Sustainable urbanization in the Caribbean is a real and present development challenge. Caribbean cities are often small but not compact. They have immeasurable natural assets but are exposed to severe climate events. They have quality basic education, but struggle to prevent qualified professionals from migrating abroad. Grand hotels and beach resorts are juxtaposed by … [Read more...] about Urban Sustainability in the Caribbean: the case of Nassau, Bahamas
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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
Actions for sustainable urban development in Belize City through the year 2050
Last time I blogged about how a city can transform stranded assets, like cemeteries and abandoned properties, into magnets for urban regeneration. The new flavor of the week is “canals”. Belize City is located at the mouth of the Belize River and Haulover Creek, a location that early settlers perhaps chose due to its importance for the then-booming timber trade because it … [Read more...] about Actions for sustainable urban development in Belize City through the year 2050
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
Participatory Design for Port of Spain by ETH Zurich
Since August 2012, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) have joined forces to help emerging mid-size cities within Latin America and the Caribbean to face their urban challenges. Within the Emerging and Sustainable Cities Initiative (ESCI) the ETH Chair of Architecture and Urban Design of Prof. Alfredo Brilembourg … [Read more...] about Participatory Design for Port of Spain by ETH Zurich