Car traffic in El Vado
The elevated number of cars that pass through the narrow uphill street of La Condamine—located in the heart of this neighborhood—sees over 7000 vehicles per day and has generated a conflictive area
Brief history review of El Vado
El Vado is a historical neighborhood in the city of Cuenca, marked by rural migration, economic marginalization in the 19th century, and limited urban infrastructure—including the absence of adequa
Ronny Zegarra: Urban reforestation for climate change - side effects
RonnyZPI am an environmental engineer with a profound interest on providing urban sustainability through the use of biotechnology. I currently research about air pollution in public health and its environmental factors related. My interest is focused on how to adopt greenery as air pollution mitigation strategy in developing cities of south America.
While making this briefly research about NOLA, I observed how air pollution has been historically related to a environmental injustice issue. An example of this is a 1960s study documenting asthma incidence among black communities due its near location to dumps, where subterranean burning happened commonly. This depicts the “southern pattern” in New Orleans, where African American were forced to reside in undesired areas subjected to frequent flooding, unhealthy air and noise levels, as well as unsanitary water and sewerage conditions. Morse (2008) describes Katrina as a turn point, where America’s attention on the enduring legacy of racial segregation and poverty were refocused. Local government remarked the necessity of green restoration in flooding areas, where most of segregated population lived in. Communities and foundations are also working together to sustain the urban landscape mainly for flood control. Therefore, I got interest on know how urban reforestation in NOLA was adopted as a tool for climate change adaptation but also in knowing how it acts as a pathway to reach environmental justice.
In 2010, artists and craftsmen-women who rent small local businesses, started an initiative against noise and air pollution resulting from excessive bus/car traffic.