O fundador do Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), John Jung, está em Curitiba para a avaliação da cidade antes da eleição da comunidade mais inteligente do mundo. A capital paranaense é uma das sete finalistas ao prêmio, que será entregue em novembro em Barcelona, durante o ICF Global Summit. Assaí, no interior do estado, também concorre ao título em 2024. As duas cidades paranaenses são as únicas da América Latina na lista deste ano.

O ICF é uma das mais importantes instituições do mundo dedicadas ao desenvolvimento econômico a partir do conceito de comunidade inteligente, que descreve localidades que utilizam a tecnologia e a inovação para melhorar a qualidade de vida de seus cidadãos, promover a sustentabilidade econômica e ambiental, e fortalecer a inclusão social. Jung é o responsável pela criação do conceito, bem como o de "smart city" ("cidade inteligente") na década de 1980.

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English Translation:

Creator of the Smart City concept, John Jung praises Curitiba on a technical visit to choose the smartest community in the world in 2024

By Fernando Henrique de Oliveira

The founder of the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), John Jung, is in Curitiba for the evaluation of the city before the election of the smartest community in the world. The capital of Paraná is one of the seven finalists for the award, which will be presented in November in Barcelona, during the ICF Global Summit. Assaí, in the interior of the state, is also competing for the title in 2024. The two cities in Paraná are the only ones in Latin America on this year's list.

The ICF is one of the most important institutions in the world dedicated to economic development based on the concept of smart community, which describes locations that use technology and innovation to improve the quality of life of their citizens, promote economic and environmental sustainability, and strengthen social inclusion. Jung is responsible for the creation of the concept, as well as that of "smart city" in the 1980s.

For four consecutive years, Curitiba has been in the Top 7 of the ICF. In the first two, the technical visit, an integral part of the process of electing the smartest community in the world, was carried out virtually. In 2023, one of the institution's representatives was in the city for the evaluation. This year, it was the turn of its founder to come to check out the innovation projects applied to the public good promoted by the city, which received praise on the first day of the visit, which took place on Monday (2).

The Bairro Novo do Caximba project, which foresees, by the end of 2025, the total reconfiguration of Vila 29 de Outubro, was one of the most impressive Considered the largest socio-environmental project in the recent history of Curitiba, Bairro Novo do Caximba will deliver more than 1,100 new homes to the local population and regularize another 546, benefiting 1,693 families who inhabit the area of invasion that began in 2010 at the intersection of the Barigui and Iguaçu rivers, in the south of the city.

The area is also being transformed with new urban planning, creation of sanitation and energy infrastructure, an ecological corridor and an imposing linear park. The program, valued at more than R$ 38 million, is funded by the French Development Agency.

Jung had the opportunity to talk to leaders in the region and visit one of the houses already delivered by the program, which he classified as an ambitious initiative with a significant social and environmental impact.

He highlighted the fact that the program was promoted by the city hall with external financial support, emphasizing the importance of partnerships like this for the promotion of local transformation.

For him, the project not only has great transformative potential, but is also a model that is not exclusive to Curitiba, and can be replicated in other cities, emphasizing that it is not a technological innovation, but a strategically coordinated planning for the benefit of the community.

One of the main objectives of the ICF is to identify initiatives that stand out as models of economic and social transformation. The World's Smartest Communities Definition, which began in 2002, is intended to recognize and publicize local projects that promote positive and impactful change for communities.

In addition to Bairro Novo do Caximba, Jung visited this Monday (2) the Solar Pyramid of Curitiba, one of the winners of the Design for a Better World Award 2023, promoted by Centro Brasil Design; the Cajuru Urban Farm; the headquarters of the IPPUC; and the Curitiba Innovation Palace, which houses the Digital Wall, the Urban Hypervisor, the Fala Curitiba program and the City Hall's Central 156. The program ended with his participation in Paiol Digital, an event promoted by the city's innovation ecosystem, Vale do Pinhão.

On Tuesday (3), the founder of ICF had the opportunity to learn about projects aimed at promoting companies in the city and that are part of the Pinhão Valley, including a visit to the Pinhão Hub and one of the Worktibas, which were born as the first public coworking spaces in the country and are evolving into a pre-incubator. Jung was also in one of the nine Entrepreneur Spaces in the city, which provide technical support to Individual Microentrepreneurs (MEIs), and talked to founders of technological companies in Vale do Pinhão, such as Tech Girls and Preâmbulo, in addition to meeting with representatives of MadeiraMadeira and EBANX, two of the three unicorns from Curitiba.

The mayor of Curitiba, Rafael Greca, also received Jung for lunch. "I am very happy to receive the visit of the founder of the ICF to show him our advances. Year after year, Curitiba advances in its actions that use innovation for social transformation. Since 2021, we have been chosen among the seven smartest communities in the world, progressing consistently and hard work," said the mayor.

On Thursday (5) and Friday (6), Jung will be in Assaí for the evaluation of one of the most prominent Brazilian cities in innovation for the public good.