A State agenda for Rio de Janeiro

Coppe/UFRJ, CREA-RJ, and CAU-RJ have joined forces to present candidates for the Rio de Janeiro State Government with a Charter of Commitments, featuring a public policy agenda focused on the state’s socioeconomic development, with planning and continuity extending beyond a single term in office.

The initiative brings together three state institutions–each with autonomy and expertise in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and architecture–to present proposals and make their technical capabilities available to the candidates and the public. The aim is to contribute to a development agenda that is not tied to the electoral calendar and that combines the capacity for planning, implementing, and monitoring public policies.

The Charter proposes that Rio de Janeiro make better use of its scientific, technological, and professional capacity to formulate and implement a permanent development strategy. The document is organized around three pillars: the state’s technical capacity to plan and execute; structural projects for the state’s development; and the modernization, restoration, and preservation of existing infrastructure.

The Charter was signed by the director of Coppe/UFRJ, Professor Suzana Kahn; the president of CREA-RJ, Miguel Fernández; and the president of CAU-RJ, Sydnei Menezes.

“This is an opportune moment for us to come together in support of a more modern development path for Rio de Janeiro, with more technology integrated into its infrastructure. We recognize the strength of the educational and research institutions based in our state, and we believe that the state government has the capacity to build this future–one marked by greater development, opportunities, innovation, and quality of life for our population,” said Suzana Kahn.

Technical capacity to plan and execute

The first pillar of the Charter addresses the need to strengthen the state’s permanent technical capacity. Among the proposals are the strengthening of public engineering and architecture structures, the preservation of the state’s technical memory, and the promotion of qualified professionals to strategic positions within public agencies.

The proposal is based on the understanding that public policies and infrastructure projects require accumulated technical knowledge and teams capable of overseeing the various stages of planning, contracting, execution, and maintenance.

For Miguel Fernández, president of CREA-RJ, restoring this technical capacity is an issue that transcends individual administrations. “It is essential that we have a strategic vision that transcends any single administration regarding infrastructure development in our state,” he stated.

According to Miguel, the first pillar also reinforces the importance of engineering, architecture, and scientific development for the formulation of public policies. He further emphasized the need for strategic positions related to technology, engineering, and architecture to be filled by professionals with appropriate training.

Structural projects for development

The second pillar brings together projects considered strategic for expanding the state’s territorial integration and development capacity. The Charter proposes an investment agenda that connects different regions of Rio de Janeiro, strengthens production chains, and addresses long-standing problems related to mobility, housing, and sanitation.

Among the priorities presented are the construction of Metro Line 3, the modernization and expansion of the rail network, the construction of the EF-118 highway, and the BR-101 Ring Road in Campos dos Goytacazes.

The proposal aims to revive a planning vision that views infrastructure projects as part of an integrated development strategy, rather than merely as isolated interventions.

For Sydnei Menezes, president of CAU-RJ, the revival of urban planning is essential. He cited as an example road projects in Rio de Janeiro that, according to him, were the result of plans drawn up decades ago.

“The most recent significant road projects—the Linha Vermelha and the Linha Amarela—stem from the Doxiadis Plan (an urban planning project commissioned in 1964 by the former state of Guanabara—under the Lacerda administration—from the Greek urban planner Constantino Doxiadis). These projects are the result of planning that took place decades ago. The issue of planning has been lost over time,” he stated.

From existing infrastructure to the future

The third pillar highlights an aspect often associated with public works: the need to maintain what already exists.

The Charter proposes an ongoing policy for the assessment, modernization, restoration, and renewal of the state’s infrastructure, recognizing that some existing structures are nearing the end of their useful life and must be monitored before problems escalate into emergencies.

This pillar also includes social housing and urban development, with preventive measures to avoid informal settlements, as well as an integrated sanitation policy that coordinates water security, supply, drainage, wastewater treatment, and the elimination of open dumps.

For Miguel Fernández, this shift in perspective is necessary because public works are not permanent. “If the major engineering challenge of previous decades was primarily to address population growth amid an existing deficit, the challenge for this new generation is also, above all, to preserve what already exists or replace what is there,” he explained.

Avoided tragedies don’t make the headlines

In advocating for the importance of investing in maintenance and prevention, the president of CREA-RJ highlighted a characteristic of infrastructure that makes it difficult for society to recognize its value: when a structure functions properly, its impact often goes unnoticed.

A preventive approach, however, can avert human, economic, and environmental losses. In this sense, infrastructure maintenance should be treated as part of development policy, not merely as a response to emergency situations.

The Charter thus seeks to broaden the debate on infrastructure beyond the construction of new projects to include the government’s capacity to monitor, maintain, modernize, and replace existing structures.

Continue the dialogue between the government and institutions

Another point highlighted by the leaders is the need to reestablish closer ties between the government and institutions that possess technical expertise in urban development and infrastructure.

According to Sydnei Menezes, professional organizations have historically participated in the formulation of policies and projects in collaboration with governments. In his view, restoring this dialogue is also a way to strengthen planning and the quality of public decisions.

“Engineering and architecture departments were staffed by professionals dedicated exclusively to their fields. And they had the opportunity to offer suggestions and ideas to help policymakers make their decisions,” he said.

In Sydnei’s view, the setting of priorities and deadlines for public works is often dictated by the logic of electoral cycles, to the detriment of the technical characteristics of the projects.

In presenting the Charter, the three institutions emphasize that the proposal is not an agenda for a specific administration, but rather a contribution to help Rio de Janeiro return to a planning approach capable of spanning different administrations.

“It is not a charter of proposals for a single administration or government. It is a long-term vision for Rio,” stated Miguel Fernández.

The ceremony for the presentation and signing of the Charter of Commitments is available on Coppe’s YouTube channel.

The full text of the Charter of Commitments is available below.