Why pursue urban experiments in historic downtowns? It might seem counterintuitive picking the most consolidated areas of the city for experiments. However, the historic downtowns often face obsolescence processes that translate into decay, abandonment, overcrowding, or underuse[1]. Urban experimentation breaks the inertia of such longstanding processes, transforming the … [Read more...] about Urban experiments in historic downtowns: Local identity and innovation for a more sustainable cultural heritage
Strengthening local communities in cities through innovative models
As Yuval Noah Harari describes in his book “Sapiens, A Brief History of Humankind”: human society had evolved for thousands of years in small communities that were characterized by strong relationships between individuals and mutual support systems. We are more likely to be part of a community than to be isolated from one. The experiences learned from the SARS-CoV-2 … [Read more...] about Strengthening local communities in cities through innovative models
Cities of the Future: Between Dreams and Nightmares about Ideal Urban Planning
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 about Ideal Urban Planning
Redesigning cities on a human scale in the post-pandemic new normal
Of all the projections about the new normal in the aftermath of Covid-19, perhaps the one gaining greatest consensus concerns the need to design cities on a human scale. To help recover from this pandemic, cities around the world are changing. How they conceive of public space and public safety, mobility and livability is being reconstructed. And how they stay competitive at … [Read more...] about Redesigning cities on a human scale in the post-pandemic new normal
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