| Focus Area: |
Climate Change: Business Opportunity, Business Challenge |
| Project: |
Sustainable Transportation Initiative, Brazil |
| Commitment By: |
EMBARQ, WRI Center for Transport and Environment |
| Partners: |
Municipality of Porto Alegre, Brazil, Shell Foundation |
| Value: |
$1.8 million |
Objective: EMBARQ acts as a catalyst for socially, financially, and environmentally sound solutions to the problems of urban mobility. Founded at WRI in 2002 with a major grant from the Shell Foundation, EMBARQ’s strategy is to foster viable government-business-civil society partnerships whose members are committed to finding solutions to the transportation-related problems facing the cities in which they operate.
Commitment: EMBARQ and the municipality of Porto Alegre signed an MOU on the 1st of April of 2005 for the planning, design and implementation of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system for the city of Porto Alegre. EMBARQ will provide advice and tools for project management, studies and the basic design of the project. The MOU establishes that EMBARQ and the city authorities will contribute 50% each to the cost of the planning and design phase of the project and will work together to ensure construction and implementation by end of 2008. Funding for the first phase comes from Shell Foundation and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Together the municipality and EMBARQ are seeking additional money from the GEF, the World Bank, UNEP and other sources.
Background: The Porto Alegre partnership was established to improve the quality and efficiency of public transportation through the implementation of a BRT system, adoption of cleaner fuels and technology and promotion of the use of non-motorized modes of transport. A shift to more efficient and less polluting forms of public transport and the increased use of cleaner fuels will reduce local air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions while promoting social-economic equity, access to jobs, products and services to the lower socio-economic classes and overall economic growth in the city.
| Points of Contact: |
Nancy Kete, Director
EMBARQ, World Resources Institute
EMBARQ World Resources Institute
Kurt Hoffman, Executive Director
Shell Foundation
The Shell Foundation
Clovis Magalhaes, Municipal Secretary for Strategic Management
Porto Alegre Municipality
Porto Alegre Municipality |
| Geographic Scope: |
Porto Alegre Metropolitan Area |
| Anticipated Launch Date: |
Project framing workshop - Oct 1, 2005 |
| Anticipated Duration: |
3 years to inauguration of new BRT in 2008 |
Partnership Opportunity: EMBARQ actively establishes partnerships with governments, organizations and companies in the private sector, and NGOs with the aim of developing sustainable transportation projects. EMBARQ assists the city in the development of stakeholder management and engagement plans. In addition, EMBARQ works with a network of experts in various fields that contribute to the project at different stages.
Update:
October 19-21, 2005:
EMBARQ and CTS-Brazil carried out a project framing workshop for the Porto Alegre mayor and his senior staff. We created a project road map to guide the work over the next two years and initiated a stakeholder engagement and management plan.
November 3, 2005:
Formulated the CTR of the Operational Design Study for the Porto Alegre BRT project.
November 30, 2005:
Completed the Preliminary Demand Estimation for the Porto Alegre BRT project and unveiled the new 2006 work plan and budget.