EMBARQ Brazil helps guide cities developing urban mobility plans
EMBARQ Brazil was invited by the Ministry of Cities to play a key role in an initiative to help all Brazilian cities with over 20,000 inhabitants establish an urban mobility plan by 2015. Through its participation, EMBARQ Brazil contributes to a nation-wide effort to improve urban mobility and accessibility for Brazil's urban residents. Photo by EMBARQ Brazil.
Brazil has set a national goal for all cities with over 20,000 inhabitants aimed at establishing an urban mobility plan by 2015. The country is rolling out activities to ensure cities are fully capacitated and appropriately informed. Brazil’s National Department of Transport and Mobility (SeMob), housed within the Ministry of Cities, launched a national training program in October, which is expected to directly impact 200 of the nation's largest cities. The “Seminars to Raise Awareness for Urban Mobility Plans and Policies,” are trainings to deploy the National Policy on Urban Mobility. The initiative will provide technical expertise to cities for designing and implementing their plans. EMBARQ Brazil was invited by the Ministry of Cities to play a key role in the project by giving lectures at seminars and helping produce technical brochures that will be used by participating cities.
EMBARQ Brazil joins government officials and public managers at inaugural training seminar
The first training seminar to empower cities was on October 15 in the city of Campinas (~1 million inhabitants), in the region of São Paulo. 12 municipalities were represented by their public managers and mayors. Daniela Facchini, EMBARQ Brazil’s Director of Projects and Operations, joined discussions regarding the National Urban Mobility Policy with a representative from the National Council of Cities, and Sergio Benassi, the Secretary for Transport and Chairman of Campinas’ Development Company.
A framework for the success of urban mobility plans in Brazil
Facchini emphasized that circulation challenges can be overcome with a consolidated mobility plan and active engagement of civil society. Facchini detailed three pillars for successful urban mobility planning: popular participation, geo-referencing, and long-term planning. The first pillar, popular participation, must be constant in order to ensure the success of an urban mobility plan. Public engagement and participation should begin with the initial project design. The second pillar, geo-referencing, is essential due its ability to gather detailed spatial information and statistics about traffic and road accidents to inform key decisions and operations. Finally, the third pillar – long-term planning – is crucial to institutionalizing the practice of conceptualizing, developing, implementing, and adhering to an urban mobility plan.
Lasting impact: Brazil’s Urban Mobility Policy offers opportunity to improve quality of life in cities
On October 22, Facchini also spoke on a panel at an awareness-raising seminar in Brasília, Brazil’s capital. While discussing mobility plans and management tools, Facchini emphasized that in order to transform a city, it’s essential to develop a vision for the future, to set goals, and to strive to achieve them. Continuous planning must be prioritized throughout this process. "Besides presenting a challenge, urban mobility plans are a chance to better understand and transform Brazilian cities, to improve the quality of life, build cities collaboratively, and transcend political mandates," Facchini concluded.
Through its participation in the Ministry of Cities’ new seminar training program, EMBARQ Brazil contributes to a nation-wide effort to improve urban mobility and enhance accessibility for all inhabitants of Brazilian cities.
To learn more, please contact Daniela Facchini, Director of Projects and Operations for EMBARQ Brazil, at dfacchini@embarqbrasil.org.