“Joinville More” Kicks Into Gear

The city of Joinville, in Santa Catarina, Brazil, is a regional powerhouse that contributes a high proportion of the economic output to one of the country’s wealthiest regions. Although it already has one of the highest standards of living in Brazil, the city is set to see the benefits of a huge investment programme that will see more than $800 million of public money pumped into the city over the next 5 years aimed at improving the local economy, generating employment, creating income and promoting the level of development in the city.

Collectively known as Joinville More, the programme was presented by mayor March Tebaldi at a meeting of the Business Association of Joinville. The cohesive strategic plan will see investment into 188 distinct projects, covering a range of social, health, cultural, education, infrastructure, housing , water and sewage initiatives.

Tebaldi said: “There is no other city in Brazil which has an investment programme of $ 800 million. It is “Joinville More” because we want better health, more work and more growth for Joinville.”

Joinville already has a thriving education sector, with more than 18,000 students attending 10 different higher education institutions, as well as plans for a major new university. But the Joinville More strategy will see 20 new schools constructed, as well as the addition of other 29 and the construction of 25 more Centres of Child Education.

2008 and 2009 will see the highest levels of investment, with over 60% of the investment occurring during this timeframe, before tailing off towards 2012. Property investors looking to capitalize on the benefits of these infrastructure improvements should move quickly to maximize returns, according to Dan Johnson, director of international property portal TheMoveChannel.com.

He said: “The money is already being spent, but the impact on the local economy will take a while to filter through. In a domestic market that is growing rapidly as a whole, this city is already faring well and this investment programme will help Joinville to continue attracting residents and businesses to this part of Southern Brazil.”

News submitted by Dan Johnson, The Move Channel