Salvador, Brazil

Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia with a population of 2.9 million, was the first capital of Brazil and is now the fifth most populous city in the country. The city is located in a geological fault, nearly half of the population lives in dangerous areas. Salvador promotes the inclusion of sustainability criteria and considers integrating climate risk adaptation and mitigation into its public policies, especially strategic sectors of economic development.

In 2016, Salvador published its Urban Development Master Plan to establish a sustainable city as one of its principles. Among its objectives is the promotion of sustainable development in all its aspects: the use of raw materials and clean technologies, the generation of renewable energy sources, water reuse in infrastructural contexts, and waste management.

To achieve these objectives, the city rolled out the program Solar Salvador to combine sustainability and innovation by encouraging urban photovoltaic solar markets to stimulate local economies, create new jobs, reduce energy costs, reduce energy consumption and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

The city also launched the New Mané Dendê project, the largest revitalization project in Salvador’s Railway District that improved urban infrastructure, housing, sanitation, education, health, environmental well-being, transport mobility, cultural accessibility and disaster risk prevention and the quality of surrounding communities. The project directly benefited 10,000 residents and 35,000 indirect beneficiaries.

Salvador promulgated a municipal risk-management policy which covers various ways to minimize and avoid the impacts caused by disasters, by identifying and assessing existing risks, to know the probability and magnitude of the impact of disasters, should they happen; by monitoring the main meteorological systems that cause rainfall; and by assessing the evolution of extreme weather events that pose risks. To efficiently implement the policy, its multidisciplinary risk-management team operates around the clock with its 74 monitoring stations.

Salvador’s Multiply Civil Defense project guides the population on how to act in risk situations, spreads the concept of disaster prevention, and promotes SDG13. Its resilience concept focuses on climate adaptation, further seeking to ensure conditions that promote sustainable and innovative urban and economic development, reducing existing social and spatial inequalities.

Salvador has attached importance to innovation. The Municipal Secretariat for Innovation and Technology (SEMIT), in addition to formulating strategies, policy guidelines and norms, also develops and approves technical specifications for equipment and projects purchased or leased by the city hall.

Salvador has been developing replicable integrated urban interventions focusing on climate justice, social inclusion and the use of ecosystem-based adaptation alternatives. Its actions that promote social equity and gender equality in urban intervention projects started to be  replicated in other regions. Another replicable aspect of participation is the city’s participatory process of involving residents in the implementation of urban projects. Salvador’s actions stand out because they are easily replicable and scalable. By targeting the fundamental issues in its urban and social environments, the city promotes and continues its transition to a more sustainable economy.

These large-scale plans and efforts accelerate its economic and social development; promote the modernization of urban infrastructure and the revitalization of the historical center; improve residents’ quality of life; attract businesses; create jobs; and unveil a promising future for Salvador.