They are a permanent feature of the modern city. In Macha they are refurbished into computerrooms and serve to link rural communities to the internet http://link.net.zm/ In the Netherlands the container projects are abound in the creative industry examples from an office at NDSM and F.A.S.T. (Free Architecture Surf Terrain), made by Refunc. The 24 containers of the Puma store currently sail around the world. 
6000 Jatropha trees are recently planted in Macha covering a field of 500 ha. As the price of diesel is very high in Zambia this might become a great alternative.
Macha is one of the 5 chiefdoms in Choma district. We visited the area and saw a lot of inspiring projects done in a rural area where ICT is the leitmotif. It is difficult to comprehend all the projects; schools and training centres, housing, biofuel, airport, eco tourism, craftshop, medical research and clinics, radio&tv station, cafe, bank and e learning pianolessons! http://www.machaworks.org/
When I grow older, I will play football for the Netherlands! with the boys and some other friends we watched the World Cup Final.
My homework for today: reading the Challenge of Slums, a analysis of slums worldwide made by UN habitat. It shows the problems, prospects, casestudies, numbers, factors of slums and their social, spatial and economic characteristics and dynamics. The report argues that the number of slum dwellers is growing and will continue to increase unless there is serious and concerted action by all relevant stakeholders. On www.unhabitat.org all reports can de downloaded for free as pdf, it is a very useful database.
The common method of domestic and commercial waste management is burning and burying on the site. This was acceptable in the past, but the situation has changed. There is more waste, with different characteristics. The existing dumping site is not in a satisfactory location and there is no control over the type of waste materials which are dumped. I made the above observations and took photo's, meanwhile an EU bid has been written by my colleague.
The mining town of Kitwe also hosts 1 of the largest markets and university in Zambia. There are numerous small and big businesses in this town.
The new mini busstation and market in Ndola will open shortly a similar development is desirable for Choma. All the buses and vendors are expected to move within the new development that is initiated by the Ministry of Local Government and Housing and Ndola City Council. 
Thanks to another public holiday the paper is finished! just some typical Choma shots that I will use in the presentation: a train in the middle of town and an almost deserted market during church time.
Exactly 4 months in Zambia, 4 months to go, exactly 4 years ago that I was writing my final thesis “Shrinkage to Growth” and had a break to see The Netherlands play in the Worldcup with some neighbours in Den Haag. And see, 4 years later in Zambia I’m again writing a paper titled “Think Local, Act Local” for Isocarp congress later this year. Likewise I have to take break to see Netherlands-Japan.
Title deeds and data collection: a perfect trip to take some pictures of a subcentre in Choma District. The tailors always work on the veranda showing their work.
You know that you are settled in Zambia when it is becoming normal to you that: all the shops sell the same 
While Obama pleads for alternative energy (the movie HOME is definitely a must see http://www.home-2009.com/us/index.html ) the common cooking is done here on (BP) brazers with charcoal, the wood is cut down and taken home on a bike or on their head.
Chimps are going ape, giraffes remain above it all,
