IDB: Lack of up-to-date data hinders slum upgrading funding

A lack of up-to-date maps and accurate data on informal settlements is an obstacle to attracting loans from international financial institutions for slum upgrading, stated Antonio Vásquez, an artificial intelligence specialist at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), at WUF13 in Baku, according to Report.

He said there is a paradox in urban planning: local residents are well aware of the boundaries of disadvantaged neighborhoods, while authorities lack updated information about these areas, population figures, and levels of deprivation, such as access to clean water and sanitation.

"Due to this lack of data, it is extremely difficult for governments to plan public investments and justify the loans they take from development banks to modernize such areas," he said.