6.1 Regulations related to the challenge

Over the last 4 years Curitiba has invested around 3.1 per cent of its total expenses annually. Investments have ranged from US$41 million to US$68.5 million per year. The 2022–2025 Pluriannual Plan foresees investments of US$466 million, of which climate finance will command the largest share.

Some US$29.5 million in investments are planned for the period 2022 to 2025 in the Matriz Regional Administration, where the two intervention areas are located. These are interventions in road infrastructure, construction, rehabilitation and adaptation in food supply facilities; implementation and revitalization of leisure areas; renovation and expansion of sports, leisure, tourism and security facilities, with emphasis on the implementation of the new Natural History Museum.

The Sustainable Mobility Programme is based on restructuring an integrated metropolitan system that reaffirms mobility as an important asset of the territory and awakens a new culture. The design of this system includes a set of elements that comprise services, infrastructure, new technologies and governance arrangements that need to act in synergy to ensure sustainability and accessibility and offer residents the best experiences.

Recently, in partnership with the World Resource Institute, Brazil, the municipality designed a strategic map for the Sustainable Mobility Programme. Its objective is to redesign the logic of urban mobility service systems in Curitiba and the metropolitan region to generate greater attractiveness and energy efficiency, and thus reduce the number of individual vehicles on the roads and of GHG emissions in line with PlanClima.

Two of the main routes of the existing public transport network, the East–West Express Line (BRT) and the Inter 2 Direct Line, will be the initial milestones of the expected transformation to mobility. They will have significant intervention with the reform and modernization of terminals; the construction of new stations, which will be wider, more comfortable, intermodal, self-sustaining and connected in a micro smart grid system. Dedicated overtaking lanes, revitalization of gender-sensitive sidewalks and landscaping, and fleet renewal with the adoption of electric buses, complete the planned interventions. These two lines, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, were responsible for carrying 291,000 passengers per business day, meaning about 27 per cent of commuters in the structural transport system in Curitiba.

The resources for the implementation of civil works for the Inter 2 and BRT East-West projects are secured with a US$227.15 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank and the New Development Bank. Curitiba was recently selected as one of the 20 deep dive cities of the TUMI E-Bus Mission, which aims to establish a broad coalition of public and private sector organizations to achieve a transition to electric buses and replicate this in at least 100 cities by the end of 2022. A model for the deployment of these buses to the Inter 2 and BRT East-West routes is under way. From this experience, city transport officials will have a solid basis to find the best way to continue the decarbonization of the fleet in the next transport concession that starts at the end of 2025, thereby well on the way to operating a 100 per cent zero emission fleet in 2050.

In accordance with the strategy of promoting active mobility, there is the Caminhar Melhor Project which provides for new sidewalks along roads in the central region and neighbourhood centres with large pedestrian flows. The network of cycle lanes is also to be expanded. The first stage of this project allows for 29.4 kilometres of cycling lanes and 21.5 kilometres of new sidewalks citywide. There is a plan to invest another US$8 million to US$10 million to these projects in 2022 and 2023.

The municipality is drawing up terms for the accreditation of specialized and qualified companies so that it could sign a cooperation agreement for the building, operation and maintenance of a bicycle rental and storage system in Curitiba. This would enable the intermodality provided for in both projects. One of the minimum requirements for the provision of this service is to locate the cycle docking stations strategically, close to places with high cycling demand, so they dovetail with public transport nodes (buses, stations and terminals. As a desirable requirement, it is expected that for now at least 10 per cent of the bicycles would be electric, but they would be increased with demand. Investments of this nature form part of Curitiba’s drive to achieve energy efficiency in view of climate change and for innovation.

The Curitiba Mais Energia Programme includes the photovoltaic generation plant at Palácio 29 de Março, in operation since 5 June 2019, financed with resources from Copel’s Energy Efficiency Programme, and supervised by the National Electric Energy Agency.

Curitiba is rated CAPAG B (Payment capacity rate B), according to an assessment by the National Treasury Secretariat (STN - https://www.tesourotransparente.gov.br/temas/estados-e-municipios/capacidade-depagamento-capag). The percentage of expenses with personnel, according to the Fiscal Responsibility Law (LRF), is at 42.25 per cent below the limit. The ratio of Curitiba’s gross consolidated debt to net current revenue (Indebtedness - DC) is 19.09 per cent (DC < 60 per cent), giving the city a grade A rating. Likewise, the relationship between the city’s financial obligations and available cash also achieved grade A with 3.37 per cent. The only indicator in which Curitiba received a B rating was in the relation between current expenses and adjusted current income (Current Savings - PC), with a result of 90.98 per cent (PC = or > 90 per cent and < 95 per cent). This result is due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the municipality increased its current health spending to support the most vulnerable population. Despite this result, these indicators portray that Curitiba is financially solvent. The city has readily usable resources that are not earmarked for needs to meet short-term financial obligations. Moreover, the city’s savings are in good shape and able to cover investments, amortize the debt, meet current expenses, including interest payments. Curitiba had a CAPAG A rating, prior to the pandemic.