Urban agriculture and collectivism tackle poverty in Iztapalapa
The ubiquitous poverty in Mexico City, not unlike that of other major metropolitan areas, has many faces. According to Caroline Moser, impoverished inhabitants in the city rely on an income fund that is linked to the accumulation of the rest of their assets. One of the many sides of this poverty is access to basic sustenance, given that a scarcity of income curtails the adequate and essential nourishment required for a healthy and productive human body. Read more or join the discussion.
Prevención en salud a domicilio
El cáncer de mama (CaMa) es el tumor maligno más frecuente en el mundo; de acuerdo a la Fundación del Cáncer de Mama (FUCAM), en México este padecimiento es la segunda causa de muerte. La Fundación Tómatelo a Pecho afirma que la tasa de mortalidad ha aumentado en los últimos cincuenta años; en el año 2012, 130 mil mujeres lo habían vivido. Leer más o discutir.
Mobile health care
Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor in the world. According to la Fundación del Cáncer de Mama (FUCAM) (the Breast Cancer Foundation), breast cancer is the number two cause of death in Mexico. The Fundación Tómatelo a Pecho (Take It to Heart), attests that the mortality rate has increased in the last fifty years. It is believed that by 2012, 130 thousand women had experienced breast cancer. Read more or join the discussion.
La importancia de un crecimiento económico sostenido e incluyente
La Revolución Mexicana no fue sólo el primer gran movimiento social del Siglo XX; fue el primero protagonizado por un país pobre, injusto e insatisfecho. Fue, por ello mismo, un movimiento para alcanzar la prosperidad, la justicia y la satisfacción. Fue también, el primer movimiento del siglo que supo aunar los derechos individuales y los derechos sociales. Leer más.
Private investment triggers city improvements
The urbanization process requires the combined effort of diverse stakeholders in order to take on demands from developing cities. The investment in the private sector for planning and the improvement of urban development is an example of this combined effort. Mexico City is a good example of how private participation improves public transportation and the mobility of citizen. Since 2000, Mexico City has opened its doors to private investment and has slowly attracted private capital to improve the city. Moreover, the Federal District's Government incorporated in 2008 a new investment program, Proyectos de Prestación de Servicios a Largo Plazo—PPS (Long-Term Provision Service Projects). Read more or discuss.
Inversión privada detona mejoría de la ciudad
El proceso de urbanización conlleva la sinergia de diversos actores para hacer frente a la demanda de las ciudades. Por ejemplo, la inversión del sector privado para la planeación y mejoría del desarrollo urbano. En este sentido, la Ciudad de México es evidencia de la participación privada que mejoró el transporte público y la movilidad de los capitalinos. A partir del año 2000 en el D.F. se abrió la puerta a la inversión privada y poco a poco se fue consolidando esta estrategia para atraer el capital privado a favor de la ciudad; en 2008 el Gobierno del Distrito Federal incorporó una nueva figura de inversión, los Proyectos de Prestación de Servicios a Largo Plazo (PPS). Leer más o discutir.
¿Es necesario un City Manager para la ZMVM?
"No hay viento favorable para el barco que no sabe adónde va." — Séneca
Hace algún tiempo, Miguel Ángel Mancera, el Jefe de Gobierno del Distrito Federal, mencionó la necesidad de contar con un City Manager. Dicha figura surgió a principios del siglo pasado como respuesta para atender problemas de diversas índoles; desde sociales hasta políticas. Su ámbito de acción, entre otras, es el desarrollar planes estratégicas para atacar problemas específicos, y vigilar su ejecución; generar debates de altura de diversos temas; promover equidad y justicia en la asignación presupuestal y prestación de servicios públicos, promover innovación en la gestión pública. Leer más.
Acceso al agua en Iztapalapa: entre acuíferos y agua pluvial
La Delegación Iztapalapa es una de las demarcaciones del Distrito Federal que no tiene garantizado el derecho al acceso de agua limpia y de calidad para sus habitantes. El déficit de suministro de agua de Iztapalapa se debe a que recibe diariamente 238 litros para un millón 815 mil 786 personas que viven en la demarcación. La falda de la Sierra Santa Catarina, es una de las zonas que presenta mayor escasez del líquido vital para que las personas puedan satisfacer sus necesidades. Familias de esta colonia tienen que pedir pipas a empresas privadas para que puedan obtener agua para la higiene personal y para el uso doméstico. Ante la demanda, la delegación también proporciona a la colonia tanques de agua de acuerdo a una larga lista de espera de los solicitantes, no obstante la necesidad por el agua rebasa la capacidad de entrega y distribución por parte de la delegación. Leer más o discutir.
