Globular Perspective ~ Alt View of South America!

MapPorn spots South America in globular perspective, published as a foldout supplement from the December 1937 issue of Fortune magazine!  Be sure to click through to the full-size, hi-res map!

Torre David ~ Skyscraper Squat in Caracas, VE

Thanks to my MIT colleague Caleb Harper for spotlighting Torre David, an abandoned and unfinished 45-story skyscraper in Caracas, Venezuela which has been taken over by 2,500 locals (some 750+ families) who now call it home. While some might be dismayed by the seemingly anarchistic nature of extra-legal squatter invasions and often hazardous conditions of the building, I especially appreciate the emergent, bottom-up solutions and DIY creativity the residents exhibit, building everything from their own private spaces, to shared-use commons and stores, to essential infrastructure and security. In their NYTimes piece and related video Squatters on the Skyline, Simon Romero and Maria Eugenia Diaz write A 45-Story Walkup Beckons the Desperate...

"The office tower, one of Latin America’s tallest skyscrapers, was meant to be an emblem of Venezuela’s entrepreneurial mettle. But that era is gone. Now, with more than 2,500 squatters making it their home, the building symbolizes something else entirely in this city’s center. The squatters live in the uncompleted high-rise, which lacks several basic amenities like an elevator. [...] Once one of Latin America’s most developed cities, Caracas now grapples with an acute housing shortage. [...] Private construction of housing here has virtually ground to a halt because of fears of government expropriation. The government, hobbled by inefficiency, has built little housing of its own for the poor. [But] strivers abound in the skyscraper. They chafe at being called “invaders,” the term here for squatters, preferring the less contentious word “neighbor.” A beauty salon operates on one floor. On another, an unlicensed dentist applies the brightly colored braces that are the rage in Caracas street fashion. Almost every floor has a small bodega. [...] “There’s opportunity in this tower."

Also check out Torre David documentary trailer... Caleb's asking the fascinating question "What if we built such towers intentionally with adequate but affordable infrastructure and amenities?" Addendum: AmusingPlanet's Kaushik revisits Torre David.

Bottle Bag ~ Coca Cola Icon Reinterpreted!

Coca Cola creates iconic Bottle Bag for Central America...

Chosen Vessel ~ Amazon River Hospital Ship...

The Guardian spots Peruvian Amazon's floating hospital...

"The Chosen Vessel, run by NGO Project Amazonas, provides medical services to the remote villages of the Peruvian Amazon. There is an on-board doctor and dentist, and free reading glasses are given to those who need them. The boat hospital has treated 200,000 people in the 16 years it has been sailing on the river."

Reminds me of Mercy Ships and the Phelophepa.

Lovely Rio ~ Spotlights on Brazil's Blessed City!

Nice to see the latest National Geographic piece on Brazil's Rio de Janeiro by Antonio Regalado with photos by David Alan Harvey...

And here's an earlier lovely photo by Ignazio Sciacca...

Here's related video nugget about Rio's Operations Center... Finally, another promo piece on Rio from IBM...

Ancient Climate Change ~ Modeling Mayan Times

LiveScience spotlights NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies climatologist Benjamin Cook whose team computer modeled forest-clearing by ancient Mayans and its effect on climate...

Vertical Gyms ~ Space-Saving Caracas Amenities

BBC shows Vertical gyms solve Caracas slum space shortage...

"Space is at a premium in the slums of Caracas and sports facilities are few and far between. So architects at the Urban Think Tank decided to save space by building vertical gyms that rise above the surrounding buildings. This one is planned for Los Teques, on the southern edge of Caracas."

MIT Development Ventures 2011 ~ Final Projects

Fantastic to have final presentations this morning in our emerging market innovations class, MIT Development Ventures! 2011 is the 11th year Professor Alex (Sandy) Pentland and I have run this entrepreneurial action lab! Nearly three- dozen new venture concepts this year, including both for- and non-profit, across multiple sectors including health, energy, education, commerce, and civic. In reverse order of presentation, we have (plus start geo-locations)...

