Infrastructure

Tea, haircuts and fish bones: Letting the light into Pakistan

Stories from the field Author: Zofeen Ebrahim

For nearly a decade, chronic power shortages have hobbled Pakistan's economy. According to the World Bank, there are 144 million people without electricity or who endure lengthy blackouts. Now, while the government is investing heavily in coal, private investors are exploring renewable energy.


Designing Typhoon-Resilient Low Income Housing in Da Nang

Takeaways Author: ISET-International

Following several trainings at different districts in Da Nang city, the series of Technical Handbook on Design, Construction and Renovation of Typhoon-Resilient Low-Income Housing is finally out in both English and Vietnamese! This series is part of the Undertaking Feasibility Study for Scaling Up the Model of Storm Resistant Housing for a Resilience Da Nang project, which is implemented in 26 months, from 07/2015 to 09/2017.


What does it take to develop a community-based plan for climate change resilience with a bottom-up approach?

Stories from the field Author: Harsh Panchal

The increased emphasis on adaptation by several international agencies, like the United Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), has resulted in the active participation of the government and grassroots organisations in promoting adaptation. Though climate change has been in the spotlight for many years, it was not until recently that more emphasis was given to adaptation over mitigation. Being the need of the hour, adaptation, needs to replace the age-old "top-down" approach to mitigation with a community-based “bottom-up” approach.


With a touch of paint, India's women slum dwellers battle extreme heat

Stories from the field Author: Rina Chandran

As summer heat becomes unbearable, simple measures can help people cope better. Meenaben used to dread the onset of summer every year. Her small two-room home in a slum in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad would get so hot that she could not sit indoors for several hours in the day, even with a ceiling fan running. Two months ago, however, she agreed to try an experiment: A non-profit organisation that works in the Ramesh Dutt Colony where she lives, on the outskirts of the city, painted her tin roof with white reflective paint, to try to reduce the heat.