Falta de vivienda = asentamientos irregulares: Ciudad Perdida
Una de las principales problemáticas de la Cd. de México es la falta de vivienda, pues si bien es mucha la demanda por parte de los habitantes, el uso de suelo para el desarrollo habitacional es muy escaso. De acuerdo a Vigila tus derechos D.F. "en el Distrito Federal, la realización del derecho a la vivienda presenta limitaciones y obstáculos de diversos tipos; [...] Hace falta una política de vivienda con enfoque de derechos humanos y de sustentabilidad, que promueva la coordinación interinstitucional para encontrar soluciones apropiadas a los desafíos del desarrollo urbano, la vivienda y el medio ambiente en la ciudad, incluyendo la situación de los asentamientos irregulares." Leer más o discutir.
Transporte público: inseguridad para mujeres en el D.F.
La inseguridad para las usuarias en el transporte público es el pan de cada día, siendo este un medio para que las mujeres se trasladen a su trabajo, escuelas, o para transportar a sus hijos, viven el riesgo de sufrir algún tipo de abuso sexual. Jesús Sesma Suárez, integrante del Partido Verde, afirmó que 29.4 por ciento de mujeres usuarias del transporte público en el D.F. han sentido miedo a sufrir un ataque o abuso sexual, 15 por ciento de las usuarias han sido perseguidas por hombres para ser atacadas sexualmente y el 2.1 por ciento ha sufrido abuso sexual. Así mismo, la Secretaría de Transporte del Estado de México sostiene que el 42 por ciento de las mujeres son agredidas en unidades del transporte y el 86 por ciento son víctima de ataques verbales. Leer más o discutir.
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A deeper understanding of favelas
All around Brazil, including Rio de Janeiro, the term favela is used to refer to a low-income neighborhood. Favelas are often associated with poverty, insecurity, and violence; however, although such problems are still present in many of these communities, there is a lot more to favelas than that — and their negative reputations should be corrected to reflect this. A number of local NGOs and social organizations are currently helping to change the negative perception of favelas and their residents. Read more or join the discussion.
Uma melhor compreensão das favelas cariocas
No Brasil, incluindo Rio de Janeiro a palavra "favela" é utilizada para fazer referência a assentamentos de baixa renda. Na maioria dos casos, as favelas também são associadas com pobreza, insegurança e violência. Embora aqueles problemas sejam uma realidade na maioria destas comunidades, existe muito mais além de nosso conhecimento que merece ser aprofundado sobre as favelas para tirar aquela percepção negativa delas. Leia mais o discutir.
Promoção da segurança alimentar e hábitos saudáveis na população de baixa renda no Rio
Brasil está fazendo grandes esforços na consolidação de suas politicas públicas enfocadas na promoção da segurança alimentar e de hábitos saudáveis com foco na população mais pobre e vulnerável. Para atender esta prioridade, o Ministério de Desenvolvimento Social e Combate a Fome (MDS) tem desenvolvido um Plano Nacional de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional para guiar o trabalho. Leia mais ou discutir.
Food security and the promotion of healthy habits for Rio's poorest
Brazil is in the process of consolidating its public programs that work toward food security and healthy habits for its poorest communities and most vulnerable populations. The Ministry of Social Development (MDS) has therefore developed various programs and initiatives. One of the most important steps forward has been the creation of the National Food Security and Nutrition Strategy. Read more or join the discussion.
Renovação urbana do Porto Maravilha: Trabalho conjunto dos setores público e privado
A renovação urbana do Porto Maravilha no Rio de Janeiro é um ambicioso projeto de requalificação da deteriorada zona portuária que abrange uma área de 5 milhões de metros quadrados. O projeto busca criar novas condições de moradia, trabalho, transporte e lazer para a população que ali vive principalmente aquela de baixa renda, mais tentando gerar um espaço de uso misto pioneiro na cidade. Leia mais ou discutir.
