By Gilberto Chona and Sarah Benton* Hurricanes - like Hurricane Irma - and tropical storms threaten the Caribbean with tragic frequency making it one of the most vulnerable regions on the planet. These phenomena affect lives, infrastructure and economies, and are worsening with climate change. These impacts are significant and require serious attention to strategies to … [Read more...] about Ready to face Hurricane Irma?
Gilberto Chona
Former Lead Specialist, Urban Development Economics. Inter-American Development Bank (Washington, DC). He was an expert in the formulation and supervision of action plans for urban regeneration in intermediate cities of Central America and the Caribbean. In 2015-2017 he served as Regional Coordinator for the Emerging and Sustainable Cities Program (ESC) in the Urban Development and Housing Division of the IDB. He also formulated and supervised studies and investment projects for urban regeneration, human settlements improvement, and affordable/sustainable housing in several countries. His 30 years of experience at the IDB include fiscal, institutional, and operational analysis in 14 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. His areas of concentration were the fiscal sustainability of cities, leveraging private investment in cities, institutional governance of cities, and smart city solutions. He is an Urban Planner graduated from the Simón Bolívar University of Venezuela (1986) and has a Master in City Planning degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT (1991).