Trade/Scientific Partnership between Portland and the Brazilian city of Jaraguá do Sul

Guest columnist: Regina Scharf
Deep Brazil

Portland’s Mayor, Charlie Hales, and Dieter Janssen, his counterpart from the Brazilian city of Jaraguá do Sul, signed a pioneer memorandum of trade and scientific partnership to exchange sustainability expertise and urban planning strategies. The event happened in late May, after a five-day visit of a delegation led by Janssen that included other authorities from Jaraguá do Sul: Benyamin Parham Fard, president of the Jourdan Institute, the municipality planning agency; Elson Cardoso, Secretary of Education; Márcio Manoel da Silveira, Director of Economic Development; and Douglas Anjo M.D., Director of the local hospital. The study tour was led by Altair Assumpção, from Brazilian consulting firm Sustainable Hub, and organized by First Stop Portland.

From left: Douglas Anjo, Benyamin Fard, mayors Charlie Hales and Dieter Janssen, Altair Silva, Elson Cardoso and Márcio Manoel da Silveira.

Located in the Southern state of Santa Catarina, Jaraguá do Sul has a population of 148,000 and an Economy strongly based in the textile, food and the metallurgic industries. Annually, it hosts important festivals, such as one of the biggest classical music festivals in the country and the Schützenfest, local version of Munich’s Oktoberfest, that also keeps some similarities with Portland’s massive Rose Festival.