• GoGlobal ~ Startup Network (China, Africa, Americas)
• CharityFunds ~ Giving Portfolios (Global)
• Corruption Beacon ~ Civic Rights Media (Africa)
• Luma Light ~ Off-Grid Electricity (Africa)
• Roti ~ Affordable Foods (India)
• FarmDoctor ~ Mobile Vet Services (Africa)
• GreenRide ~ Delivery Network (Americas)
• LaborBand ~ Maternal Health Monitor (Global)
• Ubuntu Financial ~ SME Bonds (Africa)
• Essmart ~ Essential Retail (India)
• Healthy Hearts ~ Lifestyle Change (India)
• coursehound ~ Kayak for Courses (Americas)
• Educate Lanka ~ Diaspora Edu Net (South Asia)
• Group-Aid ~ Commerce Tithing (Americas)
• MedSight ~ MD Skillsharing (Americas)
• APS ~ Affordable Private Schools (India)
• Mamasanas ~ Maternal Health Tools (Latin)
• Llifelog ~ Info Exchange (Americas)
• ReciclaJusto ~ Wastepicker Tools (Latin)
• Real Life Transitions ~ Career Education (Americas)
• WeCyclers ~ Recycling Info Tools (Africa)
• Sundry Fruits ~ Food Processing (Africa)
• Baby Circle ~ Parenting Network (China)
• E-Stops ~ Transport Informatics (Africa)
• True Africa ~ Mobilized Yelp (Africa)
• AgilAgro ~ Farmer Tech (Latin)
• Billion Entrepreneurs ~ Talent Market (Brazil, India)
• My Free City ~ Urban Info (Global)
• The Matatu Project ~ Transit (Africa)
• Urban Launchpad ~ Informatics (Asia)
• RemitWise ~ Money Tracking (ASEAN)
• Digital DNA ~ Health Info (India)
• MobileConnect ~ Yelp for Emerging Mkts (Global)
  

Most of these have app prototypes, websites, exploratory field-research plans, trial-runs, and substantive action-plans going forward!

A Different Future ~ PETISOS w/ Bariloche Kids

CNN's Brittany Stahl shares the heroic story of Elena Durón Miranda and her PETISOS colleagues Rescuing children from a trash dump...

"...children as young as 3 years old rummage through a trash dump for food and valuable materials. [...] many children in Bariloche, a popular city for skiers and tourists in southern Argentina, drop out of school and spend their lives working at the dump. Determined to restore their dignity, Durón Miranda decided to stay in the country and start a nonprofit called PETISOS, which stands for Prevención y Erradicación del Trabajo Infantil SOS -- Prevention and Eradication of Child Labor SOS. The organization aims to provide children with free education and extracurricular programs so they have an alternative to working. [...] "All parents want a better life for their children than what they had," Durón Miranda said. "However, there are times when their situation is so precarious they have no other way out but for the whole family to work and try to make ends meet." [...the parents] realize we're concerned about the children. We give them an incentive to have a better future, a different future."

Dangerous Passage ~ Mexico's Migrant Gauntlet

Nicholas Casey writes in the WSJournal about the horrors as Migrants Fall Prey to Mexican Gangs on Way to the U.S...

"Kidnapping Central American and Mexican immigrants is one of the latest rackets of Mexican organized-crime groups, which are expanding beyond drugs into pirated DVDs, illegal alcohol sales and business extortion. Just this year, more than 4,000 immigrants have been rescued by the Mexican army and federal police from their captors, according to government statistics. Because authorities say only a fraction of those kidnapped are ever rescued, the figures suggest that gangs kidnap tens of thousands of migrants each year. The victims, almost always headed to the U.S., are captured by gangs where they are ransomed back to relatives, forcibly recruited as workers or sometimes sold into prostitution."

This is seriously not good. Migrants are among the most vulnerable and yet ambitious of humanity and deserve special favor and protection. We ought to do and be better here.

Latin Singapore = Panama + Edu + Transparency

The Economist spotlights Panama's geography, politics, society, and economy in A Singapore for Central America?

