Foreword

Transformation: an open and continuous process

The global agenda around climate change calls for urgent and concrete actions. And it is in cities that solutions for urban, environmental and social requalification are born, as they are needed to stop global warming.

This moment calls for idea-sharing and for more attitude. This is a call, a summons. We have obligations to preserve life - ours, those of our fellow humans and all species that inhabit Earth.

Having people as a measure of public actions is, for our city, a fundamental principle of planning.

Curitiba was chosen by the United Nations as a model city for the celebrations of World Habitat Day in 1995, the same year our city hosted the preparatory event for the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements. The following year, in Istanbul, Curitiba actively took part in the presentation of best practices in favour of urban and human sustainability.

Today, among Brazil’s state capitals, Curitiba has advanced most in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and in reaching the precepts of the 2030 Agenda with the Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Plan (PlanClima).

The Smart Climate Cities Challenge represents another significant step in the continuous advances towards sustainability. The aim is to transform two important areas of the city into zero carbon gas (CO2) emission models.

The Pinhão Valley Innovation Ecosystem is emblematic in this process, as it was the address of the first industrial district in Curitiba. From the first factories of the past to the technological revolution, we have walked with the certainty that it is possible to develop sustainably in all areas. And, from the perspective of the challenge of inclusion, integration and emancipation, Vila Torres – a formerly occupied area, today has also merged in the area covered by Pinhão Valley.

It is worth mentioning some successful examples that favour a more sustainable daily life in the big city, such as the BRTs of the public transport system, the Lighthouses of Knowledge and Innovation, the Cajuru FabLab, the production of healthy food at the Urban Farm and in urban vegetable gardens, the Zero Waste Programme of the Municipal Market, and the selective collection of the “Garbage that is not garbage” programme.

Encouraged by our latest award – the Latam Smart City Awards 2021, we are now targeting the Caximba Solar Pyramid, another major project in Curitiba to tackle climate change, which translates into a pyramid-shaped Photovoltaic Generation Unit with solar panels. Clean energy for the smart city!

Transformation is an open and ongoing process. The challenge is launched, and Curitiba is always willing to innovate and contribute to building a better and fairer world for everyone.

Rafael Greca,

Mayor of Curitiba