The CIT of Novo Hamburgo: Building a future for the capital of Brazilian footwear

Novo Hamburgo, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil), is promoting the development of the CIT Centro de Innovaçao e Tecnología, a technology park which is part of an ambitious local development plan supported by the Inter-American Development Bank, through the PROCIDADES program. Known as the Brazilian capital of footwear, in the last decade the city has suffered the consequences of the decline of the leather and footwear industry. The municipality has a great interest in progressing with the Local Economic Development component of the plan, with the objective of supporting and enhancing the competitiveness of the city. Special attention has been given to the creation of the CIT to foster innovation, technology development, and the attraction of new investment. This paper presents the Governance, Business Strategy and financing model of the CIT, together with its urban and architectural conceptual study and an environmental analysis.