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Weekly Urban News Update
November 13, 2020
In This Update
Urban Poor in India Thrust Deeper into Poverty in Wake of COVID-19
Modernization of Karachi Public Transport System Mired by City Administration
Johannesburg Recycling Project Helps Feed Thousands
Melbourne Lockdown investigated for Possible Discriminatory Enforcement
The Smart City Dilemma Facing Sub-Saharan Africa
Moscow Facial Recognition Comes Under Fire
In the News And Around the Web
Urban Poor in India Thrust Deeper into Poverty in Wake of COVID-19
In India, the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown has thrust many of its urban poor back into the extreme poverty out of which they only recently rose. Although some parts of the Indian economy are recovering, tens of millions of people remain unemployed, including many maids and cooks whose employers fear they may transmit the virus from the overcrowded and poor sanitary conditions of the slums in which they live. The threat of eviction and growing food insecurity for families that are unable to access social safety nets is also forcing children to enter the informal economy, selling tea or vegetables, to contribute to family income. 

Read more here.
Modernization of Karachi Transportation Mired by City Administration
Karachi, Pakistan is attempting to modernize its public transportation system, but its complicated administrative system is hindering its efforts. Its public transport system, ranked as the worst in the world, relies on decades-old and overcrowded buses and is mired by pothole-filled roads. Work on a proposed bus project and circular railway system has stalled due to both gaps and overlap in municipal power sharing by the city, federal, state, and military authorities. According to former Karachi mayor Waseem Akhtar, the city and mayor's office can exercise administrative control of only 12% of the city.

Read more here.
Johannesburg Recycling Project Helps Feed Thousands
In Johannesburg, the Lock our City Klean (LOCK) initiative is helping feed thousands of residents and also clean up city streets through a project that allows participants to exchange recyclables for essential food items. LOCK has assumed greater importance since the coronavirus pandemic, especially for migrant workers who may struggle to access government aid without official documentation. Researcher Brittany Kesselman lauds the effort, but also observes: “The recyclers are finding agency, which is great. But, at the same time, there is a need for a bigger political and economic change to alter the circumstances in which communities undertake these kinds of initiatives.”

Read more here.
Melbourne Lockdown Investigated for Possible Discriminatory Enforcement
A state ombudsman in Victoria, Australia is investigating allegations that the city of Melbourne discriminated against residents of its 9 public housing towers by singling them out for stricter treatment. The city instituted a 111-day lockdown on July 4th, but unlike other Melbourne residents, those living in the public towers were not given an eight hour warning before lockdown began. Instead the lockdown was announced by police presence, leaving no time to leave to shop for necessities. One resident recalls: “We didn’t have time to get the supplies we needed, like diapers or formula. It was a shock. There were 500 police surrounding us, like we were criminals.”

Read more here.
The Smart City Dilemma Facing Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan African cities should explore smart technology carefully if they continue to lag behind on development indicators such as the Human Development Index, writes Emana Nsikan-George at URBANET. Nsikan-George asserts that without investment into human capital especially for the region’s urban poor, 56% of whom live in slums, African cities risk creating smart city spaces and infrastructure that remains unusable by less empowered communities and then excludes them from automated public services. Instead, she urges cities to prioritize quality service delivery and effective governance as the springboard for smart city innovation.

Read more here.

Editor's Note: When cities employ smart technology without a mind for equity and siloed from the existing inequalities and struggles that face real people living in them, they indeed risk creating unusable and exclusive smart city spaces. Yet, IHC Global believes smart technology and social justice issues can align to create more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities. To read our take on equitable smart cities, check out the IHC Global Smart City Just City initiative here.
Facial Recognition in Moscow Comes Under Fire
In Moscow, the use of facial recognition technology by law enforcement is facing criticism following an incident that revealed the ease with which non-law enforcement personnel can access its cameras. The city says that its more than 105,000 cameras have helped reduce crime and enforce coronavirus lockdown restrictions. But activists allege the cameras are instead used to monitor political rallies and that a lack of regulations over the technology has facilitated abuse of privacy. Human rights lawyer Sarkis Darbinyan explains: “We are not Luddites; we understand that there can be a helpful use of this technology. But we still need rules and guarantees because there is no safe place in big cities now.” 

Read more here.
In the News and Around the Web

  • The Nairobi Expressway and a 100-Year Old Tree: Protestors successfully saved a cherished fig tree from removal, but environmentalists lament shrinking green spaces in the city.

  • Typhoon Vamco Kills Seven in Manila: On Wednesday, the Philippine capital experienced its worst flooding in years.

  • Generation Bataclan: On its fifth anniversary, Time Magazine explores how the 2015 terrorist attack on the Bataclan theater in Paris changed the French capital.

  • Nairobi Firms Turn to Social Issues: Companies are working together to provide locally manufactured handwashing supplies to Nairobi slums.
Buses are the main public transport system for Karachi, Pakistan. (Asim Hafeez/Bloomberg)
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