Sustainable Cities, understood as a theoretical model and action plan that brings together in an integrated way the initiatives aimed at improving the quality of life, coexistence, sustainability, and the efficient management of services, innovating in materials, resources, and models.
The 2030 Agenda seeks, as outlined in objective 11, to make cities and human settlments inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. Cities are buzzing with ideas, commerce, culture, science, productivity, social development and so much more. In the best of cases, cities have allowed people to improve socially and economically. However, there are many problems associated to maintaining cities in a way that allows them to continue creating jobs and prosperity without putting pressure on the land, resources, and populations’ peaceful coexistence.
Latin American cities have not been characterized as being the result of meticulous urban planning. They have experienced exponential growth, making Latin America and the Carribean the second most urbanized region on the planet today (80% of urbanized populations with prospects of reaching 86% according to projections by the BID). This phenomenon demands that the region addresses in each city, with different emphasis, problems of socio’spatial segregation, quantitative and qualitative deficits of green and public spaces, waste management, housing and transport problems, incorporation new technologies, generation and provision of public goods, noise pollution, air quality, transparent and efficient management, participatory budgets, etc… It is, therefore, necessary to rethink our cities in such a way as for them to be sustainable (i) environmentally (ii) socially and simultaneously (ii) governable.