Housing and Construction
The Mirage of Purpose-Built Cities
Gulf purpose-built cities like Masdar and NEOM often fall short of their grand visions, becoming underpopulated and more symbolic than lived. Yasser Elsheshtawy calls for more grounded, socially responsive approaches that prioritise everyday life over spectacle.
Rebuilding Trust on the Move: How Blockchain Can Help Transform Public Transport
From half-finished flyovers and hours of standstill to “limited public funding,” public transport across the Global South is chronically underfunded. The consequence? Eroded public trust. Tuhu Nugraha shows how blockchain technology could turn promises into verifiable progress on sustainable infrastructure – enabling shared responsibility, fairness, and renewed trust.
From Fear to Resilience: Urban Informal Settlements in the Global South
Across the Global South, families like Asma Banu’s live under eviction threats while powering cities. Her story demands dignity, secure tenure and basic services for all. By Muaz Hussain
Co-Creating Homes: An Emphatic Approach to Slum Upgrading
Abuja, Nigeria’s fast-growing capital, is home to Garki Village, a prominent slum area. Often dismissed as an eyesore, it challenges conventional ideas of housing interventions. Maryam Abbakyari shows how empathy and co-creation with residents can transform slum upgrading from technical fixes into climate-responsive, culturally rooted solutions.
Building Up, Not Out: Rethinking Urban Density in Mozambique
In Mozambique, low-density urban expansion can either enable inclusive livelihoods or entrench marginalisation, depending on how land is allocated, serviced and integrated with urban networks. Sara Márquez Martín and Mercilia Lombe show how new policies and participatory projects like Chamanculo C pave the way for inclusive, sustainable urban futures.
Power Shift: Radical Solutions to the Global Housing Crisis
The global housing crisis is a disaster – and it’s unjust. Ariana Karamallis argues for radical change that shifts power to the majority: the people who are affected.