Curitiba

Cities are pretty complex things because you have hundreds of thousands of people who not only demands and struggle with their own personal choices but also butt against groups of other people with conflicting interests. At the same time, the growth of the city economically and industrially often jeopardizes the city’s natural environmental and cultural heritage. What does a sustainable city mean? Fewer factories? More parks? Less garbage? Or is it more than that, including things like education, tourism, and respect, things that are less quantifiable? And more importantly, how would you make it happen?

I thought Curitiba, Brazil, makes a strong case for a sustainable city. It faced the task of making both industrial growth and environmental protection its theme. The former architect-urban planner major, Jaime Lerner, took a very holistic view of the problem. In the articles we read about environmentalism, a key point is made about thinking of the whole system environmental issues are part of, and that’s exactly what Lerner has done. First, he created a rapid bus transit system that cheaply transported people living in poor outskirts of the city to city center to work. The system had its own land on all highways so it’ll never get into traffic and the bus stations are like metro stations where you pay to get into the station, not the bus, so the bus can move more quickly from station to station. As a result, this answered the demand for more jobs and provided access to jobs for poor communities.

Sounds like a great solution to an economic problem? Well guess what, it’s an environmental problem as well because with increasing urban growth and urban income growth, more and more people buy cars. It causes congestion and air pollution. But the rapid bus system is so much more efficient than driving people ended up only driving on weekends.

Well the bus system is only part of the solution. Lerner implemented social programs that solved economic, social, and environmental problems simultaneously. It is very difficult to cost-effectively collect trash in less developed areas. At the same time, people who live in these areas lack education on recycling. Lerner founded an incentive program where residents in these areas collect and sort garbage, under the “Garbage That Is Not Garbage” slogan, and exchange it for fresh vegetables and food every week when a large truck comes by. Gives a fresh meaning to Cradle to Cradle’s phrase of “Waste is Food,” doesn’t it? This kind of program design I think really succeeded because it gave something people really wanted – a better diet, better life for their families and kids. This is the kind of program that promotes respect and environmental education that we should see more of, and this is where Curitiba really shines. The people there are now so educated in protecting the environment that it’s become a part of their normal life. They have one of the highest recycling and recyclable sorting rates in the world, and their children know this from an early age.

Curitiba also has the Wire Opera House (first photo above) and the Portugal, Italian, German, Japan, Tingul Woods, Parks, and Squares to tie cultural diversity to environmentalism but I won’t go into those here. But I do want to point out that Lerner took special approaches to get his idea implemented. A prime example is the 24 Hour Pedestrian Zone, which was in plan for 6 years with no action because legislation faced objections from various groups. Lerner ended up turning the 6-block area into the shopping promenade it is now in less than 72 hours, where it was originally going to take 4 months. The swiftness of his action cut through the governmental infrastructure that impeded its progress and it’s something to consider when we design programs or areas or whatever – how will it go through the existing system of realization.

A more detailed article about it can be found here. I also recommend you listen to his talk on TED.com here.