The National Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (Senacyt) and the Ministry of Housing and Territorial Planning (Miviot) organized the forum titled "Panama: Towards a Sustainable City," a space for exchange between researchers, technicians, and authorities to strengthen public policies for urban development. The activity was based on the Senacyt Policy Briefs initiative, a digital journal that will publish proposals from research groups based on systematic studies. Dr. Eduardo Ortega Barría emphasized that Sustainable Development Goal 11 is the roadmap for moving towards inclusive and resilient urban models.
During the event, the Vice Minister of Territorial Planning, Frank Osorio Abadía, highlighted that collaboration between scientific research and public management allows for more informed, fair, and durable territorial decisions. Meanwhile, the National Secretary of Senacyt, Dr. Eduardo Ortega Barría, pointed out that Panama City faces historical challenges in water supply, traffic, health, and infrastructure.
Research Findings and Technical Proposals
The forum included lectures from urbanist Manuel Trute on the urban planning system and Esperanza González, a specialist from the Inter-American Development Bank (BID). Additionally, various specialists presented studies on fundamental pillars for the city:
Housing and Construction: Drs. Graciela Arosemena and Silvia Arroyo addressed urban models, while Drs. Yazmin Mack, Miguel Chen, and Franchezca González presented on sustainable concrete and bioclimatic architecture.
Infrastructure and Mobility: Dr. María Lourdes Peralta analyzed urban growth, and Doctors Jorge Quijada-Alarcón, Gabriela Girón, and Agustín Guerra presented planning and mobility solutions.
Well-being and Health: Dr. Juan Javier Moreno discussed urban well-being, and Dr. Alcibiades Vásquez addressed access to health services.
Towards a New Territorial Planning Model
The content of Senacyt Policy Briefs proposes breaking away from the historical model of dispersed, car-dependent zoning. Finally, the experts suggested linking the legal framework for cultural heritage with territorial planning to prevent its neglect amid urban growth.
