Prerequisites for the Sustainability of Municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul—Brazil: A Project to Foster Sustainable Development

Abstract

There has been a long-lasting debate about the sustainability of cities at the national and international levels, which goes back 30 years or so ago. By virtue of the undeniable growth of the world population and its consequences, the growth of cities has been a matter of great research interest and relevance across the world. Thus, the complexity of current environmental, social and economic demands induces the three levels of government, civil society and the private sector to take a new stance. This paper presents the preliminary results of the research project “Prerequisites for the sustainability of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul—Brazil”. In particular, this article highlights the role of the universities involved in a process of partnership and cooperation network linking the University of Passo Fundo, the Federal University of Santa Maria, the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and also the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, in Germany. A discussion was held on the current status of cities in Rio Grande do Sul, based on sustainable development indicators, in addition to the identification and dissemination of measures and best practices on sustainable techniques applicable to the three municipalities as regards solid waste, transport and mobility, energy, urban planning and education for sustainability. As a result, the present research highlights the commitment of universities to developing skills for implementation of sustainability and improvement of the quality of life in the project regions.