Mobility core to the Brazil Meeting of Municipalities for Sustainable Development
Passengers exit one of Curitiba, Brazil's famous tube stations on the city's bus rapid transit (BRT) system. Photo by Fabio Mascarenhas/Flickr.
Essential to the sustainable development of cities, mobility was a central agenda item for the Second Meeting of Municipalities for Sustainable Development, held in Brasilia April 23-25.
Organized by the National Front of Mayors (FNP), with support from Sebrae, a Brazil-based small business development agency, and the Brazilian Federal government, the event brought together mayors and municipal officials from throughout Brazil -- with the aim of discussing possible ways to collaborate and share knowledge on sustainability at the local level.
One of the themes of the meeting was the current challenges of urban and metropolitan mobility. Luis Antonio Lindau, Director of EMBARQ Brasil, presented sustainable transport alternatives, during the "Networks and Modal Integration" panel. Sixty attendees, including mayors and mobility experts, joined the round of discussions.
Participants were in consensus that priority should be given to sustainable transportation initiatives, especially buses and bus rapid transit (BRT), through exclusive lanes that allow movement without congestion. "We realized that there is a great willingness on the part of mayors and transport officials in deploying advanced bus systems. There are many such construction projects underway in Brazil. However, it is also necessary to think about the other aspects beyond construction: operations, and payment services, "said Lindau.
Also presenting solutions for mobility was Ailton Brasiliense, President of Brazil’s National Association of Public Transport; Stanislaus Nazarene, coordinator of the National Movement for Democracy in Transit, Otavio Vieira da Cunha, president of the National Association of Urban Transport; and Natalia Garcia, journalist and creative director of Project Cities for People.
This year’s Meeting of Municipalities for Sustainable Development included a diverse program, with open forums, an arena of dialogue, and breakout sessions. In addition to mobility, other issues such as waste management and public administration were discussed.
For more information about the event, visit the official website of the II Encontro dos municípios com o desenvolvimento sustentável.
