Housing is a major challenge because it is the point of entry for economic, social, and cultural inclusion. It must be intrinsically sustainable, which means it must be constructed in such a way as to provide stability and dependable living conditions for the long-term. » Christophe Lalande, Housing Unit Leader at UN-Habitat « developing many sustainable construction projects, including the distribution of a dedicated guide. As a result, projects are flourishing. That includes The Fynbos, the first biophilic apartment block in Africa, due to be completed by late 2024. Its objective is to create an authentic natural environment within an urban context by relying on the natural properties of plants and air and light circulation. Equally sustainable, and accessible to low-income groups, is the Sandbag Houses project by MMA Architects. The project involved the use of sandbags, locally sourced material and the manpower of future inhabitants, and led to the creation of 10 houses with a sale price of just over $5,000 each. The model city is no longer a utopia The city of Curitiba, Brazil, has been committed to environmentally friendly policies since the 1980s. This city of two million inhabitants has long been considered ahead of its time and is often referred to as ’Cidade Modelo da América Latina’ (‘the Model City of Latin America’). The city sorts 70% of its waste through an ingenious exchange system that allows residents to swap garbage for baskets of vegetables or bus tickets. Curitiba has also planted over a million trees along the edges of its highways and has created more and more green spaces – totaling 60 m2 per inhabitant. All these results are very encouraging. To construct or modernize cities capable of offering citizens better living conditions – ensuring the preservation of social cohesion – there must be innovation in construction projects. That is the case whether they are individual houses, apartment blocks or public buildings. This transformation of urban areas must also encourage inclusiveness, ensuring everyone not only has access to housing, but also to healthcare, employment, and public services. Cities redesigned in a sustainable way represent an investment in the future for urban centers that are safer, more affordable, more humane, better for inhabitants’ wellbeing and with a less harmful environmental impact. 16 SAINT-GOBAIN
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