The revitalization of Porto Maravilha: Joint work between public and private sectors
The Porto Maravilha project in Rio de Janeiro is an ambitious urban renewal initiative taking place in the old port, one of the most deteriorated parts of the city, spanning 5 million square meters. The project aims at improving the living conditions of its poorest residents, especially with regard to housing, labor, transportation, and recreation, as well as generating a pioneering mixed-income space within the city. Read more or join the discussion.
Improvements in access to water and sewerage in Rio
Rio de Janeiro has fairly good water service coverage, with only 1,5 percent of the city’s 32,908 households lacking proper service. The city has also made important improvements regarding sewer coverage in the past decade. According to Rio Como Vamos, in 2000 21 percent of the city's households didn't have sewer services, while ten years later, only five percent did not. Read more or join the discussion.
Melhorias de acesso aos serviços de água e esgoto no Rio
Rio de Janeiro tem boa cobertura de serviços de água, com só 1,5 por cento dos domicílios cariocas (32,908) sem serviço adequado. A cidade também tem avançado na ampliação da cobertura da rede de esgoto na passada década. Segundo Rio Como Vamos, no ano 2000, cerca de 21 por cento dos domicílios do Rio (387,367) não tenham conexão de esgoto. Em 2010, o indicador de famílias sem esgoto desceu para 5 por cento (109,258 domicílios). Leia mais o discutir.
Atendimento a população em situação de rua no Rio de Janeiro
Segundo a Pesquisa Nacional sobre a População de Rua feita em 2009 pelo Ministério de Desenvolvimento Social e Combate a Fome (MDS), a cidade de Rio de Janeiro tem 4,585 pessoas em "situação de rua". Infelizmente esta pesquisa só tem levantamento de maiores de 18 anos, porem não existe muita clareza sobre o número total incluindo crianças. Este grupo populacional possui em comum a pobreza extrema, os vínculos familiares fragilizados ou rompidos e a inexistência de moradia convencional regular. Leia mais ou discutir.
Assistance to the homeless population in Rio
According to the National Survey of People Living on the Streets carried out by the Ministry of Social Development (MDS) in 2009, Rio de Janeiro has around 4,585 homeless people. Unfortunately, this survey only counts adults 18 years or older, thereby excluding homeless children. What we know about the homeless population is that although it's quite heterogeneous, it shares common characteristics including poverty, fragile family bonds, and the absence of permanent shelter. Read more or join the discussion.
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Report from Lagos: water crisis
"Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink." Coleridge might have been speaking of Lagos. Though the city is surrounded by water, the taps, wells, and boreholes in such neighborhoods as Ajegunle, Amukoko, and Itire are either completely dry — sometimes for months on end — or deliver only a dirty, odiferous liquid that's clearly unfit for human consumption. This puts many Lagosians at the mercy of water vendors who, to no one's surprise, charge whatever the market will bear — and still offer no real assurance that the water they sell is any safer for drinking, washing, or bathing. Read and discuss.
Severe weather hits low-lying Lagos slums
It is only the start of the rains in Lagos, yet the danger signs in coastal belts are all too evident. The vulnerability of poor communities in the low-lying areas of Lagos will only increase with the advent of climate change, due to intense rainfall and increasing storm surges. Meanwhile, this year's extreme weather demands well-planned and inclusive mitigation strategies. Read and discuss.
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Nairobi's Slum Film Festival
Although the Kenyan government does little to encourage film production in the country, a number of NGOs and trusts focus on putting film equipment in the hands of slum dwellers and helping them gain the skills necessary to tell their own stories. Organizations like the Hot Sun Foundation, Slum-TV, and Invisible Cities have trained and nurtured talented youth from Kibera, Mathare, and Korogocho over the years, giving them the opportunity to develop their potential and, through their images, to challenge the accepted vision of what life is like in the slums. Learn more.
Using Kenya's Constitution to defend slum dwellers
Muungano wa Wanavijiji, a Kenyan partner of the Slum Dwellers International network, is battling it out in court to protect the residents of Mukuru kwa Reuben slum from being evicted from land they have occupied for more than thirty years. In a landmark court case, a legal team representing Muungano is attempting to sue a series of high-profile politicians — including the ex-president, a presidential aspirant, and prominent entrepreneurs — on behalf of the community. If successful, the case will be one of the first to effectively use the new constitution as backing for a community's land claims. Read and discuss.
