CASE STUDY A: sustainable urban development in Curitiba

Source: World Development book case study:

https://newint.org/books/reference/world-development/case-studies/sustainable-urban-
development-curitiba/

In 2010 the Global Sustainable City Award was given to Curitiba. The award was introduced
to recognise those cities that excel in sustainable urban development. It is much easier for
cities in the developed world to invest in the planning and implementation of measures
needed for sustainable urban development and it is a surprise to many people that the
award went to a city in Brazil where, in spite of rapid industrial growth in recent years,
income levels are still relatively low. A quick look at the reasons for this reveals Curitiba as
a surprising place with an interesting history and culture.

Curitiba is in eastern Brazil and became the capital of the province of Parana in 1853. It
attracted local migrants as well as immigrants from Germany, Ukraine and Poland and other
European countries. During the 20th century its population increased rapidly and it became
one of the wealthiest cities in Brazil. In 2010 the population of Curitiba was 1.8 million and
the total population of its metropolitan area was 3.2 million.

Curitiba was a pioneer in attempts to provide solutions to improving urban life and the first
city plan with boulevards stretching out from a central area, public amenities and industrial
districts was produced in the 1950s. The plan was too costly to implement in full but
formed the basis for future developments.

The plan for city development that led to its present status as one of the most sustainable
cities in the world was a result of the election of a 33-year-old architect and planner, Jamie
Lerner, as mayor of Curitiba in the late 1960s. He implemented radical plans for urban land
use which featured pedestrianization, strict controls on urban sprawl and an affordable and
efficient public transport system. The bus system has been a key feature of Curitiba’s
development. The buses are long, split into three sections and stop at designated elevated
tubes, complete with disabled access. There is only one price, no matter how far you travel,
and you pay at the bus stop. It has been a model for other cities trying to achieve more
sustainable movement of people and is used by 85% of people living in the city.

Another feature of the city is the large amount of green space per head of population (52
square metres) which is remarkable in a city that has seen its population triple in the last 20
years. Much of the green space was achieved by using federal funds for flood control to
build small dams across rivers, creating lakes and parks for the city population. There are
28 parks and wooded areas in Curitiba, creating a city landscape which is unlike any other
in a developing city.

Curitiba does have slum dwellings and housing shortages but has developed innovative
ways of dealing with these urban problems. Farmland within the city limits was purchased
in the 1990s and 50,000 homes, which will house 200,000 people, are being built. The
houses are being built by the new landowners, sometimes with the aid of mortgages from
the city.

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'Sixty per cent of the lower-income people are involved in the construction industry
anyhow,' says one executive from COHAB (Curitiba's public housing programme). 'They
know how to build.' And here is the moving part: with your plot of land comes not only a
deed and a pair of trees (one fruit bearing and one ornamental), but also an hour downtown
with an architect. 'The person explains what's important to them - a big window out front,
or room in the kitchen. They tell how many kids they have, and so on. And then we help
draw up a plan,' says one architect, who has more than 3,000 of 'his' homes scattered
around the city.

'Most people can only afford to build one room at a time, so we also show them the logical
order to go in,' another designer explains.

From Curitiba: A Global Model For Development by Bill McKibben (2005

CommonDreams.org)

The new developments are immediately linked to the pubic transport system to integrate
the new home-owners. The shanty towns (favelas) on the outskirts of the city are kept clean
by encouraging people to bring their rubbish to collection points where they are given sacks
of food or bus tickets in return for their waste by the city authorities.
Nearer the city centre, the city authorities encourage the recycling of buildings rather than
demolition and reconstruction, helping the city to retain its architectural heritage. Children
can recycle waste in exchange for school supplies, toys and tickets for shows. It is estimated
that recycling materials in the city saves the equivalent of 1,200 trees a day and the money
raised from the recycling schemes goes into social programmes such as the employment of
homeless people in the recycling separation plants. An Open University, created by the city,
lets residents take courses in many subjects such as mechanics, hair styling and
environmental protection for a small fee.

Providing employment is an important measure of urban sustainability. Although Curitiba is

the eighth-largest city in Brazil, it has the fourth-largest GDP and is a focus for domestic and
inward investment attracted by quality of the city infrastructure and the high quality of life
enjoyed by the city population. From the 1970s onwards, it resisted the expansion of heavy
industry and in 2010 66% of its GDP was produced by the commerce and services sector. It
is, however, the second-largest manufacturer of cars in Brazil and home to many
transnational corporations such as Nissan, Volkswagen, Audi, Siemens and Electrolux.
The concentration on encouraging non-polluting and hi-tech industry has been successful in
achieving an economic growth rate which is much higher than the national average. The
city’s 30-year economic growth rate in Curitiba is 7.1% (compared with a national average
of 4.2%), and per-capita income is 66% higher than the Brazilian average. The high wealth
levels have helped Curitiba fund municipal health, education and daycare networks,
neighbourhood libraries shared by schools and citizens.

In the 1990s, the city started a project called FarÓis do Saber (‘Lighthouses of Knowledge’).
These ‘lighthouses’ have been set up in each quarter of the city and contain a library, and
computers for public use. Job training, social welfare and educational programmes are co-
ordinated by the city and Curitiba has the lowest illiteracy rate and highest educational
attainment levels of any of the Brazilian cities. In another attempt to improve social
integration and reduce the need for unnecessary travel, Citizen Streets exist in each district
where there is a long line of two-storey buildings, surrounded by a huge yellow tube, which

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can satisfy the majority of people’s needs: identity cards, employment and housing
applications can be processed, and there are subsidized shops, welfare assistance, music
classes and sports centres.

Many cities in the developing world have to cope with much higher levels of population
growth and do not have the history of urban development that Curitiba enjoys. However we
should not ignore the many people-centred innovations that have been implemented over
the last 40 years which have helped to make the city an example that many would like
to follow.