Sustainable Cities in Latin America, a Challenge or an Opportunity?

Can sensible planning and better governance keep Latin American cities from falling through the cracks of social inclusion?

In the last two decades, rural to urban migration has caused Latin America’s and Caribbean’s cities to grow at unprecedented rates. Today, more than 80 percent of the region’s residents live in towns and cities, making Latin America one of the world’s most urbanized regions.

Although most Latin American economies depend on agricultural and mining for an estimated 65 percent of its Gross National Product (GNP), most of the region’s inhabitants have been drawn to the region’s large cities with the promise of a better life with access to clean water, electricity, and other necessary infrastructure. However, many have encountered that their only option is to end up in the large shantytowns, the favelas and villas miserias, surrounding these urban areas....

“When presented with the idea to cover sustainable cities, I was skeptical at first,” said Chris Sabatini, editor-in-chief for Americas Quarterly. “I’ve seen too many ‘magic bullets’ before addressing the same problems. The difference, however, is that the ESCI focuses on local elected mayors and helps them prioritize their decisions according to technical expertise they provide together with real and potential private and public resources mediated by the IDB.”

His team interviewed experts and assigned journalists to research the impact of this and other initiatives in a number of cities. According to Sabatini, the results show a disjuncture between people’s demands and the initiatives local governments are pursuing. “We found that people’s number one concern is related to the increase in violent crime and their own safety. Many ask for a ‘mano dura’ (a hard fist) approach, but experience has shown that cases in which crime violence reduction was achieved, it was the result of good management and rational urban measures,” he said....

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