URBAN PLANNING IN CURITIBAJonas Rabinovitch and Josef LaitmanFrom Scientific American 1996

Photography of Curitiba (Unesco.org)

PRESENTATION

 DESIGNING WITH NATURE

 PRIORITY TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT

 INTEGRATED DESIGN MAKES BUSWAYS WORK

 PARTICIPATION THROUGH INCENTIVES

 LESSONS FOR AN URBANIZING WORLD

URBAN PLANNING IN CURITIBA

PRESENTATION

Location of Brazil Location of Curitiba

Curitiba is a city of Brazil, she has emerged as one of the most important example of creative urban planning of the world. Indeed, this city has known a rapid growth, she was a metropolis of 1.6 million inhabitants in 1996. Architects and urbanists, whose Jaim Lerner, proposed a plan with the idea of a livable and sustainable environment for residents of the city. At that time many questions are topical in nearby cities like : automobile, pollution, important crime rate and a low educational level. But we will see that Curitiba has taken a particular path of urban planning, which permits her a good development. «Why did Curitiba succeeded where others have faltered ?» ...

This city has promoted a development with a preference for public transportation than for private automobile, and proposed to work with the environment rather than against it. Theses ideas grown from the 1960 to 1971 when the master plan was drawn. One of the first successes of Curitiba was controlling some environmental problems which damaged the city center during late 1950’s : flooding. Some civil engineers proposed solutions to drain this water with underground canals. In the same time, this makes it possible to create some artificial lakes thanks to riverbanks turned into parks. Buses and bicycle paths were included into these gardens in order attract people to use them.We can note a raise of green space from half a square meter per capita in 1970, to 50 in 1996.

DESIGNING WITH NATURE

A park in Curitiba (wordpress.com) Bicycle path in one of the city’s park (Scientific American revue)

The second success of Curitiba, and probably the most important, was her research concerning public transports. This city hasn’t any problem of circulation because there isn’t a concentric grown, as we can see in most of others cities at this time. Indeed, Curitiba is then consists of five main axis which the city is built around. Skyscrapers are allowed along the road, and further away the density is lighter, urban sprawl is then limited and the city development controlled. Each of the five axis consists of three parallel roadways. The central road contains two express bus lanes, this road is dedicated to buses only in order to be faster. And the two others are dedicated to cars. 1966 : extension belong 5 axis1971 : public transportation plan is achieved

PRIORITY TO PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Section of a road, concept

(wordpress.com)Curitiba’s transit (Scientific American revue)

Photograph of a road of Curitiba

(Scientific American revue)

The express bus system is designed as a single entity. Some specials raised-tube bus-stops are created to invite people to pay before to enter the bus, this will improve traffic flow, and from now on buses just have to stop a few time, and can quickly continue the path. (a)The choice of an «outside subway» has allowed to Curitiba to save money. Indeed, if a subway as we can know was grown, it should be much more expensive. This integrated design is very effective, more and more people are using this transport means, so some new buses are created in 1992 : biarticulated buses, they can received 270 passengers, so more than three times as many as an ordinary bus. (b)

INTEGRATED DESIGN MAKES BUSWAYS WORK

(a) Raised-tube bus-stops (by Jonas Rabinovitch) (b) Evolution of Curitiba's buses (Scientific American revue)

An other important point of the success is the process by incentives. The first one is to protect the historical center, the plan suggests to build elsewhere in order to preserve old buildings of this part of the city. Nowadays many streets of this district have been converted in pedestrian streets, reducing pollution and fostering a sense of neighbourhood. (a)The second incentive concerns the recycling. In that time, recycling in Curitiba appears in many forms :-sort (b)-second life for buses -reconversion of old electricity utility poles in public offices and park buildings (c)

All theses innovations permitted to reduce the cost and increased the effectiveness of city’s waste management system. They have also conserved resources, beautified the city and provided employment.

PARTICIPATION THROUGH INCENTIVES

(a) Pedestrian street, Flowers street (Wikipedia.org)(b) Inhabitants sorting their garbage (Jonas Rabinovitch) (c) New life for old buildings (Jonas Rabinovitch)

For this city, Curitiba, all the conditions were here to make a good planning :- geographic conditions- economic conditions- political conditions Nevertheless, even if cities haven’t these criteria, Ciritiba’s planning should be an example for three important points :-TRANSPORTATION : the priority should be given to public transports rather to private cars, and to pedestrians rather to motorized vehicles,-CONNECTED SYSTEM : to propose a global solution taking care to all actors of the planning,-TRANSFORM PROBLEMS LIKE RESSOURCES : usual problems are here used for generate new resources (public transport, urban solid waste, unemployment).

After the example of Curitiba, others cities adopted the same urbanization, specially in Brazil and Latin America.

LESSONS FOR AN URBANIZING WORLD

Bicycle path in Curitiba (pinterest)

Photo of a typical road (Joel Rocha, wordpress.com) New example of Cape Town, South-America,

2015 (specifile.co)