"Latin America’s fastest-growing country has set its sights high. First it needs a government as impressive as its economy. [...] In one of the poorest parts of the Americas, somebody seems to have misplaced a chunk of Manhattan. The 50-storey skyscrapers of Panama City jut out of the jungle like nowhere else in low-rise Central America. Panama’s smart banks, open economy and long queues of boats at its ports have caused many to compare it to Singapore, another steamy success story. Panama’s president, Ricardo Martinelli, made his country’s first state visit there in 2010 and later said, “We copy a lot from Singapore and we need to copy more.” [...] Panama will soon overtake Costa Rica and Venezuela in GDP per head. Accounting for purchasing power, it is one of the five richest countries in mainland Latin America. [But] the “Latin Singapore” remains deeply un-Singaporean in two more ways. One is education, where Panama’s spending has not yielded good results. [...] More serious are weak institutions. Singapore is reckoned one of the world’s least corrupt countries. Panama, in contrast, is not even the cleanest in Central America, according to Transparency International, a pressure group. [Punchline?] The biggest long-term worry is that the Panama Canal Authority, an autonomous state agency admired for its efficient operation, could be captured by the government and run as a short-term cash-cow. Pemex, Mexico’s creaking state-owned oil monopoly, is sometimes cited as a cautionary tale. Unless Panama cleans up its government, it runs the risk of becoming the next Mexico rather than the next Singapore."

Well now! I'd love to see Panama wear its rightful laurels as a top Latin entrepôt -- and to be more connected and engaged with neighbors Costa Rica and Colombia and beyond. Will the leadership do what it takes to be First World instead of Third?

Fire Engine Reuse ~ Dutch Refurb & Resellers...

Ever wonder what happens to the red fire engine upon retirement?

"Most decommissioned fire engines probably end up on the scrap heap. Some, however, are done up at companies like Ziegler Brandweertechniek in Winschotenand and sold on... Customers in Africa and South America usually buy the engines through agents. But recently, two firemen from Lomas de Zamora, in the Argentinian province of Buenos Aires, travelled all the way to the Netherlands to negotiate a deal. "I feel like I am in Disneyland," said one when he saw a Volvo being repaired. According to fire chief Daniel Vicente, after an extensive inspection of two Merecedes-Benz engines with less than 30,000 km on the clock, the two Argentinians agreed: "We are buying!"

Interoceanic Highway ~ Linking Peru and Brazil...

Quite interesting to read Steven Bodzin's piece in the CSMonitor on Peru's new highway to the future...

"After decades of delay, Peru is on the verge of completing the $2.75 billion Interoceanic Highway connecting [...] Brazil to the west coast. [Millions of] Brazilians and Peruvians will see their lives change radically once they live along the continent’s first true transcontinental highway. [...] The last major link in the Interoceanic Highway, a bridge over the Madre de Dios river 143 miles away, is set to open this month. The last rivet in the bridge will be like the golden spike which, in 1869, completed North America’s first transcontinental railroad. There is a road connecting Argentina to Chile, and a roundabout route through Bolivia. But this is the first two-lane, year-round highway across the continent's waist, from the Amazon directly to the Pacific. From Sao Paulo, near the Atlantic, the highway traverses 2,439 miles of Brazil, crossing coastal hills, soy-farming plains, and the cattle pastures where Amazon rain forest once stood. At last [...] it crosses the Acre River into Peru."

This is as big a deal as the Trans-Siberian Railway or the US Interstate Highways. I hope it's followed with railway infrastructure investments too. And by a renewed emphasis on other links, including finishing the Darién Gap in the Pan-American Highway.

Buses of Bogotá ~ TransMilenio Urban Solutions!

Excellent to again emphasize NYTimes spotlight of the TransMilenio Buses of Bogotá...

Bogotá ~ Building a Sustainable Future City...

Bogotá: Building a Sustainable City in Colombia on Hulu...

