The future of smart cities seen through global cooperation: sharing international cases and innovative ideas

A leap towards sustainability: reinventing cities through smart solutions

Participation overview

Smart City Expo Curitiba, Brazil's largest smart city event, was a success at the Cento de Evento Positivo event center in Barigui Park from March 2024 to 3, 20. It was held in

[Source: Smart City Expo Curitiba website, KOTRA Sao Paulo Trade Center]

Smart City Expo Curitiba site sketch

Smart City Expo Curitiba, celebrating its 5th anniversary this year, was a meaningful event to explore technological solutions to improve urban sustainability and efficiency under the theme of Reinventando cidades para todos (Reinventing the City for All).

[Source: Sao Paulo Trade Center photo, March 2024.3.21, XNUMX.]

It was an important opportunity for public sector representatives, businesses, universities, and civil society to come together to exchange information and strengthen cooperation. Participants discussed various topics such as smart city technology, sustainable development, urban planning, transportation systems, energy management and citizen participation, and shared the latest trends and innovative ideas.

[Source: Sao Paulo Trade Center photo, March 2024.3.21, XNUMX.]

The event took place in various formats, including exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and panel discussions. In particular, innovative products and services from startups and companies seeking to solve urban problems using smart technology attracted great attention. Additionally, attendees were able to gain an in-depth understanding of the pros and cons of smart city implementation through actual case studies and success stories.

[Source: Sao Paulo Trade Center, 2024.03.21.]

Smart City Expo Curitiba focused on finding innovative solutions to address the challenges facing cities not only in Brazil but around the world. Through this, participating cities had the opportunity to explore ways to improve the quality of life of citizens while contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

And a new horizon for smart city development was opened through the Brazilian Awards. At this event, various projects on topics such as digital transformation and innovation, sustainable urban development, and efficient urban mobility were honored with awards. These award-winning works are excellent examples of how cities in each state of Brazil are using technology to improve the quality of life for their citizens.

[Source: Smart City Expo Curitiba official website, 24.03.22.]

△In the digital transformation and innovation category, the city of Araguaína, Tocantzings Province, was recognized for the 'Araguaína 4.0: A Cidade Que Não Para' project. The project laid the foundation for sustainable growth by leveraging digital technologies to improve services in several areas, including transportation, public safety, and environmental management.

△In the smart city category, Recife city in the state of Pernambuco won ‘EITA! Received the award for the ‘Recife’ project. The project leverages technology and digital innovation to solve urban problems, promote citizen participation, and provide insights needed to solve problems through urban data analysis.

△In the sustainable city category, the city of Santarém in the state of Pará was selected as the 'Quintal Florestal Sustentável' project. The project focuses on expanding and preserving the city's green spaces in harmony with nature, together with local communities.

△In the fair society category, the city of Londrina in the state of Paraná was recognized as the 'Programa Compra Londrina – Felicidade em Compras Públicas Inteligentes' program. The program focuses on improving public purchasing processes to increase transparency and stimulate the local economy.

△In the urban mobility category, the city of Arapiraca in Alagoas received the honor of winning the award for the 'Ciclovia do Trabalhador Arapiraca' project. The project built a route to promote cycling, allowing workers and citizens to travel in a safer and more sustainable way.

[Source: Prefeitura Municioal de Curitiba official website, 24.04.02.]

These award-winning projects demonstrate how Brazil is playing a leading role in smart city development. By taking innovative approaches in different areas, Brazilian cities are achieving important goals: improving the quality of life for citizens, developing the economy and protecting the environment. The Brazilian Awards has established itself as an important event to recognize and encourage such efforts, and more creative projects are expected to grace the occasion in the future.

Projects presented at this year's Smart City Expo Curitiba demonstrated innovative approaches centered on two axes: smart technology and citizen participation for sustainable development of cities. Interest in how our daily lives and urban environments will change once these solutions are realized has increased.

on-site interview

Roberto Marcelino, co-founder and director of iCities, the hosting organization of Smart City Expo Curitiba, recently shared his views on the importance of building a smart city and the resulting urban innovation strategy in an interview with the KOTRA Sao Paulo Trade Center. He emphasized that technological development plays an important role in improving the sustainability of cities and the quality of life of citizens, and shared his vision to develop Curitiba into a world-class smart city model through this.

Director Marcelino, who expressed high expectations and evaluation of cooperation with Korean companies, noted that Korea's technical expertise and capabilities can be an important asset in the development of smart city solutions. He explained that cooperation between the two countries can take place in many ways, including knowledge sharing, implementation of pilot projects and joint development of advanced technologies, expressing confidence that such international cooperation will create opportunities for sustainable development and mutual benefit between the two countries. did.

While actively encouraging Korean companies to participate in iCities events and initiatives, Marcelino emphasized that Korean companies must fully understand the unique characteristics and needs of Brazilian cities and be prepared to propose innovative solutions. He added that it is important to be open to collaboration with local partners and demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and social inclusion.

The cutting-edge technology and experience possessed by Korean companies in the smart city field can greatly contribute to solving the various challenges facing Brazilian cities, and this is expected to serve as an opportunity to promote the development of smart city solutions globally. This international cooperation is expected to play an important role in establishing global leadership in the smart city field along with mutual benefits between the two countries.

Through this interview, Director Roberto Marcelino emphasized the positive changes and development potential that cooperation between Korea and Brazil will bring in smart city construction, and reminded companies and government agencies of both countries of the importance of mutual cooperation.

implication

The innovative urban planning and sustainable development projects presented at Smart City Expo Curitiba 2024 contain a lot of content that Korean companies should pay attention to.

First, the development of smart city-related services or products requires an innovative approach in connection with digital transformation. Korean companies can actively enter the global market by developing intelligent city infrastructure, energy management systems, and efficient transportation solutions by referring to the projects presented at the Smart City Expo.

Projects such as “Programa Compra Londrina” to revitalize the local economy suggest ways to improve public purchasing processes and create social value through cooperation with local businesses. In the same way, Korean companies can coexist with local communities and seek business opportunities.

The “Quintal Florestal Sustentável” project, which focuses on environmental protection and ecosystem restoration, emphasizes the importance of developing eco-friendly technologies and products. Korean companies can strengthen their brand image and create new markets by providing environmentally friendly solutions in response to these global demands.

The “Ciclovia do Trabalhador” project to promote bicycle mobility in the city demonstrates the need to develop mobility solutions. Korean companies can contribute to solving urban transportation problems by developing various mobility solutions such as electric vehicles and sharing economy-based transportation services as well as bicycle infrastructure.

“EITA!” emphasizes the combination of technology and education! The “Recife” project highlights that investments in educational technology are critical to providing learning solutions for future generations. Korean companies can pay attention to these educational innovations and focus on developing online learning platforms and interactive educational content.

Lastly, the “Araguaína 4.0: A Cidade Que Não Para” project demonstrates the importance of digital transformation. Korean companies can promote service innovation and strengthen competitiveness by utilizing digital technologies such as cloud computing, big data analysis, and artificial intelligence (AI).

Business strategies that reflect global trends like this will play a key role in helping Korean companies grow and adapt to changing market environments. A sustainable and innovative approach will be the key to future success, and Korean companies will be able to position themselves as leaders of this change.

 

Source: KOTRA