By Sergio Deambrosi* Despite the great benefits that Cali, Colombia’s new mass transportation system has brought to the city, low useage poses a challengefor its long-term sustainability. Just three years ago Cali, Colombia’s third city by population, had chaotic traffic. Streets and avenues were congested most of the day with a proliferation of buses, which contributed … [Read more...] about Democratizing public transportation
Iinfrastructure for competitiveness and social welfare
The Macho River: Source of Life, Electricity and Employment
By Carlos Echevarría* Modernization of the Macho River hydroelectric plant in Costa Rica has created more than 300 direct jobs and will supply electricity to more than 228,000 homes. Springing from the virgin forests of Cerro de la Muerte (Death Peak) in Costa Rica, crystal clear waters form a powerful outflow that creates the Macho River and are a source of energy for … [Read more...] about The Macho River: Source of Life, Electricity and Employment
How far away is your water?
By Jorge Oyamada* More than 10,000 households in rural areas of Paraguay enjoy a safe drinking water system thanks to funding from the IDB and FECASALC. Paraguay’s Virgen del Rosario Community houses 111 families and until a little over a year ago it had no potable water, forcing villagers to walk long distances to fetch water every day. “I used to carry … [Read more...] about How far away is your water?
Agricultural Corridor: More than just a highway
By Daniel Torres-Gracia* The paving of the Tegucigalpa-Puerto Castilla Agricultural Corridor in Honduras has become a focus of economic and social development benefiting more than 500,000 of the region's residents. The Tegucigalpa-Puerto Castilla Agricultural Corridor, in Honduras, came about as a means of improving the lives of 500,000 people. Standing testament to … [Read more...] about Agricultural Corridor: More than just a highway
Housing for all: Lessons from Suriname
By Carolina Piedrafita* Suriname finds an affordable housing solution for less than $15,000. Mrs. Urmie Elisabeth Wijnstein is a single mother in Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname. She has a steady job cleaning government offices, but with a salary of just US$260 a month she never was able to rent or buy her own home. She had to live with her mother, sharing a room … [Read more...] about Housing for all: Lessons from Suriname