Santana de Parnaíba, in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region, received national recognition by winning the 2025 Band Excellent Cities Award in one of the evaluation pillars. socioeconomic development and public order, in the range of municipalities with more than 100 inhabitants.
The announcement was part of the national stage of the award, which brings together cities previously recognized in the state-level phases.
The result projects the municipality onto the national stage through indicators associated with public management, the economic environment, and public policy.
— ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW —
The award is organized by Grupo Bandeirantes in partnership with the Aquila Institute and uses the Aquila Municipal Management Index, or IGMA, as its methodological basis.
In an official statement, the city hall informed that the recognition is linked to administrative planning, fiscal responsibility, and policies aimed at maintaining public services..
Santana de Parnaíba wins the Band Cidades Excelentes 2025 Award and stands out in safety, efficiency and public management in Greater São Paulo.
According to the municipal administration, the performance reflects continuous actions adopted over the past few years.
“This achievement reflects the daily effort of the employees, who work with dedication to keep essential services running. We remain focused on making the city increasingly safer, more structured, and more welcoming,” the city hall stated in an official note.
Criteria for the Band Excellent Cities Award and evaluation methodology.
Created to encourage good practices in municipal public administration, the Band Excellent Cities Award compares cities from different regions of the country based on… standardized criteria.
The assessment considers population groups and thematic pillars, such as governance, education, health, sustainability, and socioeconomic development with public order.
According to the organizers, IGMA consolidates dozens of indicators extracted from official public databasesThis allows for a standardized comparison of municipalities.
Santana de Parnaíba wins the Band Cidades Excelentes 2025 Award and stands out in safety, efficiency and public management in Greater São Paulo.
The methodology combines socioeconomic, fiscal, and administrative data to determine the final score for each city in each pillar.
At the national level, the municipalities that performed best in the state-level phases compete.
The stated goal of the initiative is to encourage administrative efficiency and increase transparency regarding local public policies.
Safety and efficiency in the context of national awards.
In the case of Santana de Parnaíba, the highlight was in a pillar that brings together variables related to the local economy and public order.
Public management experts often point out that this type of indicator is not limited to crime statistics, but also involves urban organization, service functioning, and the institutional environment.
For this reason, the title “safer and more efficient” should be interpreted within the scope of the award and its methodology.
Santana de Parnaíba wins the Band Cidades Excelentes 2025 Award and stands out in safety, efficiency and public management in Greater São Paulo.
The classification refers to performance in the evaluated pillar and the corresponding population range, and not to an absolute and isolated ranking of public safety among all Brazilian cities.
Nevertheless, the recognition signals that, according to IGMA criteria, the municipality presented results superior to those of other cities of the same size in the set of indicators analyzed.
Institutional effects and visibility of municipal management
The award does not involve the direct transfer of financial resources.
The main effect is usually institutional and symbolic, functioning as seal of recognition for public administration.
Award-winning municipalities tend to use the results to showcase their administrative performance in meetings with investors, state governments, and federal agencies.
Santana de Parnaíba wins the Band Cidades Excelentes 2025 Award and stands out in safety, efficiency and public management in Greater São Paulo.
At the same time, this type of visibility increases the demand for detailed data that underpinned the classification.
In indicator-based assessments, the publication of results usually generates interest in historical series, regional comparisons, and the evolution of public policies over time.
Another recurring effect is the increase in comparisons between municipalities in different states.
The national stage brings together cities with distinct economic and social profiles, which broadens the debate on administrative practices that can be adapted to diverse realities.
Monitoring indicators and continuity of public policies.
For Santana de Parnaíba, this recognition increases the responsibility to maintain consistent performance in subsequent evaluation cycles.
Indicators used in municipal management indices are dynamic and can vary according to economic, fiscal, and social changes.
The municipal administration itself emphasized that the focus remains on the continuity of public policies and the maintenance of services.
Future evaluations should indicate whether the results are sustainable and how the municipality responds to new challenges.
With the city now in the national spotlight for its development and public order, what indicators do you consider most relevant for objectively assessing whether this performance is reflected in the daily lives of the population?