Facing Risk. New Urban Resilience Practices in Latin America

In Latin America and the Caribbean, exposure to disasters has intensified considerably in recent decades. The increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme natural events, largely driven by the effects of climate change, as well as by the impact of human activity on environmental dynamics, accentuate the conditions of vulnerability. This is especially problematic in sectors of socially excluded populations. In this context, CAF through the Cities with Future initiative and the Observatory on Latin America (ola) of The New School, join efforts to disseminate knowledge of resilient practices in the region and offer urban management alternatives that strengthen the responsiveness of Latin American cities to events that challenge local sustainability. This publication offers a contextual analysis of six urban management experiences that have integrated disaster management policies to reduce the conditions of vulnerability and contribute to the sustainable and resilient development of the territories. The cases of Manizales, in Colombia, La Paz, in Bolivia, Cuenca, in Ecuador, Santa Fe and Pilar in Argentina, and Cubatão in Brazil, describe different problems and institutional approaches to resilience management, as well as lessons derived from its implementation and recommendations to optimize their impact on society.