curitiba

Question 1

describe some statistics to do with Curitiba:

Answer 1

• 500 miles south of Rio, in the state of Parana.
• population: 2 million.
• integrated transport system.
• lowest rate of air pollution in Brazil, and lowest fuel consumption per capita.
• strict environmental laws also reduce industrial pollution.
• traffic-free city centre, pedestrianised streets.
• environmental education is part of school curriculum.
• 99% of people in the city are happy.

Question 2

describe curitiba’s waste recycling program:

Answer 2

• one of first cities to recycle in the 1980s.
• 2/3 of rubbish is recycled, one of the highest in the world.
• recycling costs no more than landfill, provides jobs, and is cleaner.

Question 3

describe curitiba’s green exchange system:

Answer 3

the poorest residents are given food, school supplies, bus tickets or even chocolate in exchange for recyclable products. 30,000 families have helped. 300 tonnes of garbage is removed per month.

Question 4

describe curitiba’s plan to ‘green’ urban areas:

Answer 4

• green spaces planned into the city with 28 parks with river walkways and cycle tracks.
• parks developed on the river also absorb floods.
• developers are allowed extra floors on buildings in exchange for money to develop green spaces.
• 1.5 million trees planted, helps to reduce carbon dioxide levels.

Question 5

describe curitiba’s building and housing:

Answer 5

• public housing scheme: urban poor are given the opportunity to build basic homes and so most people have access to clean water and proper sanitation.
• old buildings are converted rather than demolished, e.g. disused factories have been recycled into sports facilities.

Question 6

describe water and energy conservation in curitiba:

Answer 6

• energy consumption levels are the lowest per person in all of Brazil.
• in Brazil as a whole, carbon emissions are generally one of the lowest across the entire globe.
• in 2010, around 50% of total energy in Brazil comes from renewable sources such as hydro-electric power.
• curitiba generates 84% of their energy, just from hydropower.
• water is stored during the rainy season in the lakes created in the parks. this stops flooding and provides recreational opportunities.

Question 7

describe the buses in curitiba’s BRT (bus rapid transport) system:

Answer 7

• state-of-the-art public transport planned and developed. based on buses. operates like a railway but cheaper.
• new cleaner buses use biofuel (renewable, less pollution, cheaper).
• extra wide doors allow quick boarding and cut travel time by 1/3.
• bus companies paid by the mile, not by the passenger (will go faster).
• normal bus carries 1,000 passengers per day, 25 metre long bi-articulated buses can carry 4,000 a day.

Question 8

describe the advantages of curitiba’s BRT system:

Answer 8

• 500x cheaper than developing underground.
• no traffic congestion and roads are safer. bus only lanes (buses can move faster) and express lanes (fewer stops).
• 80% of commuters use buses - 1.3 million passengers per day.
• 1 fare to go anywhere - smartcard system with fares paid in advance so no queues when passengers pay. doubles the number of passengers that travel every hour.
• light railways plans scrapped as buses have been so effective.