The four commandments of cities

Eduardo Paes is the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, a sprawling, complicated, beautiful city of 6.5 million. He shares four big ideas about leading Rio -- and all cities -- into the future, including bold (and do-able) infrastructure upgrades and how to make a city "smarter."

 

       

 

 

Eduardo Paes started his political career as the head of the Barra da Tijuca and Jacarepaguá in Rio de Janeiro. He then became a city councilman, a congressman, the Municipal Secretary for Environment and State Government’s Secretary for Sports and Tourism in 2007. Paes was empowered by the Governor of Rio, Sérgio Cabral, to bring the preparations for the Pan American Games that would begin just seven months later back on track. In 2008, Eduardo Paes was elected Mayor of Rio de Janeiro.

Paes says that his mission as mayor is to ensure that Rio’s renaissance thanks to the Brazilian economic boom, the effective pacification policy developed by the State Government and the successful bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games creates a positive legacy for all Rio’s citizens.

He has created programmes such as Porto Maravilha (revitalisation of the port area), Morar Carioca (urbanisation of all the favelas), UPP Social (development of social programmes in pacified favelas), the Rio Operations Centre (a nerve centre that monitors all municipal logistics), and the establishment of the BRT system (four express corridors for articulated buses that will connect the whole city).