The objective of the action is to promote studies to foster discussion on methodologies to strengthen Brazil’s urban network. To this end, the project contracted an external expert and a local junior expert and organised a workshop. Discussions at the event focused on the economic dimensions of medium-sized cities; territorial governance and cooperation; accessibility, connectivity, and access to markets; potentials and deficiencies of economic and social infrastructure and services; demographic issues and workforce training; capacity for generating and applying innovations; and other indicators.
ESPON 2020, a programme of the European Commission with extensive expertise in producing analyses and proposals on the territorial dimensions of European urban networks, contributed to the initiative through the exchange of experiences with Brazilian institutions in the field. The action enables Brazil and the EU to share and exchange experiences on the construction of a network of polycentric cities to promote the deconcentration and inward growth of regional and national development, thereby strengthening centralities on different geographical scales.
Two experts were contracted for the initiative – an external senior expert and a local junior expert. The first was tasked with preparing an analysis and review of the actions undertaken in the last European regional policy programming period (2007-2013). For his part, the junior expert was charged with presenting a report on Brazilian urban networks as a contribution and complement to the external expert’s work, in addition to a report outlining the outcomes of the workshop organised through the action.
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