Curitiba Flashcards
Curitiba - example of a sustainable city
Capital of Parana, largely agricultural state, Southern Brazil - now major industrial and commercial centre
population 1970 - 650,000
population 2015 - 1.9m (trebled)
Initially planners - decentralization - new developments edge of city - urban sprawl
Significant policy change - greater emphasis on sustainability
transport system - key element of success - planners sought to integrate traffic management, transportation and land-use planning
Aim to reduce number of car journeys from suburbs/outskirts into city centre, reducing congestion and pollution
Other cities - underground system but ruled out for Curitiba by cost
Planners incorporated many features of underground into bus system
Five major arterial routes linking central Curitiba to suburbs - cross three ring roads - weblike pattern
Each arterial route - two-way lane for express buses, local access lane for cars and a lane for mixed traffic use
Five types of buses - Express buses
operate on dedicated bus lanes
Five types of buses - bi-articulated (bendy) buses
operate on fast outer lane of dedicated bus routes - carry 270 passengers - frequency of every 30 seconds - 32,000 passengers per hour
Five types of buses - ‘Rapid’ buses
operate on arteries and city ring roads - these buses respond to level of demand
Five types of buses - ‘Inter-district’ buses
bring passengers from the sectors in between arterial roads
Five types of buses - ‘Feeder’ buses
carry passengers from outlying districts to transfer stations on arterial routes
Buses have separate exit doors to aid passenger flow
reduce time bus idles at stops - faster journeys and reduce pollution
Fares are per journey
so longer journeys taken by poorer people living on edge of Curitiba are cheap
Public utilities such as water services, electricity offices, police stations, hospitals are close to arterial routes in areas known as ‘citizen streets’
so public services readily accessible by public transport
Residential areas typically low-rise and divided into neighbourhoods focused around multi-purpose community centres providing library and Internet mostly for children
called ‘Lighthouses of Knowledge’ and work in collaboration with schools to provide safe shelter for street children - patrolled by police to ensure safety
City centres pedestrianized - shop owners initially concerned might lead to decrease in customer numbers - didn’t happen so has been deemed successful
Streets redesigned with new lighting, trees and seating areas. Historical buildings restored. Some streets have 24 hour shopping.
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY Curitiba has a strict policy on industrial development
Only non-polluting industries given planning permission and city council provides inexpensive courses to train workers in necessary skills
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY Curitiba Industrial City (CIC) is an industrial region that has provide many 100s of jobs
Diversified range of jobs here is more sustainable than a highly specialized economic structure which would be more susceptible to mass unemployment in times of recession
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY CIC built 10km SW of Curitiba
prevailing SE winds blow away any pollution from city centre. Factories located near public transport limiting car commuter journeys.
GREEN SPACE WHO recommends cities should provide 16sq m of green space per person
Curitiba has more than 28 wooded areas and parks - about 52 sq m per resident
GREEN SPACE Some green spaces beside water courses
act as environmentally friendly flood defences
GREEN SPACE Developers offered tax breaks
for incorporating green spaces and trees in their plans
GREEN SPACE Open areas increase infiltration, reduce surface run off..
… and lakes serve as temporary storage basins at times of heavy rainfall
WASTE MGMT ‘Garbage that’s not garbage’ programme
over 70% of city’s waste recycled (in Belfast 40%)
WASTE MGMT Paper recycling saves about 1200 trees daily
money raised from recycling funds social programmes and city employs homeless and people with addictions in waste separation plants
WASTE MGMT Area that cant be reached by recycling lorries
families bring waste to recycling centre in exchange for food and bus tickets
WASTE MGMT Less waste dumped in water courses
less disease from polluted water and a better environment
IMMIGRATION Curitiba like many LEDC cities attracts rural migrants
threatening development strategies
IMMIGRATION Many migrants attempted to set up informal settlements on green spaces - numbers threatened to overwhelm city’s infrastructure
Two pronged approach - migrants intercepted at bus stations and encouraged to return home; surrounding rural areas developed to reduce ‘push’ factors which were driving migrants to seek a better life in Curitiba
IMMIGRATION Families who have to build their own houses
given two trees to plant and entitled to architect help
EVAL Strategies employed in Curitiba successful
city has won awards, including Global Sustainable City award 2010
EVAL Curitiba’s per capita income is above Brazil national average
example of Curitiba shows twin goals of economic prosperity and green policies achievable
EVAL Many of the policies relating to public transport such as single journey fare (for any length)
advantageous to poor
EVAL Location of public services in close proximity to public transport reduced need for car journeys
so although Curitiba has a high rate of car ownership, it also has low rates for fuel usage and pollution
EVAL However, some causes of concern over future of Curitiba
Population growth remains high
Recycling rates no longer increase and providing landfill sites has been a problem
City’s authorities need to be constantly alert to ensure achievements in Curitiba regarding sustainability are maintained
