Organized by the State Government of Rio de Janeiro and the World Bank, the event will be a great laboratory for urban policy discussions
The rapid growth of cities has prompted leaders around the world to seek out innovative planning solutions and good urban policies. Between November 16 and 19, managers, urban planners, technicians and experts from over 15 metropolitan areas around the world will meet at Hotel Windsor Copacabana for the first Metrolab in Latin America. The event is organized by the State Government of Rio - through the Metropolitan Chamber - and by the World Bank Group. Previous sessions of the project have been held in New York, Mumbai, Seoul, Dar es Salaam and Paris. The Rio de Janeiro edition begins this Monday at 9 am, with the attendance of Governor Luiz Fernando Pezão.
"We are making efforts to advance towards a metropolitan governance model in line with the decisions of the Supreme Federal Court and the Statute of the Metropolis," stated the Governor. “Last year, we created the Metropolitan Chamber, which - in addition to fostering cooperation between the state and municipalities - has been drafting an integrated development plan. The World Bank is an extremely important ally of the Government of Rio in providing quality of life to thousands of residents in our Metropolitan Area".
Metrolab-Rio will address emerging challenges faced by large cities, such as: civil society participation in metropolitan planning; the use of public-private partnerships; the deployment of new technologies to improve service delivery, monitoring and resilience; and planning strategies to meet the growing demand for municipal services.
"Every month, more than five million people migrate to cities in 'developing' countries," said Martin Raiser, World Bank Director for Brazil. "As cities expand in a well-planned fashion and metropolitan growth is adequately managed, the country's economy will grow and new opportunities will arise in education, employment, services and mobility. I am glad that the Metrolab-Rio agenda includes discussions on topics of great importance to urban development, such as PPP arrangements and alternatives, metropolitan planning and social participation”.
In addition to the Governor, the event will be attended by the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Chamber of Rio de Janeiro, Vicente Loureiro; and the World Bank Director for Brazil, Martin Raiser.
