Reading Development

Random readings on society, politics and change – Jorge Carrillo

How Durban set the global standard for providing water and sanitation for the poor

Arguably the most elegant aspect of an inelegant subject is how this city of 3.2 million residents, South Africa’s second largest, is solving monumental water and waste challenges in its … Continue reading

Friday, 12 February 2016 · Leave a comment

Improving the Nutritional Quality of Food Markets through the Informal Sector

Policy approaches aiming to suppress the informal sector are generally ineffective; in some cases, they can actually decrease the quality and safety of food. Similarly, food and nutrition policies that … Continue reading

Friday, 12 February 2016 · Leave a comment

The Cities Diplomacy Series (II): Are Mayors (& Networks Of Cities) the Rising Stars of Global Politics?

Against the secrecy and elite-reserved performance of classical Diplomacy skills, some Cities are getting on very well in developing the charms of soft and subtle Diplomacy in international arenas, by … Continue reading

Saturday, 6 February 2016 · Leave a comment

The Cities Diplomacy Series (I): Urban Issues and Soft-Influence in The Global Agenda Of Governance

In a moment in which the World is becoming more open and connected than ever, Cities, traditionally mere followers of the dictates of national governments in terms of foreign affairs, … Continue reading

Saturday, 6 February 2016 · Leave a comment

Hacking the City: A New Model for Urban Renewal

How do you turn a place around without money or resources, and by empowering residents rather than displacing them? “What we’ve done is change the software of the city,” Westbury … Continue reading

Saturday, 6 February 2016 · Leave a comment

Islamic Feminism – A contradiction in terms?

In recent times, Islamic feminism has emerged as a challenge to patriarchy in Muslim societies. Given the varieties of Islam and feminisms that exist, a fixed meaning cannot be attached … Continue reading

Wednesday, 3 February 2016 · Leave a comment

Balancing the Burden? Women’s Time Poverty and Infrastructure in Asia

Around the world, women do more work than men because of gender divisions of labor that cause most of the burden of housework and care work to fall on women … Continue reading

Wednesday, 3 February 2016 · Leave a comment

Making the invisible visible: generating data on ‘slums’ at local, city and global scales

The largest and most detailed set of data about what are termed ‘slums’ or ‘informal settlements’ has been built from enumerations undertaken by the residents of these settlements and their … Continue reading

Tuesday, 2 February 2016 · Leave a comment

Why Smart Cities still aren’t working for us after 20 years. And how we can fix them.

Originally posted on The Urban Technologist:
(The futuristic “Emerald City” in the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz“. The “wizard” who controls the city is a fraud who uses theatrical…

Tuesday, 2 February 2016 · Leave a comment