Robert Muggah, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio)
Up to 5,000 refugees flee hunger and chaos in Venezuela each day – a migrant crisis rivaling Syria’s. Most arrive to poor South American border cities that are dangerously unprepared for the influx.
For 40 years the author has argued that trains and trams are better than buses. New ‘trackless trams’, which take innovations from high speed rail and put them in a bus, have changed his mind.
Taking this step may improve the quality of life for vulnerable people and reduce the amount of air conditioning they use, making their neighborhoods less prone to power outages.
Turnbull put in place the City Deals program in 2015 - aiming to create better partnerships between all levels of government. Some projects are underway, but we need more than just partnerships.
Uncontrolled growth at the expense of the environment will severely exacerbate the impacts of climate change. As shown with tragic floods in India, our cities are not prepared for extreme events.