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In This Update:
More Than Half of Residents in Mumbai Slums Exposed to COVID-19
UN-Habitat Launches Interactive Map of COVID-19 Best Practice Solutions in Slums
Policy Implications of COVID-19 for African Cities
Radical Tenure Insecurity Underpins Property Rights in Lagos Across Socioeconomic Classes
Food Insecurity Rises in Urban Africa
In Philadelphia, Health of Black Residents Disproportionately Affected by Pollution
IHC Global Spotlight Event
In the News And Around the Web
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More Than Half of Residents in Mumbai Slums Exposed to Coronavirus
More than half of the residents in three Mumbai slums tested positive for coronavirus antibodies according to a survey by the city, government think-tank Niti Aayog, and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. The city surveyed the Chembur, Matunga, and Dahisar slums, home to approximately 1.5 million people who live in overcrowded spaces, lack access to safe water and sanitation, and share basic facilities such as toilets among large numbers of people. These conditions make residents more vulnerable to COVID-19 as they are unable to socially distance or practice handwashing. The results from the study increased the citywide infection rate, but also lowered its death rate, as it was found many that tested positive survived with little or no symptoms.
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UN-Habitat Launches Interactive Map of COVID-19 Best Practice Solutions in Slums
This week, the UN-Habitat Participatory Slum Upgrading Program (PSUP) published the Interactive Project Map with the University Politecnico di Torino and partner countries. The map features twenty-nine COVID-19 local best practice from slums in fourteen countries around the world. PSUP slum upgrading expert Leila Khaldi explained: "The best COVID-19 responses for informal settlements often come from their own residents...they know what is needed and what can be quickly put into practice with manageable resources."
Examples include a project in Kibera, Kenya where HIV-positive women produce bottles for hand disinfectants and protective masks and a project in Dharavi, India to provide emergency cash transfers and daily food supplies.
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Policy Implications of COVID-19 for African Cities
In an interview with Judd Devermont of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, World Bank economists Somik Lall and Sameh Wahba explored the policy implications of COVID-19 in African cities. According to Lall and Wahba, research shows that the quality of urban life which includes housing, access to water and sanitation, and public space, rather than population density, makes areas more vulnerable to contagion. This idea underlay research the World Bank began in March to identify possible virus hotspots in African cities like Nairobi, Kinshasa, and Accra to help African policymakers determine resource priorities. Lall and Wahba offer several recommendations including improving slums, regularizing land tenure, and expanding and improving safety nets.
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Radical Tenure Insecurity Underpins Property Rights in Lagos Across Socioeconomic Classes
Radical tenure insecurity underpins property rights in Lagos regardless of socioeconomic class, according to researchers Tom Goodfellow and Olly Owen. Goodfellow and Owen describe "radical insecurity," or a permanent sense of uncertainty and unpredictability felt by most Lagosians including poor, middle class, and wealthy elites. The authors say radical insecurity has intensified since 2016 when the Lagos state government began to prioritize real estate over its residents. They conclude property rights in Lagos are dynamic, rather than static in nature and their realization requires labor on multiple fronts including payments, documents, and social relations.
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Food Insecurity Rises in Urban Africa
A report by the Southern Africa Development Community found that over 44 million people across urban and rural areas in Southern Africa are food insecure. The report found food insecurity in the region increased by 10% since last year. Researchers partially attributed the increase to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns which have disrupted food supply chains and limited the ability of governments to purchase and move enough food from rural areas to the city. Urban poor who rely on access to the market and on day-to-day income to purchase food have suffered as lockdowns closed public spaces and the impaired ability of many who work in the informal sector and cash economy to earn money to buy food.
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In Philadelphia, Health of Black Residents Disproportionately Affected by Pollution
At The New York Times, Linda Villarosa details how emissions from the former Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery disproportionately affected the health of residents in majority-Black neighborhoods. In these areas, asthma, heart disease, and cancer have proliferated while the death rate from COVID-19 is 50% higher for Black residents than for white residents. Environmental health and engineering professor Peter DeCarlo explained: "The refinery sits very close to a densely populated area. If a refinery were trying to get a permit to operate where it is currently... it would never be given." PES declared bankruptcy earlier this year following a refinery explosion last year.
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IHC Global Spotlight Event
Smart City Training Series:
How to Ensure Gender Inclusion for Smart City Services
Thursday, August 6, 2020
6:30 AM EDT/12:30 PM CET
Online
United Nations Development Program
Global Center for Technology, Innovation, and Sustainable Development
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Technology is not neutral. There is a growing gender digital divide, particularly in developing countries, that needs to be bridged for women to gain equal access to and ownership of digital tools and services. The webinar will offer insight on how to provide gender-inclusive smart city services. Speakers include
IHC Global Program and Coordinator Natalie Gill, G
erman Agency for International Cooperation Sustainability Mobility Advisor Verena Flues, and
UNDP Global Centre for Technology, Innovation, and Sustainable Development Elba Fuster Figuerola
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In The News and Around the Web
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Hong Kong Institutes COVID-19 Restaurant Ban: A restaurant ban will make life difficult for hundreds of thousands in Hong Kong who live in subdivided and shared apartments without access to kitchen facilities.
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Devex Interviews Habitat for Humanity CEO:
Habitat for Humanity International CEO Jonathan Reckford spoke with Devex President and Editor in Chief Raj Kumar about global housing and COVID-19.
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Africa Nears One Million Coronavirus Cases:
Cases have nearly doubled over the past three weeks.
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In Hong Kong, a COVID-19 restaurant ban will make life difficult for hundreds of thousands of people who live without access to a kitchen or share crowded facilities with other residents. (Anthony Kwan/Getty Images)
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Thank you for reading! We have a request for you since you care about these issues: Please support IHC Global's fight against inequality through equitable urban development. New approaches to housing, healthcare, and justice are necessary for systemic change. We are working on all fronts to advance these critical changes. Any amount will make a difference. We thank you for your support!
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