Ali is a doctoral candidate in the REDI Program under a cotutelle agreement between Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland and RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Trained as an urban planner, his research focuses on the role of planning in conserving urban cultural heritage amid rapid urbanisation, with a case study of Stone Town in Zanzibar City. His work examines how rapid urban expansion, the transformation and loss of open spaces, and the impacts of climate change affect the city’s built cultural heritage, which underpins both social cohesion and economic development in Stone Town and Zanzibar City more broadly.
As part of his doctoral research, Ali has presented at several international conferences, including the Cities’ Identity Through Architecture and Arts (CITAA) conference held in September 2024. There, he presented a paper titled ‘Stone Town Built Heritage Identity as a Stimulus to Sustainable Urban Growth within Zanzibar City’, which was subsequently published in Environmental Science and Sustainable Development (see more: https://lnkd.in/daFi9mVz).
In 2023, Ali and two colleagues received the UNESCO Youth Grant to conduct research on ‘Swahili Urbanism under the Influence of Global Trade – Exploring the Historic Urban Landscape of Zanzibar’s Coastal Settlements as Part of the Silk Road’. The study was successfully published in a UNESCO Youth publication (see: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000396170).
Professionally, Ali works with the Department of Urban and Rural Planning (DoURP) in Zanzibar, where he has been involved in a wide range of planning activities, including the implementation of the National Spatial Development Strategy (NSDS). His contributions to NSDS implementation include preparing small-town and detailed plans for Mkokotoni, Dunga and the industrial town of Chamanangwe on both Unguja and Pemba islands. He has also been actively engaged in regional projects coordinated by UN-Habitat to strengthen urban–rural linkages across the archipelago.
Ali has further represented DoURP in the Boosting Inclusive Growth in Zanzibar (BIG-Z) project, coordinated through the Project Management Office in the Ministry of Finance and Planning in Zanzibar. Funded by the World Bank Group, BIG-Z includes key components related to urban growth and cultural conservation, infrastructure and service provision, and income generation, all aimed at enhancing the liveability of local communities. Within this framework, Ali has contributed to the formulation of the terms of reference for major initiatives, including the Zanzibar Green Corridor project and the Pemba Spatial Master Plan.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ali-haji-khamis