- DPU, UCL, 34 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9EZ
- +44 20 76791111
- Professor of Urban Policy and International Development, and former Director of the Bartlett Development Planning Unit, UCL. Fellow, Institution of Civil Engineers (UK).edit
Using illustrations from some of Latin America's largest cities, the chapter examines the causes and consequences of urban expansion and the more recent phenomenon of urban sprawl. It reflects on the role of transport and mobility, both... more
Using illustrations from some of Latin America's largest cities, the chapter examines the causes and consequences of urban expansion and the more recent phenomenon of urban sprawl. It reflects on the role of transport and mobility, both as consequences of urban growth and as causes of it. It reflects on the equity and sustainability dimensions of this phenomenon.
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These guidelines constitute the main outcome of a three-year research project, which assembled a substantial body of knowledge in a relatively new policy area. The guidelines were produced for a wide-ranging audience and as such they draw... more
These guidelines constitute the main outcome of a three-year research project, which assembled a substantial body of knowledge in a relatively new policy area. The guidelines were produced for a wide-ranging audience and as such they draw upon current thinking about environmental matters and upon the lessons of attempts to manage the effects of the peri-urban interface in a simple and user-friendly language.
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... This paper does not necessarily reflect the views of either DFID or ESRC. It is the result of a team effort by the two authors along with a number of colleagues in Medellín: Professor Françoise Coupé, Professor Iván Sarmiento, Angela... more
... This paper does not necessarily reflect the views of either DFID or ESRC. It is the result of a team effort by the two authors along with a number of colleagues in Medellín: Professor Françoise Coupé, Professor Iván Sarmiento, Angela Mejía, Juan G. Cardona and Laura Agudelo. ...
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Although branded as ‘obstructionists’ and major agents of ‘disease and filth’ by city authorities, food vendors remain the pivotal node in the local food system in most informal settlements; therefore, their interaction with the... more
Although branded as ‘obstructionists’ and major agents of ‘disease and filth’ by city authorities, food vendors remain the pivotal node in the local food system in most informal settlements; therefore, their interaction with the environment and infrastructure services, and challenges they face to keep the food safe to eat, requires further grounded exploration. Food vendors from informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, who are acting as mappers and change agents, are building multi-layered views of places through the deliberative process of knowledge coproduction by participatory sensing, which lead to opportunities and challenges to improve those places.
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Food vendors are pivotal in the local food system of most low‐income informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, despite being seen as an obstruction and as agents of disease and filth by city authorities. This paper explores the geography of... more
Food vendors are pivotal in the local food system of most low‐income informal settlements in Nairobi, Kenya, despite being seen as an obstruction and as agents of disease and filth by city authorities. This paper explores the geography of these foodscapes – defined as public sites of food production and consumption – in selected low‐income settlements in Nairobi, focusing on the interaction of food vendors with their surrounding environment and infrastructure services. The research uses participatory geographic information system tools, including food mapping with mobile apps and high‐resolution community aerial views with balloon mapping, to capture and contextualise local knowledge. The community mappers collected data on 660 vendors from 18 villages in Kibera, Mathare, and Mukuru, and situated them on multi‐layered synoptic geographic overviews for each settlement. The resulting data on hazardous areas in relation to food spaces and infrastructure provision allowed local communit...
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The keeping of livestock has been posited as a risk factor for the emergence of zoonoses and the spread of antimicrobial resistance. However, quantitative evidence regarding the major sources of pathogenic and drug-resistant bacteria and... more
The keeping of livestock has been posited as a risk factor for the emergence of zoonoses and the spread of antimicrobial resistance. However, quantitative evidence regarding the major sources of pathogenic and drug-resistant bacteria and transmission routes between hosts remains lacking. In the largest epidemiological study of this nature to date, we sampled Escherichia coli from humans, livestock, food, wildlife and the environment of 99 households across Nairobi, Kenya to gain a deeper understanding of sharing of bacteria among hosts and potential reservoirs. By analysing whole genome sequencing data from 1,338 E. coli isolates, we reconstruct sharing patterns for the sampled E. coli and its antimicrobial resistance determinants. We find that the diversity and sharing patterns of E. coli is heavily structured by household, which is the primary epidemiological interface for bacterial strain sharing. Strain sharing within households was strongly shaped by host type. We also find evi...
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More than half the world's population lives in areas that are classified as urban. In developing countries, a substantial and growing proportion lives in or around metropolitan areas and large cities, including the zone termed the... more
More than half the world's population lives in areas that are classified as urban. In developing countries, a substantial and growing proportion lives in or around metropolitan areas and large cities, including the zone termed the 'periurban interface', where their livelihoods depend to some extent on natural resources such as land for food, water and fuel, and space for living.
