Blog - Fab City Montréal

Solidança, a social initiative for the reuse of electronic devices in Catalonia

By Laura Espiau Guarner|2023-09-11T03:58:50-04:0011 September 2023|Technologie|

Sometimes we equate digital with immaterial but that’s far from being the case. The ‘new technologies’ sector is not just about services: it contributes significantly to a growing stream of Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). According to the third (and most recent) United Nations Global E-Waste Monitor study, in 2019 a record 53.6 million tons of electronic waste was reached, representing a 21% increase in just five years. Less than a fifth of it is properly managed for reuse or recycle.

The ‘last-mile’ linking Malmö and Montréal

By Laura Espiau Guarner|2023-09-04T04:35:31-04:004 September 2023|Economy|

Earlier this summer we were discussing what in urban logistics is known as the ‘last mile’, the final stretch of the transport of goods. We saw how your online shopping (and those of thousands or millions of your neighbours) had disastrous environmental and social effects: from skyrocketed traffic carbon emissions to further precarious working conditions in the ‘gig economy’ delivery culture.

The minga, a pre-Columbian form of sharing economy (of our days)

By Laura Espiau Guarner|2023-08-28T03:52:50-04:0028 August 2023|Economy|

Long before AirBnB, Uber and other flagships enterprises of the so-called ‘sharing economy’ (what’s actually being shared with, and by whom, is another discussion), pre-Columbian Inca civilizations were putting in practice the minka philosophy of communal work and living together.

Chief Heat Officers in cities: new challenges, new job descriptions

By Laura Espiau Guarner|2023-08-21T04:14:27-04:0021 August 2023|Cities|

Until recently one of the most overseen effects of climate change, heatwaves make it now to the headlines as they hit hard some European and North American regions since the last few years – although the rising temperatures have been a reality for many for decades. Indeed, this last month of July has marked the hottest two weeks on record in human history.

Sustainable tourism: unavoidable oxymoron?

By Laura Espiau Guarner|2023-08-11T15:13:47-04:0014 August 2023|Ecology|

No matter how many ‘back to school’ ads pop around (and one tries to ignore), mid August is still summer. Which means holiday travelling for many, myself included. Sometimes I feel a sort of hopelessness when walking through certain old towns in certain cities, or visiting some coastal areas. Everything seems so prepared to be ‘locally’ authentic (paella, sangria, amigo) that it looks fake, and the number of tourists is inversely proportional to the locals', who are conspicuous by their absence.