Shortly before the explosion of a global crisis generated by the COVID-19, in the well-known "2020 Consumers Electronics Show" (CES), Akio Toyoda, C.E.O. of the automotive giant Toyota, unveiled his plans to build the "City of the Future" near the mystical Mount Fuji, in an area of approximately 70 hectares, in a factory due for closure. The initiative is called "Woven City" in … [Read more...] about Cities of the Future: Between Dreams and Nightmares
Emerging cities
Latin America and the Caribbean is the second most urbanized region on the planet, with 8 out of 10 people living in cities. Between 1950 and 2014, the region was urbanized at an unprecedented rate, its urban population increased from 50 to 80 percent (as a percentage of the total); a figure that is expected to reach 86 percent in 2050. Moreover, regional economic growth was mainly developed in medium-sized cities, which are expanding exponentially. How to accompany the growth of these cities? Learn more by reading our blog and downloading this publication.
Favela-Bairro Upgrading Program: Assessing results 10 years later
More than a billion people live in informal neighborhoods around the world, also known as slums, barriadas or villas, or favelas in Brazil. These neighborhoods usually lack access to clean water and sanitation systems, and residents live in inadequate and overcrowded housing. In 1995, Favela Bairro (FB) program in Rio de Janeiro Brazil, aimed to connect these informal … [Read more...] about Favela-Bairro Upgrading Program: Assessing results 10 years later
Urban biodiversity: when natural and built environments could rethink their relationship with the city of tomorrow
The word biodiversity appeared first in the 1980s to designate the variety of life on earth. Biodiversity is used in reference to the species (plants and animals) in one region. The community of living things in a specific area is called an ecosystem. Urban ecosystems vary from city to city. Green spaces in cities can host pre-existing species, new ones, and shelter migratory … [Read more...] about Urban biodiversity: when natural and built environments could rethink their relationship with the city of tomorrow
Urban management and environmental health
Environmental health addresses the risks for human health related to the inhabited space, including interactions with air, water, soil, food, and local ecosystems. Poor environmental quality can create health issues by itself or contribute to diseases of different origin. Globally, environmental conditions cause 12,6 million death a year. Additionally, there is robust evidence … [Read more...] about Urban management and environmental health
Post-Covid Response and Recovery for Latin American and Caribbean Cities
The COVID-19 pandemic is a once-in-a-century public health crisis, an economic catastrophe, and a human tragedy of the first order, whose impact has been most keenly felt in cities. That’s because plagues and pandemics turn the dense living patterns, international connectivity, and sheer 24/7 busyness of cities—the basic drivers of their productivity—against them. That said, … [Read more...] about Post-Covid Response and Recovery for Latin American and Caribbean Cities