Young Voices

Leave No One Behind – A Promise to the Urban Poorest

By |2024-01-04T16:25:11+01:00August 23rd 2022|

Leave on one behind is a catchy phrase which is used in various contexts so often that one might forget it is also a promise. One that is unfulfilled, Franka Bernreiter argues and reminds us that neither slums nor the responsibility to create sustainable cities are exclusive to the Global South.

Blended Data Infrastructures and Localisation: Smart Urbanism in the Age of Pandemic

By |2024-01-04T15:00:54+01:00August 11th 2021|

Smart city initiatives have played an increasingly prominent role in urban planning. However, there remains a fundamental gap between data driven urban governance and promoting inclusivity. Jaideep Gupte argues that cities that prioritise citizens over technologies are likely to be the ‘smartest’ and most liveable.

How a Misdirected Land Use Law Disregards Coastal Dwellers’ Rights

By |2024-01-04T14:24:58+01:00March 25th 2021|

Lagos' Waterfront Infrastructure Development Law facilitates the sacrifice of the rights of coastal residents to commercial real estate development. Omotayo Odukola on the constitution and unjust implementation of a land use law.

Evaluating the Slum Redevelopment Project of Borei Keila

By |2024-01-04T14:26:37+01:00March 9th 2021|

Borei Keila stands out as a unique experiment in land sharing and social housing in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh. Dr. Paul Rabé provides insights into its origins, the pitfalls in its realisation, and the lessons to be learned.

What it’s Like to be a Woman during COVID-19 – The Indian Experience

By |2024-01-05T13:11:50+01:00September 10th 2020|

What happens when you combine a country’s taboo on female menstrual health with the impact of a global pandemic? Dr Saswati Chaudhuri highlights the situation of the urban poor in India and paints a rather alarming picture of how the most common needs of Indian women are (not) met.

Healthy Cities? The Coronavirus Has Burst The Bubble

By |2024-01-04T13:30:04+01:00June 30th 2020|

Urban planning for healthier cities has existed for millennia. Yet the current pandemic lays bare the truth: a billion people cannot comply with even the most basic containment strategies. Julian Baskin, expert in participatory urban planning, explains what is going on and how to move forward.

COVID-19: How Prepared is Urban India?

By |2024-01-04T13:30:37+01:00June 24th 2020|

The current pandemic is a serious challenge for Indian cities. But Soumyadip Chattopadhyay, Simi Mehta and Arjun Kumar argue the outbreak of contagious diseases is less of a natural disaster – and maybe more of a man-made one. Of inequalities, poor infrastructures and the way forward.

Making Water and Sanitation Work for the Poor in Kenya

By |2024-01-04T13:32:15+01:00June 16th 2020|

A well-functioning system for water and sanitation must address the needs of under-served urban residents. Eden Mati-Mwangi shows how a systems-change approach can have a lasting impact on Kenya’s sanitations sector.

Banking the Unbankable: Community Finance in Asia

By |2024-01-02T15:06:10+01:00April 10th 2018|

Most urban slum dwellers in Asian countries cannot access conventional systems of finance. To get a loan, you need to prove you are creditworthy. But without a pay slip, you are unbankable. People living in poor communities need access to loans and other forms of financing to develop solutions to the serious problems they face, writes Somsook Boonyabancha. With a variety of models and scales ranging from small community funds to national-level networks, community finance is a popular and growing tool that promises to open up new possibilities for the people most in need.

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