With cities across Africa already struggling to accommodate the continent’s fast growing urban population, some are turning to innovative architecture for solutions. This depiction of the city may feel more like a vision of utopian living than a bustling East African capital. Boston-based MASS Design Group was founded in 2008 during the design process for Butaro Hospital in Burera District, and has since branched out into primary schools, doctors’ housing and neonatal units. Hall concedes that the sector is “tough to make money” in, while MASS Design relies on largely philanthropic funding from a range of sources. For Light Earth’s Hall, that ambition in the face of limited resources provides reasons to be optimistic about Rwanda’s urban future – and the role of this small African city in the fight against climate change.