Fortaleza reaffirms its investment appeal and a city of the future. The capital of Ceará in Northeast Brazil ranks in the top ten Major American Cities of the Future 2017/2018. Ceará accolades don’t stop there, however, and two smaller cities in the state take high positions in the Small American Cities of the Future category.
Run by fDi Intelligence, part of the Financial Times, the prestigious Cities of the Future awards carry out annual rankings based on a number of criteria. To arrive at their results, fDi Intelligence uses its fDi Benchmark, a virtual platform that assesses investment attractiveness in over 55 industries in any destination.
Best Major American Cities
Fortaleza ranks as the eighth American city of the future in the category for cities with between 750,000 and 4 million inhabitants. It’s the only city in the northeast of Brazil to appear on the list and one of only three Brazilian cities in total. Belém in the state of Pará and Manaus in the Amazon rank in sixth and ninth places respectively. In total, some 49 cities were considered for the Major American Cities of the Future award, which was won by Guayaquil in Ecuador.
In the category for Small American Cities of the Future 2017/18, 209 cities throughout central and south American were considered. Ceará took two of the top five positions with Sobral in second place and Maracanaú in fifth. To qualify, small cities had to have a population between 100,000 and 300,000 people.
Best for cost-effectiveness
The three Ceará cities received the accolade of City of the Future for their cost effectiveness. FDi Intelligence looked at numerous criteria to ascertain this and so determine how attractive they are for attracting investment and new business.
The criteria included average salary, both for skilled and non-skilled workers; long-term rental prices; the cost of utilities and petrol; the price of hotel accommodation; purchasing power parity among inhabitants; and local taxes.
Representatives from the Fortaleza authorities said they were extremely proud to feature on the city of the future listings. They pointed out that the award is due in part to the long-term city planning. Known as the Fortaleza Plan 2040, this far-reaching scheme looks at improving social, environmental and economic factors for inhabitants of the city.
“The City of the Future award certainly opens doors in Fortaleza for new businesses,” said Nadia Zurba, a lecturer at the Technology Centre in the state university, UFC, quoted in Diario do Nordeste. Fortaleza is no stranger to the FDi Intelligence awards. Pecem Port, one of the largest handling centres in Brazil and a major free trade zone, was voted best global free zone in Latin America and the Caribbean.
“Since our investment began in Ceará, we’ve seen the state’s potential increase remarkably,” says Dies Poppeliers, Managing Director of BRIC Group. “It appeals increasingly to foreign investors and for us, it’s no surprise to see Fortaleza as a City of the Future, nor to discover that two lesser-known cities are ranked with the best.”
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An investment company specialising in global real estate opportunities, BRIC Group is currently developing The Coral resort, in Northeast Brazil, a luxury beachfront resort. BRIC Group also offers US real estate investments including turnkey properties in Florida and Houston, and land plots in Florida. BRIC Group has been creating wealth for its clients since 1996 and has offices in Brazil, Dubai (consulting office), Hungary, Spain and the US.
(Source: Diario do Nordeste)