M-Pesa: social enterprise and mobile banking for the urban poor
M-PESA, a mobile phone money transfer system that has been operating in Kenya since 2007, allows users to easily deposit, transfer, and withdraw money using a mobile device using SMS technology. Initially set up as a micro-finance service to allow borrowers to easily receive and repay loans, M-PESA quickly morphed into the main 'urban banking' system for Kenya's poor — who have no access to Kenya's mainstream banks — as the only requirements for registration are an ID card and a mobile phone. It is now normal to find M-PESA outlets in even the most remote places, including the Maasai villages in the Mara or in the Samburu communities around Lake Turkana. Read more.
Nairobi's Mukuru Recycling Centre
The Mukuru Recycling Centre (MRC), in operation since 1991, is run by a cooperative based in Korogocho, an East Nairobi informal settlement that borders on the Dandora dumpsite. The Centre is composed by four groups of waste-pickers, whose livelihoods are all inextricably connected to the nearby dumpsite. The aim is not only to create economic opportunities for Korogocho residents, but also to help in the rehabilitation of scavengers — who, having spent their entire lives working knee-deep in garbage, have little sense of self-worth, nor prospects for a better future. Read and discuss.
Shining Hope for Communities: Kibera's first free school for girls
The Kibera School for Girls, situated in the heart of Nairobi's largest informal settlement, was founded in 2009 by Kibera-born Kennedy Odede to address what he saw as a fundamental gender imbalance between the opportunities available to boys growing up in the slums and those available to girls. "I could not stay silent while I saw such wasted potential," says Odede. "This is why I decided to found Shining Hope for Communities — because I felt that by tackling women's problems, I would also help to address poverty in the slums in a more effective way." Read and discuss.
Mathare resident Miriam Ombiwa: Fetching water in a Nairobi slum
Miriam Ombiwa is a 26-year-old Mathare resident who makes a living by working in a small laundry in Eastleigh, a neighborhood close to Mathare. Miriam lives in a single-room shack with her husband and three children. The shack has mud walls and floors and a mabati (corrugated iron) roof. Miriam took some time to describe to us her daily routine and how she deals with the lack of access to water that is a standard feature of life in a Nairobi slum. Learn more.
M-chanjo: Saving lives by mixing health care with mobile technology
Getting medical information can be a challenging process for impoverished people with neither computer access nor efficient national health care. To help solve this puzzle, clinics are trying to harness their limited resources to build a technology to tackle the problem. In Nairobi, a pilot project was launched, first in an informal settlement in Dagoretti constituency, and more recently in Kibera. The project's name is M-chanjo, and its aim is to harness the power of mobile phones — ownership of which has increased tenfold over the last ten years in Kenya — to keep patients up to date on their upcoming inoculations and on any outreach programs that are due to take place in the area. Learn more.
Participatory urban design in policy and practice: interview with Dr. Alex Frediani
The Development Planning Unity (DPU) — a center for academic teaching, practical training, research and consultancy in the field of urban development — takes a different approach to closing the gap between research and practice. In a recent series of workshops in Salvador da Bahia in Brazil and Mathare slum in Nairobi, the DPU joined NGO Architecture sans Frontières UK to create environments where communities could imagine and articulate their ideal living arrangements, then translate this ideal into action through negotiations with local government. Dr. Alex Frediani, DPU lecturer and Change by Design program coordinator, spoke with us about the project's implications for policy and practice. Read more.
Kenya Vision 2030: Slum upgrading in Soweto
Kenya Vision 2030, a Kenyan government plan based on the Millennium Declaration development targets, pledges to improve the quality of life for all Kenyans, including residents of Nairobi's slums. To implement it, the government partnered with UN-HABITAT to create the Kenya Slum Upgrading Program, whose flagship project was launched in Kibera's Soweto village. But despite its noble goals — secure tenure, improved housing, enhanced income and infrastructure — there was a problem: fully half of its intended beneficiaries wound up being priced out of the project. What went wrong? Read more.
Agent banking: easier access to financial services for Nairobi's poor
The absence of financial institutions in Nairobi's slums presents serious obstacles to residents seeking access to financial services. But in places like Kibera, the introduction of agent banking — an innovative delivery channel that seeks to bring financial services much closer to poor people — presents a promising step forward. Read more.
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Will creating "cities within cities" help Mumbai's homeless?
