8 April 2013
US-based CH2M Hill has been appointed to develop an economic masterplan in Brazil for the Belo Horizonte Metropolitan Region (BHMR), a 463 sq mile area including the rapidly expanding capital city of the State of Minas Gerais.
The project will be led by the company’s architectural design group IDC Architects.
Brazil wants recommendations for building modern infrastructure in the region, and the state has received financing from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.
The fast-growing city is the capital of the State of Minas Gerais.
By creating a growth strategy for the next 20 years, the project is designed to attract international private investment to improve conditions for the four million people who live there.
CH2M Hill says the project aims to generate "smart growth" with high-tech and knowledge industries, a variety of transportation options and the preservation of natural landscape features.
"We’re motivated by the fact that this project is about much more than planning physical elements such as sites, buildings and infrastructure," said IDC Architects President Tim Meier. "It’s about planning the future of a vibrant region that has a great deal to contribute to the world."