CURITIBA - BRAZIL |
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Curitiba is a
city in Brazil, the capital of the state of Paraná. In 2001 it had a
population of some 1,600,000 people.
The city is on a plateau 3,120 feet above sea level. It is 65 miles west of
the sea port of Paranaguá, at 25.42° South, 49.29° West. |
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Curitiba is held as a paragon of urban planning excellence. The city has a
notably efficient transportation system, including devotion of lanes on
major streets for a bus rapid transit system. The buses are long, split into
three sections, and stop at designated elevated tubes, complete with
handicapped access. The system, used by 85% of Curitiba's population, is
similar to the TransMilenio in Bogotá, Colombia. The city is also remarkably
successful in preserving and caring for its green areas, boasting 54 m² of
green space per inhabitant.
By the 1960s, Curitiba's population had ballooned to 430,000, and some
residents feared that the growth in population threatened to drastically
change the character of the city. In 1964, Mayor Ivo Arzua solicited
proposals for urban design. Architect Jaime Lerner, who later became mayor,
led a team from the Universidade Federal do Paraná that suggested strict
controls on urban sprawl, a reduction in traffic in the downtown area,
preservation of Curitiba's Historic Sector, and a convenient and affordable
public transit system. This plan, known as the Curitiba Master Plan, was
adopted in 1968. Lerner closed Rua XV de Novembro, one of the main streets,
to traffic and adopted a new road design to minimize traffic. This design,
called the Trinary Road System, uses two one-way streets moving in opposite
directions which surround a smaller, two-lane street.
In the 1980s, the Rede Integrada de Transporte (Integrated Transport Network)
was created, allowing transit to any point in the city by paying just one
fare. The city also begun an interesting project called the "Faróis de
Saber" (Lighthouses of Knowledge). These Lighthouses are free educational
centers which include libraries, Internet access, and other cultural
resources.
Today, Curitiba is considered one of the best examples of urban planning on
the planet. In June 1996, the chairman of the Habitat II summit of mayors
and urban planners in Istanbul praised Curitiba as "the most innovative city
in the world. |
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