paths, footbridges, stairs, street lighting and signaling, well-lit bus stations). The Project will prioritize road sections and interventions based on two criteria: (i) the level of vulnerability of road sections to climate shocks (flooding, extreme heat), and opportunities to improve climate resilience of the road network and of adjacent communities; and (ii) opportunities to improve access to basic services (schools, hospitals) and economic activities (jobs, markets), as identified by urban diagnostics.b) Rehabilitation and upgrading of selected public facilities. Many public facilities (schools, community centers, sports grounds) lack proper amenities and equipment, which hinders their functionality. Facilities in selected poor, densely populated neighborhoods will be prioritized for climate-resilient upgrading investments. These may include retrofits to strengthen structural foundations, drainage infrastructure, solar panels for electricity, ventilation, and sanitary facilities for boys and girls. The subcomponent may also include feasibility studies for upgrading of investments such as market rehabilitation. The project would finance upgrading of markets only if the feasibility studies establish a strong economic and financial benefits to the municipalities with proper mechanisms for operations and maintenance and livelihood support for affected traders.c) Development and upgrading of green and municipal spaces for social cohesion. Most cities have limited public space that can be used for recreational purposes, despite relatively abundant vegetation and open green areas. This subcomponent will finance the upgrading of public plazas, playgrounds and river bank enhancements. The designs will adopt a participatory approach and integrate Nature Based Solution (incl. tree planting and expansion of vegetation) to address the urban heat island effect and improve soil infiltration capacities. The designs will be based on gender-sensitive planning consultations to address barriers to gender-inclusive.Investment identification studies for the first four cities (Franceville, Lambarene, Koulamoutou and Oyem) have been finalized through a community-driven approach, and the feasibility studies for a first package of investments are ongoing. Existing urban planning documents have been reviewed, and urban diagnoses have been conducted to identify critical urban infrastructure needs in the four cities. Infrastructures identified for support under the projects include roads, public facilities and publice spaces which will be spatially concentrated to leverageintegrated urban and economic development. The short-list of investments in the four cities includes 32.5 km of urban roads for climate-resilient rehabilitation, 788 m of footbridges to construct, 24 schools and 12 other community facilities to upgrade. The identified investments have been validated by the municipalities and communities and screened for climate vulnerability (particularly flood exposure). A few priority investments to implement in 2025 are being prepared with Project Preparation Advance (PPA) financing. These include resilient urban roads in Franceville, Lambarene and Oyem, and a school upgrading in Koulamoutou.Eligible investments in Mouila, Ndende and Lebamba will follow a similar approach. An initial urban diagnosis will be carried out to prioritize investments in resilient urban roads, public spaces and public facilities. Investments will be validated by the municipalities and communities and informed by climate vulnerability assessments.Sub-component 1.2: Strengthening the capacity of cities, communities and the national government for resilient urban planning and management (US$10 million IBRD equivalent). The component will finance the following activities:a) Support to resilient urban planning and management. Municipalities and the Ministry of Housing, Urban Planning and Cadaster will receive support to (i) update existing Urban Master Plan (SDAUs) by integrating climate resilience, develop new Urban Master Plans and update Neighborhood Development Plan (PACQ) where needed; and (ii) develop resilient Land Use Plans (POS) to enable implementation of the five existing SDAUs (Franceville, Koulamoutou, Oyem, Mouila and Lambarene) produced under ILDP2. Mechanisms to ensure enforcement of the plans will be identified through participatory processes, simplifications and flexible designs. In addition, Solid Waste Management Plans and Drainage Master Plans will be developed to ensure sustainability of the investments. Lastly, O&M Plans will be developed for investments to guide investments, particularly in drainage infrastructure. Key stakeholders and beneficiaries will be involved in the plan