Concrete is the second most consumed material in the world after water, making it an essential component of urban development. However, cheap housing comes at a price. Can we still afford to pay for it? Jorge Javier and Cecilia Tortajada provide clear responses.
To get cities back on track to avoid building towards a climate crisis, actions must start today. Donovan Storey and Etta Madete Mukuba on sustainable design principles, alternative building materials, and technologies.
Sustainable building approaches are not only more environmentally friendly than conventional building methods – but they may also teach people how to avoid waste. Peter McIntosh, the founder of the Natural Building Collective, highlights the advantages through the example of Ulwazi Educare in Cape Town.
We have adapted to living in cities surrounded by cars and asphalt. Josephine Malonza argues on the need to rethink city life and takes us on a stroll along the Imbuga City Walk in Kigali.
Public transportation systems are about so much more than bringing you from A to B. Engineer and transport planner Otunola Abiodun Adebayo sheds light on emerging urban transport systems in Lagos, Nigeria, Africa’s most populous city, from the perspective of urban health and safety.
It is the responsibility of both the national and municipal governments to assure pedestrian safety, which is a fundamental human right. In this brief article, Louis Kusi Frimpong addresses the relationship between a lack of pedestrian infrastructure and health outcomes, as well as some pedestrian infrastructure required to enhance pedestrian safety on roads in Africa.
Christopher Dekki calls upon cities and policymakers to embrace a systems-thinking approach that takes the nexus between public health and transport as a starting point for action.
The approach of the Fundación Hogares understands the relevance of strengthening social cohesion in neighbourhoods to respond to city-scale challenges. José Roberto shares some valuable insights into how community organisations are shaping their surroundings in infrastructure as well as in inclusiveness.
In order for the coming generation to have a future, governments, corporations, and individuals should focus less on economic growth and more on creating a sustainable system Zainab Bie argues.
Access to affordable and clean water cannot be taken for granted in Nairobi's neighbourhood of Mathare. Gacheke Gachihi outlines the structural changes needed to guarantee affordable water for all.
Public transport should be a priority of urban planning that focuses on affordable cities for all, argues Christopher Dekki.
While we assume cities will continue to face rapid growth, the COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced a trend which counters linear population projections: qualified professionals no longer move where work is, but work from where they want to live. If, before the pandemic, cities competed to attract head offices or multinational corporations, today they have to compete for each qualified individual.
Filiep Decorte, Director for Emergency Response, UN-Habitat, outlines how WUF11 has adapted its programme in response to the war in Ukraine.
Making cities liveable for all remains one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. By Ingolf Dietrich, Commissioner for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany.
How to rebuild a city after a devastating war? Dalia Mokayed emphasises the crucial role of cultural heritage.
