https://files.constantcontact.com/016f24c7001/221a4ea2-533d-48b0-a549-096f8eb53764.png?a=1134654936763
Weekly Urban News Update
September 4, 2020
In This Update
Sanitation Workers in South Asia Face Heightened Danger Under COVID-19
In Bhopal, Women Tuk-Tuk Drivers Help Women Suffering from Domestic Abuse
Center for Disease Control Issues National Moratorium on Evictions
City Lighting Shows Economic Impact of COVID-19 in the Middle East and North Africa
State Governors in Nigeria May Be Undermining the Nation's Cities
Urban Policies in Ulaanbaatar Face Criticism
In the News And Around the Web
This Week in Photos
Sanitation Workers in South Asia Face Heightened Danger Under COVID-19
In a new report, WaterAid assesses the impact of COVID-19 upon sanitation workers in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. COVID-19 lockdowns closed the city, but sanitation and waste management work continued, leaving workers vulnerable to the virus, economic distress, and discrimination. Lack of access to handwashing stations or comprehensive personal protective equipment compounds worker vulnerability. At the international level, WaterAid recommends donors consider sanitation workers in their urban investments and at the local level, urges cities to provide services such as handwashing stations, soap, and hand sanitizers in workplaces.

Read more here.
In Bhopal, Women Tuk-Tuk Drivers Help Women Suffering from Domestic Abuse
In Bhopal, India, the women’s crisis center Guaravi has trained the city’s first female rickshaw drivers to help women suffering from domestic abuse, loss of employment, and food insecurity during COVID-19 and the city's lockdown. Since March, the women tuk-tuk drivers, often themselves victims of abuse, have packed and delivered nearly 10,000 food kits and served as an emotional resource to women in need. But some say that while such projects are helpful, society-wide change is needed. Pranita Achyut of the International Center for Research on Women observed: "Unless we take violence as a systemic, structural issue, small bits and pieces-while they are important and necessary-will not be enough."

Read more here.
Center for Disease Control Issues National Moratorium on Evictions
At the Urban Institute, Mary K. Cunningham and Solomon Greene argue that the national moratorium on evictions issued by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) on Wednesday does not go far enough to help renters facing COVID-19-related challenges. The authors explain that the CDC moratorium does not forgive rent or prohibit charging late fees, meaning that rent payments will only pile up and be due at a later date for the 30-40 million Americans projected to be at risk of eviction over the next few months. Cunningham and Greene urge the federal government to commit to large-scale rental assistance to help both renters and landlords and to address the looming eviction crisis

Read more here.
City Lighting Shows Economic Impact of COVID-19 in the Middle East and North Africa
A World Bank study is using high-resolution, satellite-captured nighttime lighting data to monitor and assess the economic impact of COVID-19 in 18 cities in 50 Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) countries. The study found that all cities experienced a dramatic fall in lighting intensity in March when global lockdowns first began, but that some cities, such as Sousse in Tunisia, regained their brightness much faster than others, such as Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The study’s approach and its findings are valuable as it helps the World Bank identify which cities are hit hardest economically by COVID-19 and other shocks and so require more policy and planning support. 

Read more here.
State Governors in Nigeria May Be Undermining the Nation's Cities
Legally, Nigeria’s city and local governments have the financial autonomy to make decisions about the provision of necessary social services, but corrupt state governors are preventing them from exercising their autonomy, writes Idayat Hassan at URBANET. Hassan explains that the Nigerian national budget allocates separate funds for states and localities, but state governors often appropriate the local funds and then divvy it out themselves. Furthermore, the governors sometimes refuse to conduct local elections and instead rely on committees they have appointed. Hassan believes a robust civil society can help redress entrenched corruption by demanding transparency and accountability.

Read more here.
Urban Policies in Ulaanbaatar Faces Criticism
Mongolia is the least densely populated country in the world, yet more than half of its population live in 0.2% of its land in its capital Ulaanbaatar. Some planners believe that the country has only embraced “short-term, ill-researched” policies in its efforts to address the challenges of urbanization. For instance, Ulaanbaatar ranks as the 4th most traffic-congested city in the world. To reduce the number of vehicles on the road, the city implemented a license plate ban that mandates residents only drive on days corresponding with their plate numbers. But, rather than reduce traffic, residents who could afford to simply bought a second car with a different license plate to drive on the other day.

Read more here.
In the News and Around the Web

  • COVID's Invisible Victims: In a series of articles and interviews, the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism examines the pandemic's impact on America's homeless population.

  • COVID-19 Is Widening the Gender Poverty Gap: The United Nations estimates the pandemic will push 47 million more women and girls into poverty next year.

  • Senegal Hurries to Move Ammonium Nitrate from Dakar: Senegal discovered 3,000 tonnes of ammonium nitrate at a Dakar port, the same amount that caused a massive explosion in Beirut.

  • World Bank Suspends Ease of Doing Business Report: The World Bank temporarily suspended its Ease of Doing Business Report as it examines data irregularities found in the 2018 and 2020 reports.
This Week in Photos

  • Coronavirus Curfew in Havana: Cuba instituted a 15-day lockdown to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
Havana instituted a strict 15-day lockdown earlier this week. (Xinhua/Rex/Shutterstock)
Do you care about these issues? Consider joining IHC Global today.

Thank you for reading! We have a request for you since you care about these issues: consider becoming an IHC Global member or donating a financial gift.

IHC Global is fighting systemic inequality through equitable urban development centered around decent housing, healthcare, and social justice for all. We ask that you help us as we advance policies that make life more equitable and inclusive for all city dwellers.

Together, we can bring about the systemic change necessary to make cities more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable for all.