Initiatives for smarter and more sustainable cities in two Brazilian cities: drivers, benefits and challenges

As urban areas grow in population, a lot of pressure is placed on already overburdened urban systems, creating environmental, social and infrastructure problems. In this context, smarter and more sustainable cities can provide quality of life to the urban population, reducing environmental impacts and inequalities while promoting economic opportunities. Thus, the objective of this article is to identify and analyze initiatives related to sustainable and smart cities in two Brazilian cities, considering their local circumstances. Three attributes (drivers, benefits and challenges) related to the implementation of initiatives in these cities were listed. It was possible to verify that initiatives developed in these cities present significant differences in the conceptions and the results sought. Despite this, it is possible to observe that both cities' initiatives lack a holistic approach and focus on specific solutions not integrated with each other.