Cool City #5: Curitiba, Brazil
photo via henribergius
In writing these articles on these cities, I have called them “Cool Cities.” I didn’t really want to call them “Green Cities” becuase I feel somewhat skeptical about the whole “Green Rush.” Obviously, there are incredible things that are being done, and incredible things that need to be done, to prevent our daily habits from slowly rotting our planet. However, I fear that being green has become a trend that people get into because of guilt-trips or hip bumper-stickers on the back of Subarus. We, humans, tend to get wrapped up in causes that are absolutely wonderful, and we look down on those that aren’t as involved or enlightened. Our error is that we forget the very thing our important causes should point back to: humans.
That’s where Curitiba comes in. Instead of lengthy studies and arguments about “the environment,” when I was studying Curitiba, I found articles on people. Studies say that 99% of Curitibans are happy with their town. 99%! One of the most impressive aspects of Curitiba is its ability to deal with the very poor. One article says that “Curitiba may have broken the back of its social problems.” This statement comes from program after program helping those in need actually get what they need. For instance, if you bring in a bag of collected garbage the city will give you a bag of food. This makes the city, even the slums, clean- and it gives the people that live in the city a sense of pride. Also, a section of large farmland was purchased by the city and cleared so that homeless people could own a piece of land. The city helped with materials, but the people had to build their own homes. The city also provided one hour with an architect so that the homes would be unique and personalized. Thanks to a dedicated mayor and urban planner, Jaime Lerner, people seem to be at the center of what makes this city unique.
Curitiba is also, of course, green. There are 150 square feet of green space for every inhabitant (one article I read said 580 square feet per inhabitant?), 115 kilometers of bike lanes, walking – no car- zones, and a world renowned bus system (some 85 cities are working on replicating it). Here is a city that, to me, has got it right: Environment- important, Humans- most important. For a great article on Curitiba check out the article, by Bill McKibben, entitled: Curitiba: A Global Model For Development.
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I like the cities you have chosen however you really need to include Jerusalem in the amazing cities category because of the history of architecture that dates back to who knows when. Maybe you could add a post about architecture there – religious architecture at its best!