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Medellin's first two aerial cable-car (Metrocable) lines to hilly informal low-income districts are now widely regarded as the inspiration for a tide of similar schemes in a dozen cities in Latin America and beyond. These lines were a bid... more
Medellin's first two aerial cable-car (Metrocable) lines to hilly informal low-income districts are now widely regarded as the inspiration for a tide of similar schemes in a dozen cities in Latin America and beyond. These lines were a bid by city authorities to provide a fast and efficient connection to the overground mass-transit system. Public transport systems will continue to be essential for the equitable and efficient operation of Latin American cities. Medellín’s experience shows that, with appropriate complementary investments, cable-cars can make a significant contribution to the wellbeing of the urban poor while helping with cities' low carbon growth goals.
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1. Introduction: the research issues and strategy 2. Bogota, Mexico City and Valencia: the social, economic and political backcloth 3. Access to land 4. Servicing low-income settlements 5. Community organisation: participation or social... more
1. Introduction: the research issues and strategy 2. Bogota, Mexico City and Valencia: the social, economic and political backcloth 3. Access to land 4. Servicing low-income settlements 5. Community organisation: participation or social control? 6. Conclusions Appendices Notes Bibliography Indexes.
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... alcantarillado donde el arrastre de sólidos lo hace el agua. Sin embargo las ... a los usuarios utilizando diversos medios, desde carretas tiradas por animales hasta carrotanques (Solo, 2003; Allen, Dávila y Hofmann, 2006a). Su... more
... alcantarillado donde el arrastre de sólidos lo hace el agua. Sin embargo las ... a los usuarios utilizando diversos medios, desde carretas tiradas por animales hasta carrotanques (Solo, 2003; Allen, Dávila y Hofmann, 2006a). Su contribución ...
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Quantitative evidence for the risk of zoonoses and the spread of antimicrobial resistance remains lacking. Here, as part of the UrbanZoo project, we sampled Escherichia coli from humans, livestock and peri-domestic wildlife in 99... more
Quantitative evidence for the risk of zoonoses and the spread of antimicrobial resistance remains lacking. Here, as part of the UrbanZoo project, we sampled Escherichia coli from humans, livestock and peri-domestic wildlife in 99 households across Nairobi, Kenya, to investigate its distribution among host species in this rapidly developing urban landscape. We performed whole-genome sequencing of 1,338 E. coli isolates and found that the diversity and sharing patterns of E. coli were heavily structured by household and strongly shaped by host type. We also found evidence for inter-household and inter-host sharing and, importantly, between humans and animals, although this occurs much less frequently. Resistome similarity was differently distributed across host and household, consistent with being driven by shared exposure to antimicrobials. Our results indicate that a large, epidemiologically structured sampling framework combined with WGS is needed to uncover strain-sharing events a...
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... College London Press, London, pp319 Joshi, A. and Moore, M.(2002)'Organisations that reach the poor: Why co-production matters', Paper ... GM, Zakariah, S. and Armar-Klemesu, M. (1998)'Farming... more
... College London Press, London, pp319 Joshi, A. and Moore, M.(2002)'Organisations that reach the poor: Why co-production matters', Paper ... GM, Zakariah, S. and Armar-Klemesu, M. (1998)'Farming in the shadow of the city: Changes in land rights and livelihoods in peri ...
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This book examines the experience of Medellin, Colombia's second largest city, in seeking to reduce poverty and integrate large marginalised areas, marked by years of severe poverty and violence, into the urban fabric. It pays... more
This book examines the experience of Medellin, Colombia's second largest city, in seeking to reduce poverty and integrate large marginalised areas, marked by years of severe poverty and violence, into the urban fabric. It pays particular attention to the impact of two aerial cable-cars connecting high density hilly neighbourhoods with the rest of the city, and an associated urban upgrading programme. It also contrasts Medellin’s successful experience with that of Soacha, a municipality adjacent to Bogota, Colombia’s capital city, where an aerial cable-car has been proposed as a means of linking two low-income hilly neighbourhoods with a main arterial road. The contrast between a well-resourced, well-managed municipality like Medellin with a dense and homogenously poor and institutionally weak municipality like Soacha offers valuable lessons to other cities in Latin America and elsewhere. Contributions draw from a two-year research project coordinated by the Development Planning Unit, University College London (UCL), in conjunction with Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Medellin campus) and Universidad de los Andes in Bogota. In addition to the detailed case studies of Medellin and Soacha, the book also brings together cases in Latin America where aerial cable-cars have either been built or proposed in low-income neighbourhoods, including Caracas and Rio de Janeiro.
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Page 1. U imi i Territorios Universidad de los Andes lmcuervo@uniandes.edu.со ISSN (Versión impresa): 0123-8418 COLOMBIA 2001 Julio D. Dávila/Alan Gilbert LOS ALCALDES MAYORES Y LA GESTIÓN DE BOGOTÁ Territorios ...
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Mexico's Urban Popular Movements: A Conversation with Pedro Moctezuma describes the work of the National Coordinating Body of Mexico's Urban Popular Movements (CONAMUP). CONAMUP is a large, innovative umbrella organization for... more
Mexico's Urban Popular Movements: A Conversation with Pedro Moctezuma describes the work of the National Coordinating Body of Mexico's Urban Popular Movements (CONAMUP). CONAMUP is a large, innovative umbrella organization for dozens of community organizations throughout Mexico and claims to represent the interests of around one million of Mexico's poorest urban inhabitants. Mr Moctezuma describes how CONAMUP developed, its structure and the areas in which it works.
