From a desert to an oasis: Penn engages in ambitious greening effort in the Sahel
Students from the Weitzman School of Design journeyed to Senegal to help with a massive ecological and infrastructural greening effort as part of their coursework. The Dakar Greenbelt aims to combat desertification and promote sustainable urban growth.
From leadership strife and regional conflicts to the sweeping waves of global economic transformation, the Sahel region—the southern edge of the Sahara Desert—has endured a century of dramatic change that has profoundly shaped life for its growing population. Urbanization, industrialization, and modernization have drifted across the African continent, but in the fragile ecosystems of the Sahel, he notes that these trends have exacerbated the region’s challenges and have intensified desertification and rendered the land increasingly inhospitable. Read more about how Penn is engaging with this ambitious effort at Penn Today.