MIT Latin American Conference ~ Sat 4/2/2011

The 14th Annual MIT Latin America Conference is happening this Saturday April 2nd, 2011 at MIT in our Wong Auditorium at MIT Sloan School around the theme of From Potential to Reality. Compelling panels including Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Politics, and Leadership. Great guest speakers!

Echoing Green 2011 ~ Two MIT DV Alumco's...

Excellent to see all the Echoing Green Finalists 2011, but especially our MIT Development Ventures alums David Auerbach and Ani Vallabhaneni working on Sanergy, green technologies in Kenya and Javier Lozano working on Clínicas del Azúcar (CDA), health solutions in Mexico!

Cuba Empresarial ~ Decriminalizing Capitalism...

Victoria Burnett writes in the NYTimes that In a Shift, Cubans Savor Working for Themselves...

"Eagerly, warily, Cubans are taking up the government’s offer to work for themselves, selling coffee in their front yards, renting out houses, making rattan furniture and hawking everything from bootleg DVDs to Silly Bandz and homemade wine. Hoping to resuscitate Cuba’s crippled economy, President Raúl Castro opened the door to a new, if limited, generation of entrepreneurs last year [...] Streets once devoid of commerce in towns like this and in Havana are gradually coming to life as people hang painted signs and bright awnings outside their houses and mount roadside stalls. An electronics engineer, who for years operated in the shadows, now publishes leaflets that claim he can mend every appliance under the sun. A practitioner of Santería sells beaded necklaces, ground sardines and toasted corn used in ceremonies at the tin-roofed shop in her yard. Ms. Álvarez and her husband, Ivan Barroso, took out a license for the cafe and another to sell meat and fish. Now the couple does a brisk business serving soft white rolls filled with garlicky pork and fresh tuna for 60 cents at a wooden counter in the gateway of their house.[...] “If you have the ability, the dedication to achieve something, you should enjoy it,” said Mr. Barroso, who until November sold fish and pork without a license to a close circle of friends and clients."

How exciting is that! Cuba empresarial!

Ciudad Modelo ~ New Honduran Charter City?

Exciting to read David Wessel's piece in the WSJournal, The Quest for a 'Charter City' about the Honduran moves to enable and initiate a new kind of economic empowerment zone...

"For the past couple of years, economist Paul Romer has been hopscotching the globe looking for a country desperate enough to try his audacious notion: Start a new "charter city," an enclave free of old laws and practices [...] Honduras is interested. Two weeks ago, with only one "no," its Congress voted to amend the constitution to allow for a ciudad modelo. [...] To create jobs to lift millions out of poverty, take an uninhabited 1,000 square-kilometer tract (386 square miles), about the size of Hong Kong, preferably government-owned. Write a charter: the all-important rules. Allow anyone to move in or out. Invite foreign investors to build infrastructure for profit. And sign a treaty with a well-governed country, say Norway or Canada, to serve as "guarantor" to assure investors and residents that the charter will be respected, much as the British once did for Hong Kong, and -- with some oversight from the Honduran Congress -- govern the city."

Bold idea! Read more at Charter Cities. And see more from WSJ...

Microfinance, Macrostruggle ~ Political Backlash

Microlenders, Honored With Nobel, Are Struggling writes Vikas Bajaj in the NYTimes...

"...microloans have prompted political hostility in Bangladesh, India, Nicaragua and other developing countries. In December, the prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheik Hasina Wazed, who had championed microloans alongside President Clinton at talks in Washington in 1997, turned her back on them. She said microlenders were “sucking blood from the poor in the name of poverty alleviation,” and she ordered an investigation into Grameen Bank, which had pioneered microcredit and, with its founder, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. Here in India, until recently home to the world’s fastest-growing microcredit businesses, lending has slowed sharply since the state with the most microloans adopted a strict law restricting lending. In Nicaragua, Pakistan and Bolivia, activists and politicians have urged borrowers not to repay their loans. The hostility toward microfinance is a sharp reversal from the praise and good will that politicians, social workers and bankers showered on the sector in the last decade."

Let's hope extortionist neo-socialist politicians don't screw things up even further.