Fortaleza is participating in the second phase of the Toyota Mobility Foundation’s Sustainable Cities Challenge.

Fortaleza City Hall was trained to prepare a proposal to compete in the second phase of the Sustainable Cities Challenge, funded by the Toyota Mobility Foundation and designed in collaboration with Challenge Works and the World Resources Institute. Last week, Fortaleza Science, Technology and Innovation Foundation (Citinova) President Luiz Alberto Sabóia and Fortaleza Innovation Laboratory (Labifor/Citinova) Project Manager Joana Mia participated in the Sustainable Cities Challenge event – City Academy. , Dallas, USA.

“Fortaleza its proposal was pre-selected from a universe of more than 200 proposals, so we are competing with cities like Detroit, Venice and Medellin to get 3 million dollars of resources, which will be used in the call for open innovation in the area. Urban mobility, especially in the area of ​​public transport, is very important, Because we had the opportunity to interact with other cities, to see successful cases in the field of innovation and public transport. In two days, explore in depth the concept of open innovation”, highlighted Luis Alberto Saboia.

Organized by the Toyota Mobility Foundation in association with WRI, Challenge Works and UN Habitat, two representatives each from 10 pre-selected cities presented their challenges and shared experiences in urban mobility and innovation. Cities must submit their proposals by December 11. The three winning cities of the challenge will be announced in February 2024.

Challenge
The Sustainable Cities Challenge was launched in June this year and supports innovations aimed at transforming the lives of millions of people around the world in the following areas: expanding access to safe, accessible and inclusive modes of transport; Using data to create connected and flexible mobility systems; and reducing environmental impact through renewable and low-carbon solutions.

More than 200 proposals from 150 cities around the world were evaluated considering the following criteria: impact, relevance to the problem, open innovation approaches, capacity within the city and focus of application. Apart from Fortaleza, pre-selected cities are: Bangalore (India), Detroit (USA), Medellin (Colombia), Mexico City (Mexico), New Orleans (USA), Seberang Perai (Malaysia), Varanasi (India). ), Venice (Italy), York (United Kingdom). Of these 10 shortlisted cities, three cities will be selected to launch their own City Challenges, which will receive up to US$9 million in support over a two-year period. Innovators can be local or anywhere in the world, but with solutions tailored to winning cities.

The proposal presented by Fortaleza was designed by the Fortaleza Innovation Laboratory (Labifor/Citinova) in collaboration with the Secretariat of Municipal Security and Public Services (SCSP) and seeks sustainable solutions to expand access to the public transport system for low-income communities.