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
Sustainable development
Between 1950 and 2014, Latin America and the Caribbean urbanized at an unprecedented rate, increasing its urban population from 50 to 80 percent (as a percentage of the total); a figure that is expected to reach 86 percent by 2050. On the other hand, Latin American cities are extremely vulnerable to extreme weather events, droughts and floods: three-quarters of Latin Americans live in low-lying coastal areas. How to promote sustainable urban development? Learn more by reading our blog and downloading this publication.
Urban Biodiversity: How the City of Tomorrow Can Help Rethink Both Natural and Constructed Environments
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: How the City of Tomorrow Can Help Rethink Both Natural and Constructed Environments
Urban inclusion after covid19
how can universal accessibility help improve post-pandemic city life? Disability inclusion is one of the social issues that have been gaining prominence in recent years as an essential part of sustainable development. This social approach, based on a human rights perspective, is amplified by the importance of disability inclusion in urban planning, design, and … [Read more...] about Urban inclusion after covid19
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
Adaptive reuse: historic practices during a crisis
COVID-19 has been advancing rapidly and disrupting our daily lives. The virus has demanded to use our creativity to convert spaces and host temporarily new emergency uses. As many of us stay home adapting our own house as office, school, nursery and/or nursing, key stakeholders in our cities are working to contain the pandemic and converting even iconic sites, adapting them in … [Read more...] about Adaptive reuse: historic practices during a crisis