Habitat III Conference

Housing that is “fast, affordable and absolutely green” will free up cities of the future to build without using any concrete.

That’s according to the chairman of a Spanish environmental housing company, which built one of their new homes in just 32 days, as part of the UN’s recent Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador.

The construction relies on a mix of wood and plastic recycled materials, minimal use of steel, with a focus on energy-efficiency and insulation.

“Pop-up public spaces” combined with what have been described as “democratic three-dimensional tools” are proving an effective way to engage poor communities in urban design.

That’s the view of Pontus Westerberg, of UN-Habitat, the UN programme for sustainable cities.

He is the manager of the Block by Block initiative, a collaboration between UN- Habitat and the makers of the videogame Minecraft.

Indigenous people in Canada have been marginalized when it comes to city life “for many decades” with women and girls suffering a “disproportionate level of violence.”

That’s according to Christine O’Fallon, a member of Canada’s Women Transforming Cities group, speaking at the UN’s recent Habitat III conference on the future of urbanization, in Ecuador.

A new generation of sustainable bamboo houses that take just 20 days to build could be part of the answer to making cities more sustainable and resilient.

That’s the view of Oliver Frith, a director of the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan, which showcased one of its new houses at the recent Habitat III conference in the Ecuadorian capital, Quito.

If the voices of slum-dwellers are ignored in the New Urban Agenda for world cities, adopted by UN Member States in October, then it “will fail”.

That’s according to José Lobo, of Arizona State University in the United States, who partners with the Slum Dwellers International network, based in 32 countries around the world.

He was speaking at the UN’s Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador, which adopted the New Urban Agenda as the blueprint for more sustainable and liveable cities of the future.

Although air travel accounts for less than two per cent of the emissions that contribute to global warming, the aviation industry is doing its part to protect the environment.

That’s according to the Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Dr Liu Fang.

The aviation industry recently announced that from 2020, it will offset or balance any increases in carbon dioxide emissions by planting trees or through other “clean energy” projects.

South Sudan at “tipping point” warns woman activist

When it comes to the New Urban Agenda for world cities, action needs to start at “the base” and not come from the top-down.

That’s the passionate view of Alima Sagito, a grassroots campaigner from Ghana, speaking at the UN’s Habitat III conference on the future of world cities, which took place recently in Quito, Ecuador.

Ms Sagito said that “critical planning” was needed to manage cities better, especially in fast-growing cities across Africa.

The risk of “outright violence” against the LGBT community is growing in cities but hopes are high that a newly-adopted agenda for future urban living will create more “safe spaces”.

That’s the view of Cicely-Belle Blain, a Canadian youth worker, who was one of the delegates to the recent Habitat III conference on the future of cities, which took place in Quito, Ecuador.

Cities of the future will have an expanded “social safety net,” including more “digital food” for the needy, according to the deputy chief of the World Food Programme (WFP).

Deputy Executive Director, Amir Abdulla, was speaking at the recent Habitat III Conference on reshaping the cities and towns of the future, in Quito, Ecuador.