Construction projects, mainly in cities, have made sand the most consumed natural resource on the planet after fresh water. Each year more than 30 billion tons of sand are consumed, an amount that would take 20 million concrete trucks to transport[1]. As a result, almost a quarter of the planet’s beaches and wetlands show the effects of the massive extraction of sand[2], a … [Read more...] about Cities at the Center of the Sustainable Development Goals: Highlights of the 2018 IDB Sustainability Report
Michael G. Donovan
Michael G. Donovan is a Senior Housing and Urban Development Specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank where he oversees several programs in the urban portfolio. Recent publications at the IDB include A Blue Urban Agenda: Adapting to Climate Change in Coastal Cities and The State of Social Housing in Six Caribbean Countries. Prior to joining the IDB in 2013, he held positions at USAID, OECD, and the United Nations, working to increase access to urban services and elevate the role of local governments in global development policy debates. Donovan holds a Ph.D. in city and regional planning from UC-Berkeley, a Master of City Planning from M.I.T., and a BA in economics from the University of Notre Dame.
10 Platforms to Monitor Hurricanes and Disasters in Cities
As the world’s population becomes increasingly concentrated in cities, we are witnessing the urbanization of disasters. Hurricanes Florence, Maria and Irma and recent earthquakes in Ecuador, Haiti, and Mexico all underscore urban risk. And smaller scale events like fires and floods can have disproportionately large impacts in cities given high population … [Read more...] about 10 Platforms to Monitor Hurricanes and Disasters in Cities
How the Caribbean Can Prepare for More Violent Hurricanes
Updated building codes can help the Caribbean face disaster. But the region also needs a better way to think about preparedness. The aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria renewed calls to fortify Caribbean cities. Recently, the Inter-American Development Bank pledged U$1 billion in loans to support a more resilient Caribbean. The hurricanes that recently battered … [Read more...] about How the Caribbean Can Prepare for More Violent Hurricanes
Why Coastal Cities Need a Blue Urban Agenda
Consider the nation of Kiribati, an island nation with 110,000 residents spread out over 33 atolls and reef islands in the South Pacific. Within a century, the country could be underwater or “deterritorialized”. In response, Kiribati’s former President authorized in 2014 the purchase of 20 square kilometers of land on Fiji in case of a future mass relocation of Kiribati’s … [Read more...] about Why Coastal Cities Need a Blue Urban Agenda
Caribbean Housing Is Expensive and Scarce. Here’s How to Change That
The Caribbean is caught in a housing trap. The cost of living is high: building a house in Kingston is three times more expensive than in a typical Latin American city. This has left ten million people in The Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago without a decent roof over their heads. Building adequate … [Read more...] about Caribbean Housing Is Expensive and Scarce. Here’s How to Change That