Matola Waterfront

Matola Waterfront is a private development located in Matola, a satellite city of Maputo, which is now largely a dormitory for people commuting everyday to work in Mozambique’s capital. Part of the site is currently occupied by the declining salt mining activity on the Espirito Santo estuary, in addition to a series of adjacent wastelands.

Similar to other waterfront transformation processes whereby areas previously occupied by port and industrial activities are cleaned from environmental hazards and reclaimed, the master plan aims to create a sustainable mixed-use development able to reverse the condition of Matola as a peripheral dormitory. This reduction of its dependence from Maputo is achieved by creating conditions for the establishment of a strong resident population with an increased quality of life, better housing, business and services, accessibilities and public facilities. In this case, it involves the transformation of the entire area into a new hub, combining a vibrant urban and administrative centre with housing, offices, parks and leisure facilities, able to compete with the best locations in Maputo. This is achieved in part by the leisure reuse of some of the salt farms devised as a unique waterfront with bridges as passageways and equipped for nautical activities and others associated with riverside ecosystems.