The project, managed by Florida International University (FIU), expects to reduce energy use in 400 buildings in those cities.

Last year, FIU won a grant of nearly $800,000 from the U.S. Department of State for the three-year project. An FIU research team is partnering with leading academic institutions in the three target areas—the Federal University of Goiás, in Brazil; the Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning at Chile’s Austral University; and the University of the West Indies, in Trinidad and Tobago—to strengthen expertise in environmental design and sustainability. The project includes research, teaching, and professional assistance components.

The three population centers were chosen for their interest in lowering carbon emissions and improving energy efficiency, as well as their potential to incorporate energy efficiency practices and policies that eventually could be applied in other cities and countries. By working with local universities, the project is able to focus on the most practical, relevant, and efficient solutions for each municipality.

According to Project Director and FIU Associate Professor Camilo Rosales, this initiative is expected to reduce energy consumption by 10-15 percent in some 400 buildings. The majority of them are in the largest city participating in the project, Goiânia, which has a total metropolitan area population of about 2 million people.