designboom · Creativity & design

Benghazi 2050: A Digital Framework for Urban Growth

Benghazi, Libya, is developing a new urban planning framework, "Benghazi 2050: Next Generation City Plan," to guide its future development amidst growth and renewal. The initiative aims to coordinate expansion while reconnecting the city with its waterfront and historic areas.

The plan proposes an adaptable framework focused on connection and restoration, integrating public transport and pedestrian routes to link key city areas. It also incorporates 'zones of nature' to support water management and biodiversity, allowing urban expansion to coexist with environmental systems.

Central to the proposal is the "Benghazi 2050 Digital Planning Hub," a platform that consolidates urban, socioeconomic, environmental, and infrastructural data. This forms a digital twin of the city, enabling proposals to be assessed within their broader context.

The Digital Planning Hub is designed to evolve with the city, serving as a collaborative environment for authorities, communities, planners, and investors, moving beyond a static plan to a dynamic system for managing transformation.

A multidisciplinary consortium is involved, with Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA) leading the spatial vision and the digital platform's interface and technology integration. Other partners contribute expertise in planning, economics, transport, environment, and infrastructure.

The project integrates baseline research, growth scenarios, spatial planning, and computational tools to connect Benghazi's identity with its long-term development. The framework was presented at the Global Competitive Urban Planning Initiative – Benghazi in September 2026.

AI-samenvatting op basis van de bron.