In his first year in office as Mayor of Recife, the state capital in Northeast Brazil, Mayor Geraldo Julio de Mello Filho began implementing a model of social and economic development based on sustainable principles. This is quite a challenge for a city that has one of the fastest regional growth rates in the country and profound social inequalities.

Recife is located in a vulnerable region, as identified by the IPCC. The geophysical and bio-ecological characteristics of the region, along with land use patterns and occupation throughout the city's history, have made it one of the most vulnerable cities in Brazil.

Furthermore, the Recife Metropolitan Region is a large urban center that demonstrates clear trends of growth, urban expansion, and occupation of peripheral areas. All of this is also linked to a high level of social inequality and the highest level of poverty among metropolitan regions, 51.1%.

Despite the trends, Recife is the richest city in the Northeast region of Brazil, yet it continues to experience below-average national economic growth. Recognizing the risks of urban growth and the various opportunities related to sustainable urban development, Mayor Geraldo Julio is taking action.

The Mayor's experience in administration, public management, and planning led him to a recent pioneering initiative in Brazil for long-term urban planning: 'Recife 500 years, the city we want'. The plan will provide a roadmap for the city until 2037. It will be developed through five areas: Inclusion and Human Development, Economic Development, Urban Space and Mobility, Environmental Sustainability, and Public Services.

In April 2013, Mayor Geraldo Julio also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ICLEI to join the group of Model Cities in Brazil in the Low Carbon Urban Development Strategies (Urban LEDS) Project. After giving voice to South American cities at COP 19 in Warsaw, he submitted a Bill on Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability to the City Council and in 2014 will develop, through a participatory process, the Strategic Development of Low Carbon Emissions, which should be incorporated into the City's Urban Planning.

“Thanks to the agreement we signed with ICLEI, Recife will be the first city in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil to measure the amount of greenhouse gases produced in the city and establish gradual targets for reducing these pollutants by 2020,” stated Mayor Geraldo Julio. He believes that cities should be included in the discussion about climate change, because it is in them where people live, produce their waste, and use their vehicles. Also because local authorities are capable of engaging people in a more sustainable way of life.

Mayor Geraldo Julio aims for Recife to become a model city at the regional level, through actions related to climate change and sustainable development. Recife also intends to be a leading model by considering the main topics of the Sustainable Agenda in its actions.