Building Resilience for the Urban Poor - Let’s Get Moving
In the many slums I have visited in Latin America, Asia and Africa, I am always struck by the resourcefulness and resilience of residents. Slum dwellers face many hardships in their daily life – low...
View ArticleSupporting People-Smart Regions
The Ecological Sequestration Trust has had a busy two months hosting workshops and meetings in India, China, Africa and the UK to discuss how to help these demonstration regions become more resilient...
View ArticleSummerlicious and the Resilience of Cities
Anyone who’s ever been knocked down knows that getting back up can be hard. The 10th Anniversary of Toronto’s ‘Summerlicious’ festival last weekend is a great example of how a city picked itself up...
View ArticleWorld Green Building Week 2012: USGBC Focuses on Resilient Buildings as Key...
On Monday, Sept. 17, a chorus of voices from around the world spoke out in support of “Green Buildings for Great Communities,” the theme of this year’s World Green Building Week, hosted by World Green...
View ArticlePreparing Cities for Climate Change – Initial Lessons from Sandy
New York City has been a global leader in proactively planning and preparing for climate change under Mayor Bloomberg and the city’s civic leaders. PlanNYC sets out clear goals and plans to reduce...
View ArticleHazards, vulnerabilities, and exposures… Oh my
As the East Coast USA deals with Hurricane Sandy, aka “Frankenstorm”, and Hawaii breathes a sigh of relief at a downgraded tsunami, we are again reminded of the immediate and long-term socio-economic...
View ArticleA Profound Sense of Place – The Intangibles of City Life in New Orleans
A recent learning trip to New Orleans by the East Asia and Pacific Transport, Urban and Disaster Risk Management team introduced the unique charms of this city to many of us for the first time. Anyone...
View ArticleBuilding Back the Big Easy: Lessons from New Orleans’ Recovery from Hurricane...
For the East Asia & Pacific Transport, Urban & Disaster Risk Management team of the World Bank, a recent study trip to New Orleans was an eye-opener about how even the richest society in the...
View ArticleThe Old Man is Snoring
‘It’s raining, it’s pouring. The old man is snoring.’ Truth be told, I apparently snore, and I suppose I’m not that young anymore. But hard to believe, I’m sure this nursery rhyme is not about me. And...
View ArticleDetroit’s future city framework offers lessons on resilience
There is a positive vibe around Detroit today, as the city transforms itself under the Detroit Future CityStrategic Framework, a blueprint that will guide decision making and actions to realize a...
View ArticleWant to build sustainable, resilient cities? Start with quality infrastructure
About this seriesMore blog posts Rapid urbanization has put considerable pressure on developing countries to deliver more infrastructure - and, preferably, to deliver it fast and in a cost-effective...
View ArticleAre we listening to our ancestors’ warnings?
Also available in: RussianThe “miracle pine,” a 250-year-old tree that survived the 2011 tsunami in Japan, has been preserved as a memorial to the 19,000 victims of the disaster. (Photo via Wikimedia...
View ArticleToward a “New Urban Agenda”: Join the World Bank at Habitat III in Quito
Cities are home to more than half of the world’s population, consume two-thirds of the world’s energy, and produce 70% of global greenhouse gas emissions. And this trend will only continue: by 2050,...
View ArticlePostcards from Quito on the New Urban Agenda
Also available in: Español More than two months have passed since the whirlwind that was Habitat III, the UN’s once-every-20-year summit on cities and urban development. From big data to climate...
View ArticleBuilding more affordable and disaster-resilient housing in Latin America and...
About this seriesMore blog posts Between 2010 and 2017, Chile was struck by 10 major natural hazard events. These disasters affected as many as 340,583 houses and cost $3.6 billion in reconstruction...
View ArticleFrom algorithms to virtual reality, innovations help reduce disaster risks...
(Courtesy of Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre) Natural disasters such as floods and droughts disproportionally affect the poor and vulnerable people, causing thousands of fatalities each year....
View ArticleIn Cali, Colombia, social inclusion is key to reducing violence and building...
Today, the term "resilience" has many definitions and encompasses a multitude of dimensions beyond natural disasters. Resilience is directly linked to crime and violence, which is a major impediment to...
View ArticleHow is Medellin a model of urban transformation and social resilience?
Medellin, Colombia is experiencing an extraordinary transformation. Although it was known during the 1980s and most of the 1990s as the most violent city of the world, the city is putting those years...
View ArticleTo build resilient cities, we must treat substandard housing as a...
Why resilient cities need resilient housing. Download the full version of the slideshow here. The scene is as familiar as it is tragic: A devastating hurricane or earthquake strikes a populated area...
View ArticleFlooded rivers: taking a bird’s eye view
When a river swells beyond its usual patterns, the impact on its surroundings can be devastating. In 2014, 51 people lost their lives and over 20% of Serbia’s population were affected by floods when...
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