(by Ilaria Liberatore)
The first smart city for low-cost
housing will be built in Brazil by the Italian firm RECS
Architects.
The 'format' of the city - to be named Croatà Laguna
Ecopark and located in northeastern Brazil in the state of
Cearà, about 33 kilometers from Fortaleza - was presented on
Wednesday in Brazil's pavilion at Milan Expo 2015.
Those in attendance included Planet Idea operations
director Gianni Savio, SocialFare managing director Laura
Orestano and several representatives of the Italian-Brazilian
chambers of commerce of San Paolo and Fortaleza.
''Croatá Laguna Ecopark is a new city with homes and
services, places for socializing and shops, schools, an
industrial hub and a lot of greenery,'' Savio said.
''It is the exact opposite of 'dormitory' areas. By
building outside of existing cities, we save on the land
acquisition costs, which account for only 3-5% of the total
costs, and we invest what we saved in 'smart' ideas'.''
Savio said that smart cities are urban nuclei ''in which
the smartest and most economically sustainable technologies are
designed and integrated'', and are also focused on social
housing, ''and therefore targeting mid and low-income levels,
showing that the economical nature of a construction does not
rule out its being of high quality''.
In this aspect the project differs from other smart
cities, such as Masdar City near Abu Dhabi.
Croatà Laguna Ecopark is under construction and the first
part of the urbanization works is expected to be completed in
May 2016.
Once finished, it will cover a surface area of 330 hectares
and will have about 21,000 inhabitants in a total of 6,000 homes
and almost 6,800 lots, including crafts and industrial
settlements.
The cost of a home of about 50 square meters is expected to
be about 100,000-120,000 reales, equivalent to about
30,000-35,000 euros.
The project is ''entirely Italian,'' Savio noted.
''We found the resources through crowdfunding, by getting
businessmen and firms with whom we collaborate involved, mainly
from Piedmont or other areas of northern Italy. No state or
investment funds have been used, though they may be when we
replicate the project.
''The true innovation is that there is not only technology
at the center of this city; there is also a vision for social
impact that aims to create positive results for the community,''
added Orestano.
''Cities of the future will have to be inclusive and be
able to pick up on the dreams and needs of people in a dynamic
manner, getting them involved in the economic, cultural and
social development process. 'Smart communities' will soon become
'spark communities': communities that spur change''.
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