"When the city is getting built — big infrastructure like roads, flyovers, buildings — it's the homeless that is doing the work. They are the foundation of the city. Once the people settle into these newly built areas, they need other services to be in place; then, again, homeless come into play. Then, again, we demand them." This week we speak with Abhishek Bharadwaj, founder of Alternative Realities, an organization that advocates on behalf of Mumbai's 200,000 homeless. We discuss who is homeless, what the barriers to housing are, and some innovative solutions that include creating "cities within cities." Read more or join the discussion.
Where women are welcomed
The horrific gang rape of a 23-year-old in Delhi last December publicly unearthed a truth too well known among Indian women: threats to their safety are everywhere — in the home, on the streets, aboard public transportation, and in city parks. Though the Delhi case was particularly gruesome, the protests that rippled throughout India in its wake have spotlighted the everyday harassment that beleaguers women and has left activists questioning how to develop safer and more inviting cities for all. Read more or join the discussion.
Bollywood comes to the slums
When Kid Powered Media rolls into a Delhi slum with its portable movie theater in the back of a white Suzuki van, everyone shows up. The 10-foot screen lights up with a battery-powered projector to showcase a drama-filled flick. But this is not your typical Bollywood film, and the stars on the screen are not your typical Bollywood actors. The films all star kids from the community who have written and performed the socially-focused movies to raise awareness about issues that concern them, as kids. Read more or join the discussion.
Governance for a new urban India
Urban governance in India — and in many regional cities — is at a crossroads. Megacities have grown at such rapid rates that current governance structures are ill-equipped to meet increasing demands. Citizens, especially the poor, lack basic services across the spectrum — housing, sanitation, transportation, clean water, and the list goes on. Many regional cities are struggling with how to usher in more efficient and effective governance to improve the lives of urban residents. Read more or join the discussion.
Games of life
Rahul Pol's karate class as a teenager changed the course of his life. When he was young, his family — he, his parents, and three younger sisters — lived on the streets of Mumbai for four years. He had dreams of becoming a doctor, but the difficult life began to wear on him. Pol soon lost motivation to go to school and began picking up small jobs on the street. "It was a bad environment with many bad influences," recalls Pol. By age 12, he was an addict, taking drugs, drinking, and overdosing on over-the-counter medications. "Every night, I said I'll wake up and stop today, but then I would end up with my friends and the cycle continued," admits Pol, who is now 24. Read more or join the discussion.
Ideas for sustainable transport in Mumbai
Mumbai's millions of commuters rely on a woefully outdated public transportation system. The two-and-only rail lines carry more than 7.24 million people every day. The dangerously overcrowded Mumbai locals, while surprisingly fast and frequent, have become increasingly life-threatening. An average of 12 people die every day on the suburban tracks. Any commuter who can afford to buy a car does so, leaving a traffic-tangled mess of cars, rickshaws, taxis, and worn-out busses on the dusty streets. The resulting emissions concerns have reached alarming rates as well. Read more or join the discussion.
Part 1: The slum as a symbol of our urban future
Over the last 20 years, slums have experienced something of a revival in the popular imagination. A series of UN-Habitat reports on the issue of slums, media images of sprawling and heaving settlements, and a host of scholarly interventions — notably Mike Davis' work Planet of Slums — all have served to sharpen attention on the size and growth of slums across the globe. While the word "slum" may conjure a Dickensian world, it is now proving historically malleable, making us look not only backwards, but forwards. For Mike Davis, the future holds a "Planet of Slums"; for UN Habitat, it holds "Cities without Slums." Either way, the image of the slum has become integral to how we visualise the future of our urban spaces — and as slums increasingly shape projections of the future, two contrasting and forceful images have emerged. How has the slum come to define both an urban utopia and a crisis of modernity? Read more.
Ideas for sustainable transport in Mumbai
Mumbai's millions of commuters rely on a woefully outdated public transportation system. The two-and-only rail lines carry more than 7.24 million people every day. (The New York City Subway system has 24 rail lines through five boroughs on 656 miles of track and carries an average of 4.8 million passengers each weekday; that's a mere 60 percent of the people carried on Mumbai's 265 miles of lines.) The dangerously overcrowded Mumbai locals, while surprisingly fast and frequent, have become increasingly life-threatening. An average of 12 people die every day on the suburban tracks. Any commuter who can afford to buy a car does so, leaving a traffic-tangled mess of cars, rickshaws, taxis, and worn-out busses on the dusty streets. The resulting emissions concerns have reached alarming rates as well. Read more or join the discussion.
