Resilient Smart Cities in South America: City Diplomacy for Sustainable Urban Development

Abstract

The rapid process of urbanization on a global scale and the centrality of the sustainable development agenda in the international context constitute two important inflections in the contemporary world. As a result, the prominence of cities in current international debates has grown so that cities exercise their diplomacy and implement internationally aligned policies through global agreements. In this context, this chapter analyzes the phenomena of city diplomacy and resilience in the sustainable development agenda of South American municipalities. Resulting from the discussion on the smart cities approach in the context of the region, it recognizes the uncertainty, complexity, interdependence, and multidimensionality of contemporary phenomena from a resilience perspective. The exercise of international relations at the municipal level in South America also has the support of local government networks and associations, such as ICLEI—Local Governments for Sustainability, which with the Smart Cities for Climate Analytical Report, published in 2017, has enabled the materialization of the perspective of convergence between the climatic action of cities and the strengthening of their governance and institutional capacity, as well as their capacity for innovation. This convergence is illustrated by the case of the Metropolitan Region of Campinas, which combines a regional program to enhance biodiversity and its socioeconomic benefits, a long-term vision of resilience and sustainable development, and a municipal Smart City Strategic Plan.