I have started researching the city of Curitiba for my Urban Planning class. I have ample interest in looking at this city because it leads the world in urban planning initiatives that revolve around sound environmentalism. Not many people have heard of this city but would be astonished to discover its outstanding achievements. A city of about 2 million people located 650 km southwest of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It has become a model for green cities through illustrating the powerful effects of public participation and the audacity to bring change. It has a comprehensive recycling program that has a high participation rate, 70 percent of the city's citizens use this program including people of the lower class and upper class. In fact, food and bus coupons are given out by the city in exchange for recyclable products. This provides the poor with an alternative to welfare while also protecting and embracing the environment. The money raised from selling recyclable materials goes into social programs and the city employs the homeless and recovering alcoholics in its garbage separation plant.
Its transportation system has a 75% ridership rate. Some of its special articulated buses can carry up to 270 people and travel on dedicated bus lanes. With high levels of public transit ridership, there is no need to implement a congestion tax similar to what other cities have done like London to control traffic congestion in the downtown area. Even more ingenious in its urban planning has been the initiative to provide a feeder network of small buses and vans that collect people from residential areas. Forthcoming blog entries will delve more into the phenomenon of "New Urbanism" which is centered on community functionality and livability.
A lot of the success to the city has been attributable to civic leadership and public participation. Giving the citizens a chance to work with their urban planners and politicians to design the city's layout, has resulted in great success. Children are educated at a young age about the merits of conserving energy like switching off lights at school and using less water. As my research progresses, I will share more edifying facts about this city and its outstanding accomplishments on environmental initiatives through planning. If this is not a good example of sound urban planning, then what is?
I am a student from Ottawa, and am studying Curitiba for my Sustainable Design Practices class. I had heard about Curitiba years ago and found it inspiring.
ReplyDeleteOttawa is currently going back and forth regarding developing light rail and other options. Curitiba would be an interesting model to emulate as it avoided the high cost of subways and rail with their effective bus system (that aren't shut down - we're into day 50+ of a bus strike!.
We can learn so much from what they've done and to see how they adapt as the city's population expands to maximize the original infrastructure.
Curitiba is a wonderful city with nice streets, lots of green... and, event though it has only 2 million people, if looks massive!
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