Fair ideas - Urbanisation and the green economy
16th June. Room: Auditorium, 16:00 - 17:30
Language: English, with simultaneous translation into Portuguese
The video recording below was originally webcast live during the Fair Ideas conference in Rio.
Over coming decades almost all population growth and most economic development will be urban. Urbanisation offers both economic advantages and opportunities to reduce environmental burdens and share the benefits of economic growth. But overstretched urban authorities often fail to respond appropriately to rapid urban population growth, and fail to manage the potential environmental transition. In this session, we will examine Brazil’s precocious urban transition and what lessons there are for other urbanising countries. We will also explore how cities around the world can respond to the urbanisation challenge and ensure that urbanisation contributes to green and equitable development.
Speakers
Gordon McGranahan (chair), Principal Researcher, Human Settlements Group, IIED, UK
Gordon spent the 1990s at Stockholm Environment Institute, in charge of their Urban Environment Programme. Since 2000, he has been in the Human Settlements Group at IIED, where he works on urban environmental issues — focusing on how to address poverty and environmental problems in and around the home, and how urban environmental burdens change as cities become wealthier.
George Martine, Technical Director, Dhemos Consulting, Brazil
George is a Canadian sociologist and demographer whose life work has centred on development issues in Latin America, especially in Brazil. He has written extensively on social, demographic and environment topics. He currently heads Dhemos Consulting, an independent firm that provides technical support to international organisations.
Roberto Laureano da Rocha, Cooperativa de Reciclagem Unidos Pelo Meio Ambiente, Brazil
Roberto is a waste picker, and a representative of the National Commission of Brazilian Movement of Waste Pickers. He is a coordinator and educator on the Cata Forte project, which gave technical assistance to 170 waste pickers’ organisations, and from which 1,500 waste pickers graduated.
Ruby Papeleras , National capital Regional Coordinator , Homeless Peoples Federation, The Philippines
Ruby oversaw a pilot housing project for Payatas Scavengers Homeowners’ Association Inc. (PSHAI) in 1997 and since then has continued to volunteer — promoting savings among informal settlers, representing the Homeless People’s Federation of the Philippines, and the urban poor network that emerged from the original PSHAI.
Maria Sonia Vicenta Fadrigo, Western Visayas Regional Coordinator, Homeless Peoples Federation, The Philippines
From 1997 to 2002 Sonia was President of Kabalaka Homeowners Association, a founding member of the Homeless Peoples Federation Phillippines Inc. Since 1998 Sonia has been a board member of Slum Dwellers International (SDI), and since 2000 she has been Regional Coordinator for the Visayas of the Homeless Peoples Federation Phillippines Inc.
Patience Mudimu, Director of Programmes, Dialogue on Shelter for the Homeless in Zimbabwe Trust, Zimbabwe
Patience works as Director of Programs for Dialogue on Shelter for the Homeless in Zimbabwe Trust which is based in Harare, Zimbabwe. For 16 years she has supported slum communities in Zimbabwe to fight forced evictions and obtain secure land tenure and upgrading.
Sekai Catherine Chiremba, National Coordinator, the Zimbabwe Homeless People’s Federation’s Leadership Council, Zimbabwe
Sekai is a national coordinator on the Zimbabwe Homeless People’s Federation’s Leadership council. She has assisted groups negotiating for secure land with cities in Zimbabwe and currently leads the movement’s technical component where she is responsible for general oversight of all building projects undertaken by the federation across the country.