The economic impact of climate events in the Caribbean is among the highest in the world. Improving the resilience of buildings is vital to increase preparedness to the impacts of climate change and is economically viable for many building typologies in high-risk Caribbean countries. Although resilient buildings generate long-term savings, in most cases, they come with … [Read more...] about Building resilience comes at a higher initial cost. How can we better finance it?
Livia Minoja
Livia is a Social Infrastructure Specialist at the IDB, where she works in the preparation and execution of programs that include the design and construction of social infrastructure projects in several countries in the region, such as Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Peru, and Suriname, among others. She is interested in issues of innovation, sustainability, and energy efficiency in buildings design, and in the systematization of best practices for the improvement of program execution processes. Previously, she worked at the Urban Development and Housing Division of the IDB, focusing on the revitalization of historic centers; at UN-Habitat in Mexico, as a consultant to develop design guidelines for shelters for women victims of violence; at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), as an architect in urban development program for the West Bank refugee camps. She also worked in architectural firms and research departments in Brazil and Italy, focusing mainly on urban development projects in marginalized areas. Additionally, she has been a Professor at the Faculty of Architecture at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City and at the Faculty of Urban Studies at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem. Livia holds a master’s degree in Architecture from the Politecnico di Milano.
The cost of (not) building resilient infrastructure in the Caribbean
We all know that to build more resilient infrastructure, we need to invest more; but how much more is enough? Our last blog showed that the Caribbean islands lose an average 2% of their capital stock in infrastructure because of climate-related events every year. This would be equivalent to having all the infrastructure capital stock in the Caribbean islands … [Read more...] about The cost of (not) building resilient infrastructure in the Caribbean
Is it worth it to invest in resilient constructions in the Caribbean? The answer is yes!
The Caribbean islands are among the 25 most-vulnerable nations in terms of climate-related disasters per capita or land area, and climate change is only expected to worsen this scenario. Only in 2020, there were 13 hurricanes in the Atlantic, second highest on record. In addition to human lives losses, these disasters take a deep toll on economic growth: in 2019, hurricane … [Read more...] about Is it worth it to invest in resilient constructions in the Caribbean? The answer is yes!
If zero risk does not exist, how to select safe lands?
Finding suitable land to build social infrastructure is a great challenge. Budgets are usually very limited; there are few available lands and often they have legal problems or debts, lack of public services or require additional work besides those of the project itself. In many countries, through intergovernmental agreements, donated land is accepted, which seems to be the … [Read more...] about If zero risk does not exist, how to select safe lands?
Buildings vs. climate change: Building adaptation and mitigation
The construction sector is growing at unprecedented rates and it is estimated that, during the next 40 years, 230 billion square meters of new infrastructure will be built in the world. The sector, between construction works and buildings, is one of the most important sources of pollution worldwide since it consumes 36% of global energy and produces 39% of CO2 … [Read more...] about Buildings vs. climate change: Building adaptation and mitigation