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.

Urban Settings Need New Approaches

By |2024-01-04T08:57:11+01:00December 12th 2019|

The traditional relief-rehabilitation-development paradigm does not hold true in urban conflict zones. A combined approach of long-term support for systems reinforcing short-term support for individuals would meet people’s needs, secure development gains, and represent value for money. The cost of failing to adapt is simply too high, argues Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Urbanisation in Fragile Societies: Thinking about Kabul

By |2024-01-04T08:58:32+01:00December 4th 2019|

As part of the Blavatnik School of Government's “Challenges of Government” Conference, the International Growth Centre's Cities that Work team put together a panel on identity and legitimacy in Kabul. The discussion highlighted the importance of building legitimacy in fragile contexts, particularly given the emergence of fragmented identities and new networks of solidarity, resistance and governance in urban contexts affected by conflict.

How to Make Sure Mexico’s Cities Don’t Run Out of Water

By |2024-01-04T08:47:42+01:00September 3rd 2019|

Water is a central issue for urban development in Mexico. Groundwater is overexploited, and there is a lack of wastewater treatment facilities. Jorge Silva reviews government programmes that aim to solve the problem.

Zimnina Making: The Urban Nexus of Food, Water, and Energy in the City of Sofia

By |2024-01-02T15:05:06+01:00April 19th 2018|

In the Bulgarian capital city of Sofia, many people prepare pickled vegetables (zimnina) for the winter months. This widespread practice touches on basic service issues like water and energy supply, as well as food provisioning for the city’s most vulnerable residents, explains Ralitsa Hiteva from the Resnexus project.

“There are huge health risks in not dealing with solid waste” – An interview with Graham Alabaster from UN-Habitat (video)

By |2024-01-02T15:06:33+01:00April 6th 2018|

What are the linkages between solid waste management and urban health? And how can city governments improve waste management systems to reduce health risks? On the occasion of World Health Day, URBANET talked to Graham Alabaster, Chief of Sanitation and Waste Management at UN-Habitat.

Managing Water in Secondary Cities: Interview with Mathew Kurian

By |2024-01-02T11:26:26+01:00March 16th 2018|

As World Water Day approaches, URBANET interviewed Mathew Kurian of UN University about managing water supplies in secondary cities. Although often overshadowed by megacities, secondary cities face slightly different—but just as significant—water challenges as their larger neighbours. Kurian argues that secondary cities could be important laboratories for innovative financing mechanisms, but that we must first disrupt the entrenched dis-incentives that promote business as usual.

A Better Climate for Cities: CitiesIPCC Aims to Launch a New Research Agenda

By |2024-01-02T12:14:04+01:00February 28th 2018|

At next week’s CitiesIPCC conference, the urban and climate communities will brave the cold of Edmonton, Canada, to discuss some of the century’s hottest issues. From March 5-7, more than 700 delegates will seek to close a significant gap in our collective understanding of the role of cities in adapting and responding to climate change, and launch a global research agenda to inform the IPCC. Julie Greenwalt explains how the organising partner Cities Alliance is working to ensure that issues critical to the Global South will be emphasised at this landmark event.

Antananarivo, Madagascar: Partnership for water access transformation

By |2023-12-19T15:23:01+01:00December 14th 2017|

In order to reach the Sustainable Development Goals related to water, sanitation and hygiene, the government of Madagascar has drawn up an action plan and commissioned JIRAMA, the country’s state-owned electricity and water provider, to improve access to safe water supply.

Cities & Climate Change | Infographics

By |2023-12-19T15:31:50+01:00November 8th 2017|

How does climate change impact cities and urban citizens around the world, and what can cities do to not further contribute to global warming? URBANET's infographics show current trends regarding issues such as water and energy supply, solid waste management, and urban green.

Making a world without HIV by 2030 possible: Mayors and local governments as change agents

By |2023-12-19T15:14:37+01:00September 26th 2017|

HIV/AIDS continues to be a major health crisis around the world, especially in cities. As part of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Alliance of Mayors and Municipal Leaders on HIV/AIDS in Africa has vouched to eliminate AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Titus James Twesige explains the situation in Uganda and why mayors can drive positive change.

Carbon Credits: cleaner and safer cooking stoves in the Maputo slums

By |2023-12-19T15:16:28+01:00September 20th 2017|

Traditional cooking stoves consume a lot of energy and emit harmful fumes, leading to high rates of premature deaths. Improved cooking stoves are addressing this issue, making it possible for poor households to save money and reduce illnesses related to emissions. Looking at the example of Maputo, Mozambique Rosario Loayza and Alessandro Galimberti explain the benefits of such efficient kitchen appliances.

How Tangerang City Revamps its Solid Waste Management

By |2023-12-19T15:16:53+01:00September 12th 2017|

Tangerang City in Indonesia has made a big leap from polluted to award winning green city. Watch the video and read the report by the Cities Development Initiative for Asia (CDIA) to find out how the city improved its solid waste management.

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