PORTO ALEGRE SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION ZONE – THE STRATEGY OF SMART CITY DEVELOPMENT AS EXEMPLIFIED BY THE BRAZILIAN CITY IN RELATION TO POZNAŃ (POLAND)

Porto Alegre, a city in south Brazil, was a pioneer in participatory budgeting in the 1990s, and a decade later it hosted the World Social Forum. These days Porto Alegre is the first place in the world with a Sustainable Innovation Zone. The goal of this endeavour is to transform the city into the most innovative and sustainable city in Latin America by 2030. In the article, the author examines the projects completed to date and the entities involved. Then, the author compares the experiences of Porto Alegre and Poznań.

Social and Solidarity Economy in Uruguay

The social and solidarity economy is a widely used concept to indicate economic logics based on solidarity and the centrality of sustainability in life, differentiating them from the hegemonic economy unilaterally based on rational individualism, the maximization of profits, and the free market. It involves dynamic and specific sociohistoric constructions. In Uruguay, cooperative organizations, which have been in existence for more than a century, are traditionally identified with these types of practices. Cooperativism developed in dialogue with the distinct stages of Uruguayan history and over the last fifteen years, these experiences have tripled, based on the strengthening of public policies for the promotion and support of the sector. Institutional consolidation and the long trajectory of distinct sectors of cooperativism, mutualism, and rural development societies tend to be identified with the social economy. On the other hand, around the dawn of the new century, there emerged a diversity of forms of organization and networks which emphasized the need for social transformation, appealing to practices based on solidarity and reciprocity, both between people and between them and the environment. In general, these are decentralized structures which, in a regional context marked by the socioeconomic crisis and the slogan of the World Social Forum of “another world is possible,” organize economic activities according to the principles of democratic management, cooperation, autonomy, and transformation.

World Social Forum Sebagai Eksperimentasi Pengorganisasian Politik Multitude

­This article provides an analysis of the resistance model and the proposals of World Social Forum (WSF). With Hardt and Negri’s multitude as a theoretical framework, this article found that as a free and plural movement that serves as a non-state and non-partisan medium, WSF succed to stimulate democratic and reflective debates, submit proposals, share experiences, and form an alliance for movements and organisations who also seek to achieve a democratic and just world. This article also identifies the demands and proposals put forward by the WSF, including those related to economic, political, identity/cultural, ecological problems as well as militarism and war. These proposals are manifestation of the alternative vision to neoliberal globalization offered by the WSF.