Mapping Mumbai
In Dharavi, Mumbai's largest and best-known slum, the population is estimated to be a half-million people living within one square kilometer of overcrowded space. However, the accuracy of these "estimates" is questionable. Capturing accurate data of vulnerable populations can be difficult for reasons that include varying household numbers (dwellers and their families move back and forth between their native villages) and difficulty in gaining access to densely populated areas. Most frequently, however, the reason is denial: if the government doesn't have the numbers, then they don't have to react. Read more or join the discussion.
Room for hawkers in Mumbai?
Mumbai has a long history of conflict with hawkers, but what is happening in the past few years is nothing short of human rights violations as the State "cleans up" the city to make it "world-class." Yes, the hawkers obstruct pedestrian movement, but is that really the concern that has led to the recent crackdown? The poor are being sacrificed to liberate street space in the name of pedestrians; however, the reality is that the spaces will be handed over to motorists for parking. In fact, parking on both sides of the streets and even on footpaths is now emerging as the biggest threat to pedestrians and a cause for traffic congestion — an issue that is being conveniently overlooked by the police.
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Mengawal aspirasi masyarakat dalam proses perencanaan pembangunan
Perencanaan pembangunan yang ideal adalah perencanaan yang melibatkan masyarakat dalam prosesnya atau kerap kita kenal dengan sebutan perencanaan partisipatif. Bangsa Indonesia telah menggunakan prinsip tersebut dan melegalkan system perencanaan partisipatif dalam sebuah undang-undang yaitu Undang-undang Nomor 25 Tahun 2004 tentang Sistem Perencanaan Pembangunan Nasional yang menyebutkan bahwa setiap proses perencanaan pembangunan dari tingkat desa/kelurahan hingga nasional harus melibatkan partisipasi sebanyak-banyaknya dari masyarakat dalam sebuah forum pertemuan yang disebut Musyawarah Rencana Pembangunan (Musrenbang). Musrenbang merupakan ajang menjaring aspirasi masyarakat melalui pendekatan 'bottom-up'. Meski demikian, hingga kini keluhan masyarakat tentang belum tertampungnya aspirasi mereka masih terdengar dimana-mana. Baca lebih lanjut atau bergabung dalam diskusi.
Jakarta juga milik Pedagang Kaki Lima
Jakarta, seperti kota-kota besar lainnya di Indonesia, dalam perkembangannya mengalami masalah dengan kondisi dualistik. Selain berdiri bangunan-bangunan megah dan moderen, juga berkembang pesat kegiatan Pedagang Kaki Lima (PKL) yang beragam jenisnya. Jakarta, dengan tingginya konsumsi masyarakat urban, menjadi magnet bagi PKL untuk mengadu nasib. Baca lebih lanjut atau bergabung dalam diskusi.
Bekerja bersama membenahi kampung kumuh Jakarta
Menjamurnya permukiman kumuh merupakan salah satu permasalahan serius yang masih melanda ibu kota Jakarta. Tahun 2011 lalu, setidaknya tercatat 416 RW kumuh yang menjadi tempat tinggal lebih dari 3 juta penduduk ibu kota. Mereka yang hidup di kawasan kumuh menghadapi masalah-masalah pembangunan fisik seperti ketidaklayakan sanitasi, infrastruktur jalan, rumah, dan sarana sosial. Kondisi yang serba minim membuat mereka kesulitan untuk meningkatkan kualitas hidupnya kecuali menunggu bantuan pemerintah. Read more.
Rusunawa untuk masyarakat menengah kebawah
Jakarta, sebagai ibukota dan pusat perekonomian di Indonesia, menjadi magnet yang sangat kuat bagi datangnya penduduk dari luar provinsi untuk berpindah ke Jakarta demi mendapatkan kehidupan yang lebih baik. Jumlah pendatang setiap tahunnya mencapai 47ribu orang dan biasanya arus urbanisasi tersebut terjadi setelah hari raya idul fitri. Jumlah pendatang yang tinggi ini tentunya menambah permasalahan perkotaan di Jakarta, antara lain tingginya kepadatan penduduk, munculnya pemukiman liar dan masalah kemacetan. Untuk mengurai masalah-masalah tersebut Pemerintah Provinsi DKI Jakarta akan mulai membangun rumah susun sewa (rusunawa) murah untuk kelas menengah ke bawah.