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Rapid urbanization in the global South is adding epidemiological and nutritional challenges and increasing disease and health burdens for citizens. Greater movement of people, animals, food and trade often provides favourable grounds for... more
Rapid urbanization in the global South is adding epidemiological and nutritional challenges and increasing disease and health burdens for citizens. Greater movement of people, animals, food and trade often provides favourable grounds for the emergence of infectious diseases, including zoonoses. We conduct a rapid evidence scan to explore what is known and hypothesized about the links between urbanization and zoonosis emergence. This points to rapid demographic growth, migration and density, increased movement of people and animals, and changes in land uses as the main processes linked to the prevalence of zoonosis in the urban global South. We argue that this emerging global health challenge is also deeply connected with the urbanization of poverty and inequalities within cities. Tackling the micro-level causal relationships between urbanization and zoonosis requires urgent attention to living conditions, as well as the wider socioenvironmental transitions and structural drivers tha...
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ABSTRACT This book examines the experience of Medellín in seeking to reduce poverty and integrate large marginalised areas, marked by years of severe poverty and violence, into the urban fabric. It pays particular attention to the impact... more
ABSTRACT This book examines the experience of Medellín in seeking to reduce poverty and integrate large marginalised areas, marked by years of severe poverty and violence, into the urban fabric. It pays particular attention to the impact of two aerial cable-cars connecting high density hilly neighbourhoods with the rest of the city, and an associated urban upgrading programme. It also contrasts Medellín’s successful experience with that of Soacha, a municipality adjacent to Bogotá, Colombia’s capital city, where an aerial cable-car has been proposed as a means of linking two low-income hilly neighbourhoods with a main arterial road. The contrast between a well-resourced, well-managed municipality like Medellín with a dense and homogenously poor and institutionally weak municipality like Soacha offers valuable lessons to other cities in Latin America and elsewhere. Contributions draw from a two-year research project coordinated by the Development Planning Unit, University College London (UCL), in conjunction with Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Medellín campus) and Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá. In addition to the detailed case studies of Medellín and Soacha, the book also brings together cases in Latin America where aerial cable-cars have either been built or proposed in low-income neighbourhoods, including Caracas and Rio de Janeiro.
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Being connected implies having access to a wide range of facilities, services, infrastructure, and opportunities that contribute to a decent life and the possibilities for social, employment and economic development. The COVID-19 pandemic... more
Being connected implies having access to a wide range of facilities, services, infrastructure, and opportunities that contribute to a decent life and the possibilities for social, employment and economic development. The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a major threat to our ability to interact directly with others. It has shown that comparatively few people can afford not to move in their daily life to access education, health, jobs, family, friends and leisure. The pandemic has also exposed existing inequalities in accessing all of the previously mentioned aspects of daily life virtually. Having access to reliable, safe, and affordable transport and, increasingly, to internet-enabled devices, has become central to bridging inequalities. Connecting pathways can contribute to overcoming these challenges and facilitating the process of creating social and human capital. Conversely, lack of connectivity, be that physical or digital, may act as a mechanism for exclusion and inequality. This 30,000-word chapter considers the contribution, within an urban and regional setting, of physical and digital connectivity to shaping pathways to greater urban and territorial equality; this can be achieved through recognizing social relations and creating new opportunities for personal and collective development. Improved physical connectivity, via transport systems and public spaces that are easily accessible, safe for all and sustainable, is essential for promoting greater urban and territorial equality. The advent and widespread availability of digital technologies means that digital interactions can complement and, under certain conditions, serve as substitutes for physical interactions; indeed, in some contexts, they can also open up new opportunities for everyone and also help to save energy, time, money, and carbon emissions. Where digital connections are available and accessible, they can significantly contribute to making information, education and health services, political representation, and commercial transactions faster and more efficient and more readily available to a much larger proportion of the population than older technologies. The chapter underlines the role that local governments can play in advancing urban and territorial equality through interventions that improve physical and digital connectivity.
This book is an exploration of a period in the history of Colombia’s capital in the mid-twentieth century through the eyes of one of its most prominent planners and politicians. Jorge Gaitán Cortés, an architect and an urban planner, was... more
This book is an exploration of a period in the history of Colombia’s capital in the mid-twentieth century through the eyes of one of its most prominent planners and politicians. Jorge Gaitán Cortés, an architect and an urban planner, was also active in city politics in the 1950s and 1960s until his untimely death in 1968. He used his extraordinary energy and intellect to study the city’s development in great depth, and to create a solid range of institutions and physical foundations for future growth. His efforts and his vision as a councillor and later as a mayor were crucial at a time in the city’s history when physical and population growth were at their fastest. The book fills a gap in our knowledge and provides an original contribution to the analysis of the ideas, the political environment, the personalities and the policy framework that guided the city during an important period in its recent history.