Central and South America

Caracas, The City that Built Itself

Utopian modernism turned on its head in Caracas, where residents have made fifty-year-old superblock housing projects into the locus of sprawling improvised settlements.

14 May 2009 - 10:00am

Triple Canopy

Giving Nature Rights

This piece from Utne Reader looks at Ecuador's recent extension of inalienable rights to nature and why other countries should follow this lead.

13 May 2009 - 11:00am

Utne Reader

Bogotá, Champion of BRT

GOOD provides a glimpse of TransMilenio, a Colombian bus rapid transit system and shining example of BRT done right.

22 April 2009 - 12:00pm

GOOD Magazine

Sunning in the Slums

Taking a hint from heightened interest in Brazil's favelas, a German developer plans to build 10 villas in a Rio de Janeiro slum, which he'll market as the new tourist hotspot.

18 March 2009 - 10:00am

International Herald Tribune

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Brazilian City's Food Security Innovations End Hunger

As part of a special issue on food, Yes! Magazine profiles the Brazilian city of Belo, which has, by working with farmers and communities, put an end to hunger.

16 March 2009 - 7:00am

Yes! Magazine

Brazil Looks to Land Titles to Protect Amazon

A new plan is taking form in Brazil to regularize titles to rainforest land -- an effort the government hopes will fight deforestation.

28 February 2009 - 11:00am

The Economist

Niemeyer's Plan to Refresh Brasilia Meets Opposition

Architect Oscar Niemeyer has released plans to build new iconic buildings near the UNESCO-protected cultural and government center he designed in Brasilia 50 years ago. But locals have voiced opposition.

6 February 2009 - 5:00am

Associated Press

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1 comment

Improving Transit Efficiency The German Way

Traffic is a nightmare in Cali, Colombia, the Latin American country's third-largest city. But a massive redesign is taking place, with German transit efficiency guiding the way.

30 January 2009 - 5:00am

Der Spiegel

Landscape Architect of the Tropical

Landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, featured in a new exhibition in Rio de Janeiro, used the principles of cubism and abstraction to create modern landscapes using native tropical plants.

23 January 2009 - 8:00am

The New York Times

Preserving Cuba's Urban Quality

As U.S.-Cuba relations evolve with a new presidential administration, author Richard Louv argues that officials should be careful about relying on commerce to save the country's decaying urban areas without preserving them.

12 January 2009 - 10:00am

Citiwire

Rio's "Eco Barrier" Draws Fire

Plans to erect a concrete "eco barrier" around Rio's slum areas being heavily criticized by human rights activists and environmentalists.

6 January 2009 - 12:00pm

Guardian (UK)

Cuba Serves As Model For Urban Farming

With urban farms sprinkled throughout the island, Cuba is proving to be one of the world's most successful models of how to integrate agriculture into urban areas.

20 December 2008 - 5:00am

Reuters

Architects Still Find Work in Latin America

A South American building boom can be credited for the steady demand for projects by American architecture firms.

1 December 2008 - 1:00pm

Architectural Record

Tree Fungus In Your Tank

An organism discovered in the Patagonian rainforest produces a mixture of chemicals similar to diesel.

7 November 2008 - 5:00am

Guardian.co.uk

LA to TJ 2008 Mobile Conference: Moving Goods, People and Ideas

On the first day of summer, Saturday, June 21, 2008, sixty urban planners, environmentalists, public health experts, artists, and community activists boarded Amtrak’s Surfliner at Union Station to participate in a day long mobile conference between the cities of Los Angeles, CA and Tijuana, Baja California.

3 November 2008 - 5:00am

Shifting Sands

Demand for hotel construction in the Caribbean is fueling the destruction of sandy beaches, which are being hauled away by the truckload.

29 October 2008 - 5:00am

The Globe and Mail

Three Oil Producing Nations Impacted By Oil Price Plunge

Plunging oil prices are hitting three oil-producing countries the hardest: Venezuela, Iran, and Russia. This article looks at each of them and evaluates how they will fare if oil prices do not rise, including their relationships to the U.S.

24 October 2008 - 12:00pm

The New York Times

Amazon Dam Project Moves Ahead

As construction begins on two large dams in the Amazon, thousands of indigenous people grapple with the prospect of the coming flood and the loss of their land, while environmentalists continue to oppose the construction.

17 October 2008 - 5:00am

The Washington Post

Preserving Historic Centers and Local Populations

The historic centers and plazas of Latin American cities are often viewed as prime prospects for preservation in the hopes of increasing tourism. Often this preservation has a negative affect on locals, but things are beginning to change.

4 October 2008 - 11:00am

Land Lines, Lincoln Institute Of Land Policy

Removing Cars to Create Public Space

Cars dominate cities, especially in America. But as many cities in other countries have found, removing cars can turn busy streets into lively public places. Now the U.S. is starting to catch on.

2 October 2008 - 5:00am

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