Belém hosted the “Urban Futures of the Amazon” event. On December 12, national and international experts gathered to discuss the relationship between urbanization, contemporary technologies and traditional knowledge in the Amazon. Held at the Estação Gasômetro theater, the meeting brought together researchers from the MIT Media Lab (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), the UFPA Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism (FAU-UFPA), the Emílio Goeldi Museum of Pará and the City Lab.

The event was organized by Gabriela Bila (MIT Media Lab), Helena Lima (Goeldi Museum), Kent Larson (MIT Media Lab), Lucas Nassar (City Lab), Luis Alonso Pastor (MIT Media Lab), Roberta Menezes (FAU-UFPA) and Rosabelli Coelho (MIT Brazil).

New perspectives for Amazonian cities

With the aim of rethinking the Amazon as a cradle of socio-biodiversity and guiding it in the search for innovative solutions to global urban and climate challenges, the event was structured in two stages. In the morning, a program open to the public featured round table discussions and lectures by experts such as Roberta Menezes (FAU-UFPA) and Kent Larson (MIT Media Lab). Among the topics discussed were new forms of urbanization that respect the specificities of the Amazon biome and the importance of integrating modern technologies with the region's ancestral knowledge.

Gabriela Bilá, a researcher at MIT Media Lab, highlighted the need to reinvent the traditional urban model. “The idea, as the name suggests, is to think of new ways of living in the Amazon. Starting with Belém, we want to explore alternatives to the imported Western model that has already proved to be flawed, causing social and environmental disruption and being inadequate to deal with the major climate issues that lie ahead,” she explained.

Archaeologist Helena Pinto Lima, from the Emílio Goeldi Museum of Pará, stressed the importance of learning from the past. “We are together in this exercise of imagining alternative futures for our Amazonian cities from different perspectives. It's a look at previous experiences, thinking about what our cities can be in the future,” she said.

Practical and collaborative solutions

In the afternoon, a workshop brought together 40 guests at CANTO Coworking to explore challenges and propose solutions for the future of Belém. The activity promoted an intense exchange between the participants, identifying synergies and promoting dialog between different areas of knowledge.

Impact and legacy of the event

“Amazon Urban Futures” highlighted the importance of connecting FAU-UFPA students to contemporary challenges, stimulating the creation of innovative solutions that respect the uniqueness of the Amazon. According to the organizers, the initiative positions Belém as a living laboratory for the creation of urban models that reconcile environmental preservation and sustainable development.