Large Cities in Latin-America as Emerging Markets for Swedish Environmental Technology

Purpose and goal

This project took a look at environmental technology and how it can solve some of the problems that cities face. It aimed at describing and unveiling roles and interactions that take place during the process of selection, adaptation and implementation of environmental technology, from the perspective of potential implementing cities. A special interest was put on how cities learn from each other, how the competition among them influence this learning process, and how technology developers/suppliers can benefit from understanding the power relations within and among cities.

Results and expected effects

The results are presented under four different headings: Urban Sustainability Imaginaries: how visions of what a sustainable city is influence actions taken. Competitiveness: how implementation of environmental technology represent competitive advantages for cities. Flexibility and Adaptability: characteristics that technologies must have to facilitate the processes of selection, adaptation and implementation. Significant others: actors treated as crucial. Implications are presented for policy makers, entrepreneurs, academia and export promotion agencies.

Approach and implementation

This project was run jointly with Tekniska Verken AB i Linköping and Envac AB. A literature review and interviews were used to assess the state of knowledge. This was followed by three field trips to Medellín and one to Madrid and Barcelona. These cities were chosen because of their close contact they have with Medellín, and their importance as showcases. At these field trips we performed interviews, made study visits and collected written material. Finally, a workshop took place to discuss and fine-tune findings with the companies. The results were continuously analyzed and reported.