In June, we once again participated in the Smart City Expo LATAM Congress 2025 in Puebla, under the theme “Creating Opportunities, Bridging Gaps.” The event invited us to rethink our cities in light of challenges facing our region, such as climate change, urbanization, and inequality.
Gabriela Arrastua, our director of operations at TECHO , participated in the panel “Sustainable Opportunities: Resilience, Naturalization, and Urban Adaptation,” where she shared how TECHO sustainable, community-based solutions to address the effects of climate change, which hit those living in low-income settlements the hardest.
"Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the regions most affected by climate change, not so much because of its physical exposure but because of inequalities."
In addition, together with the local TECHO team TECHO Puebla, we facilitated the workshop “Volunteering in Action: Youth Transforming Cities for Greater Equity,” where we invited participants to rethink the role of volunteering as a tool for active citizenship that seeks to transform realities through commitment and collective action.
During the panel discussion, Gabriella explained that at TECHO about climate resilience because climate change does not affect everyone equally. We talk about adapting, anticipating, and planning for recovery. Although we have been working in emergency contexts for more than 25 years, today that response is part of our daily work, especially since 7 out of 10 people living in settlements are near high-risk areas and are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In this context, it is essential to reflect on how to strengthen our support for communities that face these challenges every day.
"Climate change is already here; we're seeing its effects every day."
We continue to believe that a more just region is possible if we put at the center those who live there, think about it, and transform it every day.
Written by Lucía Carabelli