Urban Planning

Minga: An ancient tradition finds a new life in Cali

The huge migration from rural to urban areas that took place in Latin America during the last few decades was made even more significant in Colombia by the forced migrations caused by successive armed conflicts. In Cali, the population went from 280,000 in 1950 to 2,300,000 in 2013. As in the rest of the region, most of this massive increase in population was due to migration from rural areas. While the traditional links that glue together rural communities tend to weaken when immigrants reach the urban setting, they do not completely disappear. They are, in part, replaced by new solidarity networks, formed primarily by members of extended families who had arrived earlier and are able to provide support to the newcomers. Primarily, these networks provide assistance with housing and employment, the two most urgent needs they face. Read more or join the discussion.

Submitted by Jorge Bela — Mon, 09/16/2013 - 00:00

Minga: Una tradición rural cobra nueva vida en Cali

Los fuertes movimientos migratorios del campo a la ciudad que han tenido lugar en toda Latinoamérica se han visto acentuados en Colombia por la emigración forzosa que han generado los conflictos armados. En Cali, la población pasó de unos 280.000 habitantes en 1950 a unos 2.300.000 en 2013, según datos del DANE. La mayor parte de los considerables flujos migratorios que reflejan estos datos tienen un origen rural. Los sentimientos y tradiciones comunitarias que unían a estos emigrantes en sus lugares de procedencia se difuminan considerablemente a su llegada a las grandes ciudades, pero no desaparecen del todo: se ven sustituidos por lazos de solidaridad por parte de personas, generalmente de su entorno familiar, que habiendo llegado con anterioridad tienen un mayor arraigo. Estas relaciones de solidaridad se extienden especialmente en el ámbito de la búsqueda de vivienda y de trabajo. Leer más o discutir.

Submitted by Jorge Bela — Mon, 09/16/2013 - 00:00

Urban agriculture and environmental conservation awareness in São Paulo

São Paulo, the biggest city in Brazil, has 11 million residents and is the epicenter of the third largest metropolitan area in the globe. It is fully urbanized and presents few connections with close by rural areas, with the exception of two fundamental aspects: (i) food supply; and (ii) shared natural resources. The following two initiatives contribute to São Paulo's sustainable development through the expansion of urban agriculture and the conservation of natural resources, bringing greater balance between the megacity and nearby rural areas. Read more or join the discussion.

Submitted by Catalina Gomez — Mon, 09/16/2013 - 00:00

Agricultura urbana e conservação ambiental em São Paulo

São Paulo, é a maior cidade do Brasil com 11 milhões de moradores e o epicentro da terceira maior área metropolitana do mundo; ela está totalmente urbanizada e tem poucas conexões com as áreas rurais, exceto por dois temas fundamentais: (i) a provisão de alimentos e (ii) os recursos naturais compartilhados. Esta semana nosso debate está focado nas conexões rural-urbano e no contexto de São Paulo, apresentamos duas experiências que estão contribuindo ao desenvolvimento sustentável da cidade por meio da agricultura urbana e da conservação ambiental, trazendo também uma relação mais balanceada entre a mega-cidade e as áreas rurais do entorno. Leia mais o discutir.

Submitted by Catalina Gomez — Mon, 09/16/2013 - 00:00

Ikatan persaudaraan orang Tegal di rantau

Migrasi masyarakat pedesaan ke daerah perkotaan merupakan fenomena umum. Dengan alasan keterdesakan ekonomi mereka hijrah ke kota demi perbaikan kesejahteraan keluarga. Umumnya mereka datang karena telah memiliki saudara atau teman yang sudah lebih dahulu tinggal di kota. Kerap para pendatang mengalami kebingungan karena harus menyesuaikan diri di wilayah baru perkotaan. Keruwetan kota dan sistem nilai yang berbeda membuat mereka tidak nyaman dengan kehidupan kota. Di tempat yang baru mereka juga dibenturkan dengan kendala ekonomi dan kesulitan mencari pekerjaan seperti yang mereka harapkan. Bantuan kelompok pendatang yang sudah mandiri di kota yang berasal dari daerah yang sama kerap menjadi solusi atas permasalahan bagi mereka yang baru sampai di kota. Ikatan persaudaraan dan bantuan ekonomi yang ditawarkan oleh kelompok ini membantu para pendatang untuk menyesuaikan diri secara budaya dan ekonomi dengan kehidupan dan tantangan di kota. Baca lebih lanjut atau bergabung dalam diskusi.

Submitted by widya anggraini — Mon, 09/16/2013 - 00:00

Nairobians bank on the countryside to provide for them in later life

Without the ongoing support of their rural families, migrants in Nairobi slums would have little chance of making it. Family networks provide a crucial backbone on which migrants can rely on in order to be able to survive in the city and save money for their future. Grandparents and extended family contribute in the upbringing of children while parents seek urban work. The older generations act as custodians of wealth, overseeing how remittances are invested and providing informal insurance/retirement schemes to safeguard their descendants' future. Read more or join the discussion.

Submitted by Katy Fentress — Mon, 09/16/2013 - 00:00

Zam... Pow... Environmental Justice!

We don't seem to live in an age of reading. But we do live in an age of communication. Ideas, images, manifestos, advertisements, loud TV, tweets and all manner of media bombard us all on a minute-to-minute basis. Put that together with one thing we know from evolving educational theory: each person learns and perceives messages a little differently, and diverse modes of delivering the same information are more likely to reach a wider range of people. What we really want is to get our messages out, to inform, to educate, to create dialog — with whatever media reach people. And this probably means delivering messages and ideas in diverse media: Tweets at 140 characters; Facebook at a few sentences; essays and blogs, books, radio, exhibits, and so on. Read more.

Submitted by David Maddox — Mon, 09/09/2013 - 13:04

Looking east for urban models

Researchers and urbanists from leading Western institutions have proposed interventions — both large and small — for "righting" India's megacities. In Mumbai, however, city planners have looked east for models, with the notion that cities with similar issues can provide more appropriate solutions. The idea of "Shanghai-ing" Mumbai has been one of the most talked-about examples, but more effort is being made all over the country to exchange across more local borders. Read more or join the discussion.

Submitted by Carlin Carr — Mon, 09/09/2013 - 00:00

Exporting social policy know-how and promoting greater cooperation among countries

In recent years, Brazil has become an international point of reference with respect to social policies and programs, given its significant improvements in poverty alleviation and in generating greater opportunities for low-income populations. Programs like Bolsa Familia, the conditional cash transfer that currently benefits 13 million families, and the Food Acquisition Program, which has contributed to reducing food insecurity through the promotion of family agriculture initiatives, are key interventions that many countries are interested in learning from, with the intention of implementing them in their own contexts. Read more or join the discussion.

Submitted by Catalina Gomez — Mon, 09/09/2013 - 00:00

Exportando o conhecimento em politicas sociais e promovendo maior cooperação entre países

Recentemente Brasil tem-se tornado uma referência internacional em politicas e programas sociais devido a seus resultados importantes na redução da pobreza e na geração de oportunidades para as populações mais vulneráveis. Programas como Bolsa Família, o esquema de transferências de renda que beneficia a mais de 13 milhões de famílias, além do Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos, que tem contribuído na redução da insegurança alimentar por meio de iniciativas de agricultura familiar, são alguns dos principais programas de interesse para outros países. Leia mais o discutir.

Submitted by Catalina Gomez — Mon, 09/09/2013 - 00:00

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