CASE 1 Curitiba, Brazil Cost Is No Barrier to Ecological and Economic Urban Planning, Development, and Management The case of Curitiba, Brazil, shows that cost is no barrier to ecological and economic urban planning, development, and management. Curitiba has developed a sustainable urban environment through integrated urban planning (fi gure 3.1). To avoid unplanned sprawl, Curitiba Figure 3.1 Curitiba Cityscape directed urban growth linearly along strategic Source: Institute for Research and Urban Planning of Curitiba (IPPUC). axes, along which the city encouraged high- density commercial and residential develop- and attractive to citizens. Crime has also de- ment linked to the city’s integrated master creased. In addition, citizens, particularly plan and land use zoning. Curitiba adopted an the poor, are provided with opportunities to aff ordable but innovative bus system rather participate in environmental activities and than expensive railways that require signifi - educational programs. cant time to implement. Curitiba’s effi cient The social, economic, and environmental el- and well-designed bus system serves most of ements of sustainable development in Curitiba the urban area, and public transportation have been facilitated by integrated land use, (bus) ridership has reached 45 percent.1 The public transportation, and street network plans city now has less traffi c congestion, which (fi gure 3.2). Much of the success may be attrib- has reduced fuel consumption and enhanced uted to the Institute for Research and Urban air quality. The green area has been increased, Planning of Curitiba (IPPUC), an independent mainly in parks that have been created to public authority that handles not only research improve fl ood prevention and through regula- and planning, but also the implementation and tions that have enabled the transfer of devel- supervision of urban plans. IPPUC has coordi- opment rights to preserve green areas and nated the various aspects of urban development cultural heritage zones. As part of eff orts to and ensured continuity and consistency in plan- concentrate shops and facilities in the city ning processes amid turnover in city adminis- center and along dense axes, Curitiba’s car- trations. This is an illustration of successful free central city zone (including its main path dependency in urban development in streets and recreational facilities such as terms of the spatial, institutional, and cultural parks) has become more walkable, lively, aspects. THE FIELD REFERENCE GUIDE | 169 GUYANA IBRD 37443 R.B. de Fr. Guiana (Fr) JANUARY 2010 COLOMBIA VENEZUELA SURINAME ATLANTIC OCEAN Profi le of Curitiba and the Curitiba Metropolitan Region ECUADOR Curitiba • The capital of the State of Paraná, in the south of Brazil BRAZIL • Land area: 432 km2 PERU • Population (2008): 1.83 million Brasília • Annual population growth rate: 1.86 percent BOLIVIA PACIFIC • The city is bordered by the Iguaçu River to the east and Passaúna Park to the OCEAN west. PARAGUAY • The city is located at the center of Brazil’s largest economic corridor, which in- Curitiba cludes Brasília, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paolo, and near major cities, BRAZIL ARGENTINA ATLANTIC such as Buenos Aires and Montevideo, in other South American countries. OCEAN URUGUAY 500 km. Curitiba Metropolitan Region • Consists of 26 municipalities, including Curitiba Map 3.1 Location of Curitiba • Land area: 15,622 km2 Source: Map Design Unit, General Services • Population (2008): 3.26 million Department, World Bank. • Population growth rate: 2.01 percent Population Growth in Curitiba YEAR 1960 1970 1980 1991 2000 2007 2008 Population (1,000s) 361 609 1,025 1,31 5 1,587 1,797 1,828 Population density (persons per km2) 836 1,410 2,373 3,044 3,674 4,161 4,232 Green area (km2 per person) — <1 — — — — 51.5 Source: IPPUC, http://ippucnet.ippuc.org.br (accessed January 15, 2009); data for 2008 from IPPUC (2009a). Note: — = not available; km2 = square kilometers Approaches and center (fi gure 3.3). Major economic activities Ecological and are concentrated along these corridors, and the Economic Benefi ts city appears to have a linearly formed down- town. At the same time, the city center was rein- Curitiba took various in- forced with high-density development (fi gure novative approaches to 3.4). The structured corridors became major ecological and economic public transportation routes under a bus rapid urban planning. The fol- transit (BRT) system that includes dedicated Figure 3.2 Policy Integration in Curitiba lowing are the seven major lanes and bus stops nearly every 500 meters. Source: IPPUC approaches. To realize this plan and guide linear urban growth, Curitiba implemented detailed zoning Innovative land use planning integrated plans that refl ect the master plan’s strategic vi- with transportation planning sion, geographical and geological constraints, Urban sprawl and concentrated traffi c in Cu- water and