Central and South America

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

»

8 comments

Nature Gains Constitutional Rights in Ecuador

A new constitution has been approved in Ecuador, and among its amendments are specific articles that grant inalienable rights to nature.

30 September 2008 - 1:00pm

The New York Times

Former London Mayor to Advise Caracas

In an agreement with fellow socialist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, former London Mayor Ken Livingstone has accepted a position in Caracas to advise the city on improving its transportation and crime issues.

2 September 2008 - 6:00am

The Guardian

Ancient Cities Found in the Amazon

Anthropologists have discovered traces of highly organized and gridded cities in the Amazon rainforest dating back to the 1200s.

31 August 2008 - 1:00pm

National Geographic

Aztecs Were Early Urban Gardeners

Urban gardening is spreading to Mexico City, resurrecting an ancient history of growing produce in the city.

28 August 2008 - 9:00am

The Christian Science Monitor

Can the Colombian Renaissance Be Sustained?

Globalization has spurned a renaissance in the formerly crime-ridden Colombian city of Medellin. But some worry that the city's improvements may only be temporary.

13 July 2008 - 1:00pm

The Washington Post

Seizing Cattle to Fight Deforestation

As part of a new strategy to prevent deforestation in the Amazon, government officials in Brazil have begun seizing livestock that graze on illegal ranches.

28 June 2008 - 1:00pm

The New York Times

Urban Farms Create Flow of Food and Cash in Cuba

Urban farms in Cuba have proven successful at feeding the country and providing hundreds of thousands of jobs.

12 June 2008 - 6:00am

International Herald Tribune

Mapping Needed to Improve Slums

Understanding and improving the Brazilian informal settlements known as favelas will require more information about the slums -- especially in the field of mapping.

24 May 2008 - 7:00am

Harvard Design Magazine

'They Want to Make a Dam, and Now They Know They Shouldn't'

A group of Indians from the Amazon attacked a government engineer at a recent meeting where he was discussing a proposed hydroelectric dam on the Xingu River that could displace 15,000 indigenous people and destroy traditional fishing grounds.

23 May 2008 - 8:00am

Associated Press via National Geographic