Aligning Long-Term Needs for Climate Action with a Better Life Today

Discussion questions

What stands out to you about this story?
Are there people in your city who think that changes for climate adaptation are going to undermine their daily quality of life? What arguments do they make?
How can something as simple as planting trees make a city both more sustainable and more equitable?

Bio

Ramon Marrades, Economist; Director, Placemaking Europe; Founder, Vigla

Section 1 - Essential Insights

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People are not the Slum, the System is the Slum

Discussion questions

What stands out to you about this insight?

Can you think of a time when you made assumptions about a person’s cognitive abilities based on their appearance?

Somsook Boonyabancha, is Chairperson, Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR), a regional network of grassroots community organizations, NGO’s and professionals actively involved with urban poor development processes in Asian cities; former Director of the Community Organization Development Institute (CODI); Chairperson, of the Baan Mankong Program Committee.

Boonyabancha has been working and facilitating sustainable, equitable collective housing development and slum upgrading in Thailand and other Asian countries for 30 years – specializing in community-led initiatives. As director of CODI, she fostered a “city-wide” approach to community upgrading that has been replicated in cities across Thailand. She is based in Bangkok, Thailand.

Based in Bangkok, Thailand.

:33

He Who Wears the Shoe

Discussion questions

Educational materials in development. Contact us if you are interested in being a partner (equityproject@ISUH.org).

Bio

Educational materials in development. Contact us if you are interested in being a partner (equityproject@ISUH.org).

0:38

Not Short of Ideas

1:21

The 15 Minute City

Discussion questions

Do you agree that it is important for people to be able to walk to all the services they need within 15 minutes, why or why not?

Think of a neighborhood that does not have a robust street life, and another that does. Compare them. Why is one lively and the other not? What are the benefits or downsides of each? What is the difference between those neighborhoods?

Bio

Ryan Smolar, Co-Founder, Long Beach Fresh Food Council; Initiator, US Placemaking

Ryan Smolar works with local communities and government in California to break down barriers to affordable healthy food and foster opportunities for community connection and new business development at the same time. He describes the power of food councils, and explores various initiatives and approaches that have yielded vibrant public spaces and projects that connect people through food.

Ryan is based in Long Beach, California, USA.

1:05

Co-Designing with Communities

Summary

Educational materials in development. Contact us if you are interested in being a partner (equityproject@ISUH.org).

Discussion questions

Educational materials in development. Contact us if you are interested in being a partner (equityproject@ISUH.org).

Bio

Educational materials in development. Contact us if you are interested in being a partner (equityproject@ISUH.org).

1:14

What I Learned from DoorDash

Discussion questions

Educational materials in development. Contact us if you are interested in being a partner (equityproject@ISUH.org).

Bio

Educational materials in development. Contact us if you are interested in being a partner (equityproject@ISUH.org).

1:42

Three Generations to Rise Out of Poverty

Discussion questions

What vulnerabilities can pull people back into poverty where you live?

What has your city done to help lift people out of poverty or what do you think could be done?

Bio

Bijal Brahmbhatt, Mahila Housing Trust

Bijal Brahmbhatt has spent three decades conceptualizing, planning, managing, and providing support for slum upgrading programs across India, with a focus on empowering women to advocate for themselves with local government in order to claim public goods and services central to their well-being. She works to improve living conditions, foster climate resilience and overall economic security, through socio-technical approaches. She is an expert in land tenure, housing finance, renewable energy issues, community development and is a trained engineer.