English + Español
Fina Rojas lives in the 19 de Abril at Petare, the densest and one of the largest self-produced neighborhoods in Latin America. Most researchers and policymakers define self-produced neighborhoods as “informal settlements.” However, these settlements occur from…
The voices of young males yelling the destination of their combis woke me up early every morning while I lived in La Paz (Bolivia) for a couple of months in the mid-1990s. I did not need an alarm clock. These people yelled in loud voices to inform prospective passengers…
English + Español
Passengers scramble for buses in Bogotá and climb aboard the speedy but crowded public transport system that traverses this sprawling city of seven million people, the capital of Colombia. Cyclists whiz by in designated lanes and taxis move from here to there in what seem…
English + Español
I can’t get the image out of my mind. A teenager dressed in her school uniform perched on a Metro turnstile and looked out at the crowd, projecting the proud attitude that she could…
Former Mexican Senator Citlalli Hernández, who at the time had just been elected as a local congressperson, was protesting the construction of a .06 mile highway underpass in Mexico City with some of her constituents. Their concerns were environmental, notably the removal of nearly 1,700 trees…
English + Español
Friday, October 18, the date on which Santiago de Chile “exploded,” I couldn’t get back home on public transportation, as I usually do. The Santiago Metro, in response to the protests of students and other citizens against its fare increase, shut down at rush hour, which caused…
