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
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.
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
Urban planning: three lessons learned in Curitiba
Original article published in Portugues in IDEAÇAO Blog on 09/01/2020 Curitiba's urban planning contributed substantially to the development of the municipality. The city is considered one of the three capitals with the best infrastructure in the country and has high living conditions, which is reflected in the wide coverage of public services and the high level of … [Read more...] about Urban planning: three lessons learned in Curitiba
Monitoring informal settlement growth in Manaus, Brazil with drones
Many cities in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) face the challenge of rapid informal urban growth, which prevents them from providing basic services to their citizens and have a sustainable urban development. Today, drones, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) provide key information for cities to better understand informal growth patterns and improve … [Read more...] about Monitoring informal settlement growth in Manaus, Brazil with drones
Smarter and More Sustainable Cities in Latin America? We Must Learn to Buy Better
In a roundtable on the most pressing challenges for our cities, a colleague challenged us with the following question: “Do you believe that cities can buy their sustainability?” Between stunned looks and expressions of disbelief, we could not reach a conclusion. The truth is that, as Latin America is one of the most urbanized regions of the world, every decision taken by a … [Read more...] about Smarter and More Sustainable Cities in Latin America? We Must Learn to Buy Better