The three cities of Paraná are located in list of Smart21 Community in 2024, which annually selects the 21 smartest communities in the world. Curitiba, Ponta Grossa (Campos Gerais) and Assaí (North) are the only South American cities included in the ranking, which in October will show which location, among the 21 shortlisted, will be the World’s Smartest Community in 2024. last year, the winner was New Taipei, from Taiwan.

This is the seventh time, the fifth in a row, that Curitiba has appeared on the list of the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF) – the Forum of Intelligent Communities, a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to researching policies for smart communities, with a focus on job creation and sustainable economic development. sustainable.

This year, the award covers cities and counties from eight countries, spanning five continents. The announcement was made this Thursday (23), at a conference organized by ICF in collaboration with the Australian and Canadian Economic Development Associations (EDAC).

“It’s great to have three cities in Paraná named the smartest in the world. In addition to our capital city, two rural cities also appeared in the rankings, indicating that our policy of supporting the statewide innovation ecosystem is yielding important results. Congratulations to Curitiba, Assaí and Ponta Grossa for their international recognition”, said Governor Carlos Massa Ratinho Junior.

According to the ICF, the selected regions apply the principles required by the forum, with governance programs aimed at building inclusive economic prosperity, social health and cultural wealth, which make communities strong and resilient.

“Brazil was inspired by Curitiba, which appeared in the Top 7 last year, and has expanded its participation. The tendency of cities and counties to take a regional approach to economic growth, development and connectivity is also evident in the list,” said ICF co-founder Lou Zacharilla.

REWARD – After selecting 21 communities, ICF analysts will select the seven smartest communities of the year, which will be announced in June, at an event in Ontario, Canada. For two years in a row, in 2021 and 2022, Curitiba has been ranked in the Top 7. In October, the agency will designate the World’s Smartest Community during the ICF Global Conference, which takes place in New York.

Site selection was based on quantitative and qualitative data related to the six Community Strategic Acceleration Factors, a forum methodology that seeks to determine the competitiveness of communities in economic, cultural and social actions.