Assessing urban sustainability through the water-energy-food nexus: the case of Curitiba – PR

Abstract

In view of the growing global concern about water, energy, and food security, this study aims to propose an index capable of assessing in an integrated manner the interrelationships between these three sectors in the city of Curitiba, Paraná. To this end, 470 articles published between 2018 and 2023 were analyzed, from which the most relevant indicators related to the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus were extracted. The data were collected from official platforms such as IBGE, COPEL, INMET, and the City of Curitiba. The methodology adopted combines Commitment Programming with the Mahalanobis distance and Pareto thresholds, allowing a geometric and normalized analysis of urban sustainability. The construction of the index aims not only to quantify the current situation of the city, but also to highlight the critical points that compromise its autonomy. The results demonstrate that Curitiba has low sustainability in the three sectors, revealing a strong dependence on external resources for water, energy, and food supply. The conclusion indicates that, despite the recognition of sustainability, the municipality faces significant structural limitations, which compromise its functioning in the face of future crises. The proposed index appears to be a strategic tool to support integrated urban planning and the formulation of more efficient public policies.

Keywords: nexus; WEF; indicator; sustainability.