Central and South America

Following the surge of “pacifying” missions in many of Rio de Janeiro’s famed favelas, Forbes’ Ricardo Geromel discusses the arrival of private sector investments and how they may evolve in the future.

February 5, 2013 - Forbes

Chile's most influential newspaper makes urban issues accessible and interesting to millions by using 'human-scaled' and annotated panoramic photos in its local coverage.

February 3, 2013 - Urban Times

Jonathan Watts reports on the transformation of the Vidigal favela in Rio de Janeiro. With drug gangs kicked out, wealthy buyers have moved in, and rental prices have surged. But has the neighborhood changed for the better?

January 25, 2013 - The Guardian

Mexico City's emergence as a "commuter's paradise" due to a focus on people and places, rather than cars and driving, has earned the city this year's Sustainable Transport Award from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP).

January 18, 2013 - National Geographic

Over the next few decades, half of global economic growth is predicted to come from the slums of developing world cities. Gaia Vince believes the key to the coming urban revolution is how these shantytowns evolve.

January 16, 2013 - BBC

In this fascinating photo essay, Jordi Sanchez-Cuenca explores Mexico City's urban morphology. Seemingly every type of urban form known to man can be found within the Mexican capital's boundaries.

December 27, 2012 - POLIS

Flavie Halais cautions that urban development projects boosted by the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympic Games could threaten Rio de Janeiro's historic port.

December 23, 2012 - The Global Urbanist

An investigation by the New York Times, following up on earlier reporting, has unveiled Wal-Mart's widespread use of bribes to circumvent democratic governance and regulatory safeguards to construct controversial projects throughout Mexico.

December 18, 2012 - The New York Times

Paul Goldberger offers a remembrance of the "last lion" of Modernism - Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer - who passed away earlier this week at the age of 104.

December 9, 2012 - Vanity Fair

Brazil's legendary artist, who spanned the 20th century's major architectural movements with a timeless style that infused the geography and culture of his native country with European modernism died Wednesday at the age of 104.

December 6, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Simon Romero discusses how new development in Brazil's fastest growing region is depleting the world’s largest remaining area of tropical forest.

November 27, 2012 - The New York Times

Luis Alberto Moreno explores how Facebook and Twitter are improving cities in the developing world, as the governments of many Latin American municipalities take advantage of the explosive growth of social media to engage with citizens.

November 14, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Planning policies related to the economy and environment are easier to measure, but Hazel Borys asks, "how do we measure national happiness, well-being, and social capital as they relate to the way we plan our neighborhoods, towns and cities?”

November 8, 2012 - Better Cities & Towns

A new skyscraper is set to grace skies over Bogota, Colombia. Instead of one wealthy developer, the tower is being funded by thousands of people, each with their own stake in the property.

October 5, 2012 - Fast Company

An experimental plan to build a new charter city for 10 million people in Honduras has lost a key element, its expected chairman and chief founder, Paul Romer.

October 2, 2012 - The New York Times

Despite billions of dollars in reconstruction aid, with no overarching housing policy, Haiti's recovery from a devastating earthquake in 2010 has become a protracted humanitarian crisis, especially for hundreds of thousands remaining in tent cities.

August 20, 2012 - The New York Times

As the world turned its attention Sunday from London to Rio, host of the next Summer Olympics, Theresa Williamson and Mauricio Hora penned an op-ed for The New York Times arguing how the city's preparations are threatening its history.

August 14, 2012 - The New York Times

From Buenos Aires, to Mexico City, to Bogota, cities across Latin America are embracing the bicycle. Across Central and South America, bike lane miles and the numbers of bicycles on the streets are on the rise.

August 11, 2012 - The Wall Street Journal

Representing the Global Cities Initiative, Richard M. Daley and Bruce Katz report on the current status of Miami's economy and offer tips they deem necessary to boost the regional economy into true "global" status.

July 18, 2012 - The Miami Herald

Michael Kimmelman reports on the strong ties that exist between the economic and social well-being of a city and its architecture, infrastructure and public spaces, as evinced in Bogotá, Colombia.

July 14, 2012 - The New York Times