Through the course of reading, researching and writing for this blog, I’ve come to realise that nature-societal relations, though not explicitly mentioned in formal documents or policymaking, are the foci of urban planning and an integral form of Rio’s global significance. However difficult it may be to appease everyone with the right policy, it has…
The future of Berlin: A summary
This series of posts have explored a number of urban issues through a UPE lens, including studying the metabolism of waste and water. Berlin’s aims to configure this metabolism to be as circular as possible shows their strong ambition and forward-thinking outlook to promote sustainability. Although I didn’t explore this idea in the posts, Berlin’s…
Rio’s infrastructural abnormality and the case of COVID-19
The coronavirus pandemic has revealed the extent of Rio’s deeply embedded socio-political problems. Initially, COVID-19 was thought of as a disease affecting only those in the asphalt, emphasising the stark contrast between cariocas who could afford to travel and live luxurious lives to those living in the hill. However, coronavirus does not discriminate against a…
Berlin’s approach to the coronavirus pandemic
The Daily Mail referred to Berlin’s successful approach to tackling the spread of coronavirus by exposing London’s death rate to be 15 times higher than Berlin [1]. Not only does this alarming fact expose the weakness of London’s approach, but it also conveys the effectiveness of Berlin’s responses to the pandemic. It also conveys the…
How food and sustainability is being reimagined in Rio
By living in a major urban centre, the cariocas have effectively distanced themselves from greenery and vegetation. Despite Rio’s geography of mountainous regions brimming with foliage and plant life, the cariocas‘ lack of everyday experiences with greenery suggest that interaction with nature is a scarcity for those in both the hills and asphalt (Guayasamín et…
‘Fuel for Thought’ – is banning diesel cars the way forward for Berlin?
Berlin is the dirtiest city in Germany in terms of air quality. The height of its particulate matter figures can exceed 20 to 40 times the EU’s maximum thresholds [1]. The realisation of these alarming figures was accelerated by the Dieselgate scandal, which exposed diesel cars as one of the key contributors to the city’s…
The natural swimming pool: ‘Flussbad Berlin’
Back in the nineteenth century, Berlin was known for its swimming spots along the canals of the River Spree. However, due to sewage overflows during periods of heavy rainfall, the Spree canal is now a stretch of murky water, and anyone who would consider swimming in it would simply put themselves at risk of illness….
Montreal’s efforts to protect its environment for the benefit of Montrealers
Its urban form, its inhabitants’ way of life, or the abundance of surrounding resources explain the bad result of Montreal in term of ecological impact. Montreal would gain to make efforts in this domain and we saw that it has started to do some. As Montrealers form an ecosystem with their environment, their negative impact…
Montreal’s public transports: a new dynamic after a long stagnation
Montreal is a North American city with wide spread out suburbs. Even if it has a quite developed public transport network with hundreds of bus lines, 4 subway lines and 6 commuter train lines, it cannot properly serve all the metropolis. On the following graphs we see what share of people going to work uses…
Coronavirus and the Township Timebomb
Michael Gove claimed the “virus does not discriminate”. This may be true for the disease itself, but not only is the risk of contracting it disproportionate, the ability to recover from coronavirus is uneven. At the time of writing this blog, Cape Town had 256 cases of COVID 19, with figures likely to accelerate despite…
Urban Political Ecology UCL 