Tanah Merah: The refusal of citizenship for the urban poor
The idea of citizenship is distant for most Indonesians, and even more so for the poor. The ordeal of more than 27 thousand people being denied their Jakarta ID cards for many years epitomizes the way in which the state deals with the issue of citizenship. The following is the story of the people in Tanah Merah, but represents most Indonesians' struggle with citizenship. Read more.
Tanah Merah: Tertolaknya kewarganegaraan penduduk miskin kota
Tanah Merah adalah sebuah bentuk pertumbuhan komunitas miskin yang tipikal di Jakarta pada masa Orde Baru dimana manajemen penataan ruang kota umumnya buruk dan tidak berfungsi. Pemukiman liar yang pada awalnya hanya dianggap sebagai bersifat sementara ternyata berkembang menjadi pemukiman permanen karena penduduknya mulai membangun rumah-rumah mereka dengan material yang tahan lama. Pemerintah kota jelas ikut bertangung jawab karena mereka juga yang diam-diam memberikan ijin tidak tertulis, dengan bayaran yang tidak resmi, dan membiarkan warga memperoleh berbagai pelayanan public seperti listrik dan lain-lain. Setelah lebih dari dua dekade Tanah Merah tumbuh dan berkembang menjadi sebuah komunitas yang mapan meskipun sebagian besar warganya tetap ditolak haknya untuk mendapatkan KTP Jakarta. Read more.
Manusia Gerobak dan solusi masalah sampah Jakarta
Tigor adalah satu dari ribuan Manusia Gerobak di Jakarta, jumlah ini berlipat jelang bulan puasa. Kadang mereka membawa istri dan anak-anak. Sebagian menetap, sebagian hanya tinggal sementara. Mantan supir angkot trayek Stasiun Belawan-Sambo itu, kini hidup di Jakarta sejak lima tahun lalu. Kecelakaan yang menimpanya, menyebabkan Ia tak lagi bisa mengendarai angkot. Ia memutuskan merantau ke Jakarta, menjadi Manusia Gerobak.
Strategi sosialisasi hidup sehat dan bersih bagi masyarakat
Perilaku hidup sehat dan bersih di kota besar seperti Jakarta memang belum sepenuhnya menjadi kebiasaan. Orang masih suka membuang sampah disembarang tempati, mencuci di sungai, makan makanan tidak sehat, buang air besar di sungai dan perilaku tidak sehat lainnya yang cenderung mengundang penyakit dan mengotori lingkungan. Contohnya adalah kebersihan sanitasi yang kurang terutama di daerah-daerah miskin. Jumlah penduduk yang terus bertambah tidak diiringi dengan tersedianya sanitasi yang memadai mengakibatkan munculnya beragam penyakit seperti diare, disentri, hepatitis A dan lain sebagainya. Untuk itu perilaku hidup sehat dan bersih harus secara terus menerus disosialisasikan kepada masyarakat.
Merebut Kembali Air Jakarta
Gubernur terpilih, Joko Widodo punya banyak pekerjaan rumah. Selain soal macet dan transportasi publik yang layak, persoalan air bersih di Jakarta merupakan salah satu persoalan yang mendesak untuk diselesaikan. Persentase rumah tangga yang mengakses air minum layak terutama di perkotaan mengalami tren yang terus menurun. Menurut data Biro Pusat Statistik 2011 pada tahun 1993 sekitar 50 persen penduduk di perkotaan memiliki akses terhadap air minum layak, pada triwulan 2011 persentasenya menjadi 40 persen. Hal ini tentu menjadi perhatian kita bersama apalagi di kota besar seperti Jakarta.
Menata Jakarta melalui Tata Kelola Pemerintahan
Sejak terpilihnya Jokowi sebagai gubernur, Jakarta terus mengalami pembenahan. Jika dalam masalah pendidikan dan kesehatan, pemerintah provinsi melancarkan gebrakannya melalui kartu Jakarta Sehat dan Jakarta Cerdas – kini kota yang menjadi pusat pemerintahan nasional tersebut juga memperbaiki kotanya melalui tata kelola pemerintahan. Reformasi birokrasi, begitu kiranya istilah yang dapat digunakan untuk mencapai Good Governance. Baca lebih lanjut.