Ricardo Rio

Former mayor of Braga | Portugal

Ricardo Rio’s tenure as mayor of Braga, Portugal, was defined by him bringing together a political commitment and budgets in support of the implementation of on-the-ground projects. His goal was to make Braga a stand-out sustainable city, both in terms of being environmentally friendly, and a city that enjoys stable economic development, social fairness, and clear governance models as crucial pillars of good quality of life.

He may be best known for developing a joint strategy towards the city’s sustainability goals, including mobilising local stakeholders (such as setting up formal consultation councils), robust monitoring, and transparent progress reporting. This allowed him to take to Braga’s best practices to the international stage and further develop joint projects to build on this success.