University of Arizona project in Brazil wins city an international award
Apr 16, 2016, 10:00 AM
(Facebook Photos)
PHOENIX — Fortaleza, the fifth-largest city in Brazil, won an international award for innovative practices in public administration, thanks in part to the assistance of the University of Arizona’s College of Management.
University of Arizona teamed up with the University of Fortaleza, also called Unifor, to utilize big amounts of data to streamline the city’s public transportation system, which was having trouble keeping up with the city’s massive growth.
Urban development expert Patricio Zambrano said in an interview with UA News that the partnership between academia and the government draws attention in proposing solutions to urban problems in Fortaleza.
“Many cities have data but do not know how to use them, and Fortaleza has thought of an interesting use,” he said. “It is essential we discuss how these technologies can improve the quality of life.”
Ezequiel Dantas, a representative of the City of Fortaleza, said in an interview with UA News, said the ongoing partnership “enables collaboration.”
“We have specific demands of urban mobility,” he said. “We do weekly meetings with the research group of Unifor and the University of Arizona.”
Fortaleza’s mayor, Roberto Cláudio Rodrigues Bezerra, holds master’s and doctoral degrees from the UA’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. UA and Fortaleza have a strong relationship; the mayor visited the Tucson campus last June.