Urban Futures of the Amazon is a multilateral research project that investigates and proposes alternative paths for the urbanization in the Brazilian rainforest. Belém do Pará, one of the largest cities in the Amazon and the future host of COP30, is our first study case. Using multimedia, interactive storytelling, and data analytics tools for urban design, we are involving local students and local researchers in creating pro-social and pro-environment alternatives for the urbanization of Belém.

The Amazon rainforest is a cradle of socio-biodiversity, a creative complexity that aligns with the antidisciplinary approach of the MIT Media Lab. Complex challenges, such as ongoing climate change, require diverse tools. No single discipline, technology, or tradition can offer complete answers. That is why we seek to integrate in this research line multiple cosmologies, knowledge systems, and practices, combining the ancestral wisdom of local communities with contemporary approaches in science, art, and technology. This exchange strengthens the dialogue between different forms of knowledge and expands our understanding of Amazonian ecosystems on their own terms.

How can we respond to the urbanization trend while preserving the forest? How can humans inhabit the Earth in harmony with other forms of life? Can Belém invent its own urban processes that emerge from unique local conditions and become a reference for communities globally? These are just a few of the many research questions posed in this multi-layered project, mirroring the complexities of the forest and its multiplicity of inhabitants.