wind directions, Curitiba’s industrial ritiba’s downtown area were anticipated be- profi le, and urban cultural and social factors. In cause of rapid population growth. The city for- 2000, Curitiba had 50 types of specifi c zoning mulated a master plan in 1966 that integrated categories (fi gure 3.5). Each zoning category land use and transportation plans. Curitiba de- defi nes requirements related to land use, build- cided to direct urban growth linearly by desig- ing-to-land ratios, fl oor area ratios, and maxi- nating structural axes radiating from the city mum building heights. For example, in the city 170 | ECO2 CITIES: ECOLOGICAL CITIES AS ECONOMIC CITIES Master Plan 1966 Changing growth patterns to linear growth The 2004 Plan Metropolitan Vision Figure 3.3 Urban Growth Axes in Curitiba Figure 3.4 Density of Curitiba, 2004 Figure 3.5 Zoning in Curitiba, 2000 Source: IPPUC (2009a). Source: IPPUC, http://ippucnet.ippuc.org.br Source: IPPUC, http://ippucnet.ippuc.org.br (accessed (accessed January 15, 2009). January 15, 2009). center area, the zone ZC category allows the permitted only in areas reachable by public development of residential apartments and transportation. Because Curitiba was designed commercial and service facilities (except su- for people, not cars, public transportation permarkets) subject to specifi c parameters: coverage and service frequency are critical. Bus fl oor area ratios up to 5, fi rst-fl oor building-to- service reaches almost 90 percent of the city land ratios up to 100 percent, and no limit on area, and all users may access public transpor- building heights in most areas. (However, to tation services by walking less than 500 meters ensure aesthetics, buildings are normally lim- (fi gure 3.6) (IPPUC 2009a). Bus routes are ited to 20 fl oors, and some areas are subject to serviced nearly every fi ve minutes. Curitiba building height limitations to secure fl ight initially acquired land and reserved rights-of- routes.) In addition, many zones facing struc- way along the strategic axes, which enabled the tural axes (that is, zone SE) allow the develop- city to build social housing in these areas. Sub- ment of residential apartments and commer- sequently, major economic activities and urban cial and service facilities with fl oor area ratios functions, including residential neighborhoods up to 4, fi rst-fl oor building-to-land ratios up to and schools, were reorganized densely along 100 percent, and no limit on building heights in these axes. most areas. (As in zone ZC, buildings are nor- To accommodate BRT routes and fulfi ll mally limited to 20 fl oors to ensure aesthetics, transportation needs along the axes, the city and some areas are subject to building height designated functions to existing roads under its limitations to secure fl ight routes; see Hattori trinary road system. The fi ve major axes now 2004, Prefeitura Municipal de Curitiba 2000.) accommodate both dedicated BRT lanes and To shift the land use and growth pattern roads to access buildings. Cars that do not need into linear forms and to provide good access to to access services along the axes may bypass transportation services, new development was these areas by using roads parallel to the axes THE FIELD REFERENCE GUIDE | 171 2009 Figure 3.6 Evolution of the Integrated Bus Network in Curitiba, 1974–95 and 2009 Source: IPPUC (2009a). Figure 3.7 The Trinary Road System in Curitiba Source: Author compilation (Hinako Maruyama) based on IPPUC (2009a), Hattori (2004), and pictures supplied by IPPUC. Note: km/h = kilometers per hour. (fi gure 3.7). In addition, to avoid concentrated effi ciently controlled and defi ned. Traffi c is di- traffi c in the city center, a previous mayoral ad- verted from the city center or the axes thanks ministration transformed selected streets in to an eff ective mixture of land use planning the city center into pedestrian walkways on and a well-conceived public transportation which cars are prohibited. network. Because housing, service facilities, Through these measures, Curitiba’s spatial and job centers have been incrementally devel- growth and urban land use patterns have been oped along the axes and linked to the BRT sys- 172 | ECO2 CITIES: ECOLOGICAL CITIES AS ECONOMIC CITIES tem, the distances between homes, jobs, and tion, emissions of greenhouse gases that aff ect schools have shortened, and many people travel climate change have declined. by bus. Bus ridership as a share of all commut- Traffi c fl ow has been diversifi ed by assign- ing trips reaches 45 percent, and 70 percent ing a logical and effi cient road hierarchy, which of these bus trips bypass the downtown area has obviated the need to undertake substantial (IPPUC 2009b). As a result, the city has re- remedial works, such as widening street space duced car emissions and traffi c congestion, (which may entail destroying buildings and thereby saving time and enhancing economic disrupting neighborhoods).