São Paulo – As cities become increasingly populous, disorganized, and affected by extreme climate events, a new approach to urban planning is essential. Addressing this need and the growing concept of smart cities, Bright Cities was founded in 2018. The startup, based in Campinas, Brazil, aims to provide solutions for municipal challenges—whether in small towns or major cities like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.
Based on data collection and analysis of a specific location, the company provides solutions in various areas such as mobility, environment, health, governance, and security—always aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
On the Bright Cities website, anyone can search for their city’s indicators (covering all 5,571 Brazilian municipalities), compiled from public data. For a more detailed analysis, municipalities can access it through the startup’s basic package.
“But we also provide customized assessments, addressing each case individually with specific solutions,” explains Fábio Silva, project manager at the company. Many of these solutions are available for free on the company’s online marketplace.
Another area the startup focuses on is assisting cities in obtaining certifications. The ABNT ISO 37120, ISO 37122, and ISO 37123 standards relate to “sustainable cities and communities,” “smart cities,” and “resilient city indicators,” respectively. According to Silva, over 100 cities worldwide have been certified, but only seven in Brazil, namely Recife, São Paulo, Salvador, São José dos Campos, Jundiaí, Pindamonhangaba, and Lagoa Dourada. All of them monitor ISO indicators, and some achieved certification with Bright Cities’ support.
Riyadh, livable city
The startup has also been hired by cities outside Brazil. In 2019, the Saudia Arabian capital’s Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) approached the company to find environmental solutions, particularly related to air quality and climate cooling. “They found us online and contacted us because Riyadh wants to be one of the 100 most livable cities in the world,” says Raquel Cardamone, creator of Bright Cities and expert in smart cities.
The initiative is part of a larger project, Saudi Vision 2030, a program announced by the Saudi government in 2016 to diversify the economy, which is heavily reliant on oil, promote new businesses, invest in education (one of the goals being to have at least five universities among the top 200 in the world), and many other objectives, including making Riyadh one of the best cities to live in.
Even though it is a foreign city from the Middle East with official sources in Arabic, Bright Cities gathered over 80% of Riyadh’s data, which was later validated by members of the RCRC. “Additionally, we compared the city’s data on environment, energy, mobility, and urban planning with that of 10 other global cities, providing an overview of the most critical indicators for Riyadh,” explains Cardamone. (See here the main strengths and needs of Riyadh to become a smart city.)
More than 100 solutions were suggested and registered in the marketplace, focused on Riyadh’s strategic plans, classified according to the actions of each plan. One of the recommended solutions for the city was CityTree, the world’s first biotechnological filter that measurably improves air quality, reducing fine dust pollution by up to 53%, and cools the temperature by up to 2.5°C. “It’s a piece of furniture that cools the environment, and anyone sitting there feels a fresher climate,” explains Cardamone.
The founder of Bright Cities is an enthusiast of the topic and actively participates in the global urban innovation ecosystem, including fairs and events on the subject, such as the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona. “My purpose is clear: to transform cities through data intelligence, innovation, and efficient governance, promoting a more connected, sustainable, and inclusive urban future.”
Read more:
Saudi Arabia seeks startups in Brazil
Report by Débora Rubin, in collaboration with ANBA.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
