Sasaki Selected to Lead Planning and Urban Design for Lower Msimbazi Basin Redevelopment in Tanzania
Credit: World Bank Group
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, July 9, 2026 – Sasaki is proud to announce its selection by the Government of Tanzania as lead planner and designer for the Lower Msimbazi Basin Redevelopment. Financed by the World Bank through a $200 million credit, the project will deliver a coherent plan for the future of one of Dar es Salaam’s most vital and vulnerable landscapes, building on the vision of the Msimbazi Basin Development Programme (MBDP).
The Lower Msimbazi Basin is home to 1.6 million people and supports the critical infrastructure that connects the city’s Central Business District to the rest of Dar es Salaam. It is also one of East Africa’s most urgent planning challenges. Flooding has struck in seven of the last ten years, putting around 50,000 people from the city’s most vulnerable communities at direct risk. Those pressures are expected to grow with urbanisation and climate change. Sasaki will address these conditions through in-depth site analysis, establishing a clear foundation for planning and design decisions that are resilient, ecologically sound, and economically viable.
The project will bring flood management, ecological restoration, green space, and new development together into a single coherent plan. Central to that vision is a new city park, which will be open land that will serve as the “lungs” of the city as it absorbs floodwaters while providing year-round recreation space for the community.
Sasaki principal Dennis Pieprz shares, “We are delighted to be leading the Msimbazi project with an outstanding team of local, regional, and international consultants, including HR&A Advisors and MIC-HUB. This is a unique opportunity to advance an integrated vision for ecological restoration, urban regeneration, economic opportunity, and social sustainability through meaningful community engagement.”
“Msimbazi is one of Tanzania’s most significant civic initiatives,” Pieprz adds, “and we are proud to help create lasting benefits for Dar es Salaam and its communities.”
The work will also set out a clear pathway for future development approvals and define roles for government agencies and delivery partners. A programme of workshops, community and stakeholder sessions, and inter-agency coordination will ensure the plan reflects the needs and priorities of the people who live and work there. This robust planning and design effort is already underway and is expected to conclude in 2027.
Sasaki brings extensive experience in waterfront and urban district planning to this engagement, with a track record of complex, multi-stakeholder projects that balance ecological health, social equity, and economic development. The firm’s integrated services span planning and urban design, landscape architecture, civil engineering, architecture, and spatial data analysis, giving Sasaki the thoughtful analysis and design approach this project demands.
"Msimbazi is one of Tanzania’s most significant civic initiatives, and we are proud to help create lasting benefits for Dar es Salaam and its communities."
Dennis Pieprz, Honorary ASLA, Sasaki Principal and Urban Designer
For more information on this project, visit the World Bank’s Msimbazi Basin Development Project webpage.
About Sasaki
Sasaki has been a leader in the design industry for over 70 years. The firm is known for blending disciplines, engaging with clients and communities, drawing on history and context, and using data and emerging technologies to shape the built environment. With offices in Boston, Denver, New York, Shanghai, and Los Angeles, Sasaki’s 300 professionals partner with civic, commercial, education, and institutional clients around the world. Sasaki’s integrated services include planning and urban design, landscape architecture, civil engineering, architecture, interior design, and space planning.
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