Curitiba, Brazil has been put on the map for its significant cultural heritage, but also for its sustainable infrastructure. It homes approximately two million people, but does so in a way that inspires urban planners all over the globe.
What makes Curitiba so unique?
This city in the South of Brazil has adopted policies and practices that not only benefits its citizens fiscally, and socially, but also serves to protect and respect the local environment's well being. It is one of the greenest, happiest cities in the first world, due to its bold, and dynamic response to everyday problems.
Congestion was one of the issues that Curitiba addressed; they did so by actually removing one of the city's most popular commuter roads. This redevelopment of a road into a pedestrian street received a lot of flack from locals when it was first proposed. People couldn't understand how removing a road would help traffic, wouldn't it make it worse? As counterintuitive as it seemed, the result of removing cars from the road and transforming it into a pedestrian only street was one of the city's greatest feats at both ameliorating traffic, and making the street a more popular attraction. It boosted property value, their local economy, and reduced traffic in the area by making it more popular to walk!
Another feat of Curitiba's was removing lanes typically used for single occupant vehicles in the center of the five busiest, multi-lane arterial roads. These buses were custom designed for the city, and hold as many people as an average New York City subway. The bus system allows people to take faster, more direct routes to navigate the city, while saving them both time and money. Who wouldn't love that? Another benefit to this integrated transportation system is that it allows people from greater distances around the city's limits to access areas they may not be able to without a vehicle. Not only is traffic throughout the city reduced, but the implementation of buses was actually cost effective for the city.
Aside from transportation changes, Curitiba is also unique in its waste removal from the city. Rather than a standard solo garbage truck cruising through the neighborhood to collect trash, Curitiba has two. One is for organic waste, meaning primarily old food, and the other is for recyclable items. Citizens sort their recyclables and leave them on their curb to be picked up. The second step after doorstep removal involves a sorting facility. People are employed to further sort the "garbage," and are often people who are being helped to correct undesirable behavior, such as drug addiction, or are new immigrants to the country. These people make a fair wages, and make it possible for Curitiba to recycle more than any other city on the globe!
Another creative change that Curitiba implemented was the transformation of a housing area that used to be flooded seasonally into a magnificent green park. The city paid the people who previously lived in the area to abandon their homes so that they could transform the space into one the city's most beloved areas.
This strategy not only eliminated flooding, but raised property value in the area by allowing nearby skyscrapers to build higher. Some of the property taxes that these skyscrapers paid to the city were then spent on affordable housing projects. It was a win, win on all sides.
The man responsible for putting these sustainable ideals into practice is Jamie Lerner, the mayor of Curitiba. Interviews of him and his team highlight how unprecedented the city's transformation was, and just how quickly they were able to make the needed changes they did.
Curitiba should be a role model for cities all over the planet. Prioritizing people over cars, human and environmental health can be nothing but beneficial for a society, and the world at large.
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