Quito, 24 February 2016 -- Representatives of the government of Ecuador, members of diplomatic corps accredited in this country, academia and civil society organizations gathered in the Chapel of Man, Quito, for a meeting to update themselves on the preparation for Habitat III, which will be held there in October this year. Minister of Housing and Urban Development of Ecuador, Maria de los Angeles Duarte, said that before the Habitat III Conference there will be the Second National Urban Forum and the International Competition: "Challenges of Popular Habitat in Contemporary Global South" where university students from various countries can participate and propose sustainable architectural projects.
"The focus will be on settlements in risk areas near the Tungurahua volcano, housing solutions in marginal urban areas in Guayaquil and mangrove ecosystems of the Gulf of this city." The minister added that it is a huge challenge for Quito, which must receive more than 30,000 visitors. "We must be prepared to show in four days what the country and the city makes on urban development", she added. Habitat III will be between 17 and 20 October this year. The conference venue is the Casa de la Cultura Ecuatoriana and other activities will be held in the park El Arbolito. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Human Mobility of Ecuador, Ricardo Patiño, said that Habitat III will have as main objective the approval of a New Urban Agenda, setting out responses to the major challenges of the cities in the future. "It is interesting to boost New Agenda Urbana. It is absolutely necessary; we plan it, organize it and develop it so that we are not only specific cities but truly humanized cities. We have to learn to live together and understand life in community, “he said
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http://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad/quito-habitatiii-onu-ciudadessostenibles.html
http://www.elcomercio.com/actualidad/ministros-agenda-habitat-sobrepoblacion-vivienda.html