Growth model of the trinational region is worrying

On one hand, the chaotic traffic on Brazil's borders with Paraguay and Argentina; on the other, an ecologically viable region that still does not have a sustainable development model.

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We need to stop seeing Foz do Iguaçu, Ciudad del Este and Puerto Iguazú as separate cities

 Centennial Foz do Iguaçu is full of bottlenecks that are reflected in neighboring Puerto Iguazú, Ciudad del Este and Presidente Franco. While infrastructure and logistics projects are about to be rolled out, problems with the environment, housing and income generation persist.

The Ponte da Integração/Perimetral Leste/Porto Seco logistics complex is seen as a short-term solution to overcome chronic bottlenecks on the border in the logistics area that will have an impact on the economy. This is because the effects, especially of the Ponte da Integração, go beyond the simple circulation of cars and trucks.

In Presidente Franco, a city that shares the Integration Bridge with Foz do Iguaçu, the prospect is that a new commercial hub will emerge after the effective inauguration of the road, says the president of the Trinational Development Council (Codetri), Roni Temp. Codetri brings together councils from Foz do Iguaçu, Ciudad del Este, Puerto Iguazú and Presidente Franco.

“There are companies in Salto del Guairá that have bought land to build malls. It will be a new Ciudad del Este”, emphasizes Temp. Thinking about the future, the Development Council of Presidente Franco (Codefran) commissioned a study to plan the expansion and prevent commercial growth from being disorderly, as happened in Ciudad del Este.

In addition to the planned commercial hub, the city intends to invest in the tourist potential of the Saltos de Monday, which are three kilometers from the bridge and will be added to an ecological park already installed in the city. 

The inauguration of the Integration Bridge depends on the completion of additional works, including in Presidente Franco. Despite this, Codetri advocates for the release of vehicle flow from the second half of the year, when the infrastructure under construction on the Paraguayan side will be completed.

Agile

Another project that will have a regional impact is the new Dry Port. The terminal – which will be three times larger than the current one, located in the Ponte da Amizade region – is being built at the entrance to the city, on the banks of BR-277, and will have access to the Perimetral Leste.

Temp believes that the Dry Port is essential to overcoming the logistics bottleneck by allowing for more agility in customs clearance. “The city will make a leap forward, infrastructure is the biggest bottleneck,” he points out.

With greater agility, the tendency is for trucks that currently pass through Barracão (PR) and São Borja (RS) to prefer Foz do Iguaçu to reach Argentina due to the faster customs clearance. Today, the delay in clearance is the most inconvenient and hinders the growth of the sector.

In Foz do Iguaçu, the completion of the widening of the Cataratas Highway and the operation of the airport runway, which will allow it to receive international flights, are other important projects for tourism, says Temp. There are even foreign groups interested in investing in the region, which is already a tourist corridor for Foz.

The queues at the customs office in Puerto Iguazú, another chronic obstacle at the border, are far from being resolved, because inspections follow the country's law. Not even the change of president has changed the situation. 

Development model

The ongoing “major projects” have been awaited for decades and seem to be giving new life to the city’s logistics and tourism. However, the way in which this development is taking place is open to question.

Professor at the Federal University for Latin American Integration (Unila) who researches urbanism, urban planning and landscapes, Patrícia Zandonadi recalls that one of the main bottlenecks in the region is not the lack of works or logistics, but rather the understanding of what development with environmental justice is.

There is no management of land use and housing promotion, for example, which are considered important bottlenecks, he highlights.

Taking Foz do Iguaçu as an example, she says that the city does not have an industrialized economy or well-paid jobs, so people seek other ways to generate wealth, and the most recent of these is real estate speculation. “Land becomes something for wealth,” she says.

It is well known that tourism generates precarious jobs and pays poorly. Therefore, it is necessary to consider other models of people's relationship with work, such as the solidarity or circular economy, which are not focused on generating wealth.

In the professor's analysis, Foz do Iguaçu is experiencing a turning point, from a medium-sized city with a not very dynamic economy to an intense occupation of territory.

According to her, there is a dissonance in the debate regarding the city's development. The paths of public policies need to be democratized and involve other actors, in addition to councils, such as the Economic and Social Development Council of Foz do Iguaçu (Codefoz) and Codetri itself.

The City Council (ConCidades), for example, has a reduced role in the context of discussions.

The interest of the majority of the population is to live with housing, health and environmental security, and this is not a priority for the councils, he emphasizes.

The professor also reflects that, in the year 2024, we cannot escape the reality that is knocking at our door: the climate crisis. Therefore, we also need a city that preserves rivers and wetlands, and responds to the demands for decent housing, that produces food in urban areas and thinks about public transportation, which could already be decarbonized. “There is no shortage of technology.”