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Weekly Urban News Update
October 2, 2020
In This Update
Lockdown Measures in Madrid Disproportionately Affect Economically Vulnerable
Brazilian City That Thought It Reached Herd Immunity Faces New COVID Outbreak
The Future of Cities in the Post-Pandemic Era Looks Different for the Urban Poor
Understanding Constraints on Economic Growth in African Cities
How to Make a Smart City That is Anti-Racist
Urban October Will Kick Off on World Habitat Day
This Week in Photos
In the News And Around the Web
Lockdown Measures in Madrid Disproportionately Affect Economically Vulnerable
Renewed lockdown measures in Madrid are disproportionately affecting its most economically vulnerable residents. In response to a surge of coronavirus infections, the city government has selected to shut down 45 neighborhoods where cases have exceeded 1,000 per 100,000 inhabitants. The now locked down areas are also some of the city’s poorest and most densely populated districts. Residents see the measures, which ban movement except for to school, work, and medical emergencies, as a “new form of segregation.” One resident asserts: “You cannot justify on medical grounds a lockdown that still allows our residents to enter a crowded subway but then not enjoy our own public parks.”

Read more here.
Brazilian City That Thought it Reached Herd Immunity Faces New COVID Outbreak
A coronavirus death rate in Manaus in Brazil coupled with widespread infection led researchers to hypothesize that the city had attained herd immunity, but a new outbreak has tested the limits of that theory. The daily COVID-19 death toll in Manaus, which never implemented a full lockdown, peaked at 60 on April 30 and dropped to 3 a day by the end of August. Anti-body testing by researchers showed that between 44% and 66% of the population was infected during that time. Now that the city is facing a virus resurgence, it has banned parties and gatherings and limited shopping and restaurant hours for 30 days.

Read more here.
The Future of Cities in the Post-Pandemic Era Looks Different for the Urban Poor
COVID-19 has renewed attention on the future of housing and cities, yet commentaries and experts often neglect the realities facing the urban poor as they make predictions for the post pandemic-era, write Luis Triveno and Olivia Nielsen at Thomson Reuters Foundation News. For one, new realities such as staying at home may increase rather than lower contagion risk for urban poor as 90% of households in the developing world lack adequate space, ventilation, and access to safe water and sanitation. Similarly, discussions around the future of work and mass telecommuting may be irrelevant for urban poor families as this is only possible if they are able to earn from home.

Read more here.
Understanding Constraints on Economic Growth in African Cities
A new Brookings Institution brief examines why African cities struggle to live up to their potential as engines of economic growth. Cities can spur nationwide growth by increasing investment, facilitating the provision of affordable services and housing, and enhancing productivity-growth. Yet, the report’s authors say that this has not been the case in many African cities, where large numbers of residents remain unemployed or live without adequate housing and access to basic services. The authors conclude that assessing accessibility within and between cities, the business environment, and public sector governance are key to understanding how to reduce poverty and inequality in African cities

Read more here.
How to Make A Smart City Anti-Racist
Race has been notably absent from growing discussions about smart cities , even though Black and Latinx people comprise important communities in American cities, writes Eliza McCullough at Fast Company. Smart city initiatives are often touted as “color-blind,” yet McCullough says technologies, especially when implemented without the input of residents, can enhance hyper surveillance of communities of color. McCullough urges for a new framework that incorporates a racial equity approach that empower community members to make decisions about how technological infrastructure operates and ensure equitable distribution of its benefits. These ideas are also at the core of the IHC Global Smart City Just City initiative that integrates equity in smart city planning.

Read more here.
Urban October Will Kick Off on World Habitat Day
Monday, October 5, marks World Habitat Day and the start of Urban October. Every year UN-Habitat and its partners organize events and discussions on the challenges and opportunities presented by urbanization in order to raise awareness, promote participation, generate knowledge, and engage the international community towards the New Urban Agenda. World Habitat Day, which is themed "Housing for All: A Better Urban Future," will be hosted virtually by the city of Surabaya. Urban October will end on World Cities Day on October 31 which is themed "Better Cities, Better Lives: Valuing Our Cities and Communities." IHC Global is excited to participate in Urban October later this month by hosting an Urban Thinkers Campus on equity in smart cities.

Read more here.
In the News and Around the Web

  • America's Next Housing Crisis: Last year, researchers predicted the number of elderly people experiencing homelessness in the United States would triple in the next ten years. Now, COVID-19 is accelerating the trend.

  • Mayors Protest Urban 20 Summit in Riyadh: The mayors of New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and London are boycotting this week's Urban 20 Summit hosted in Riyadh to protest human rights violations in Saudi Arabia.

  • A Year Without Carnival in Rio de Janeiro: Rio de Janeiro has canceled its famed Carnival parade due to COVID-19 to the chagrin of its residents.
This Week in Photos:

  • Supporting Food Security in Johannesburg During COVID-19: During South Africa's lockdown, activists distributed vegetables, seedlings, and gardening materials to vulnerable households.
The Sambodromo exhibition space is the official venue for Rio de Janeiro's Carnival parade, which is canceled this year. (Dado Galdieri/The New York Times)
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