Eco2 Cities: Ecological Cities as Economic Cities

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COLOMBIA

Profile of Curitiba and the Curitiba Metropolitan Region

R.B. de VENEZUELA

GUYANA Fr. Guiana (Fr) SURINAME

IBRD 37443 JANUARY 2010

AT L AN TI C OC E A N

ECUADOR

Curitiba • • • • •

The capital of the State of Paraná, in the south of Brazil Land area: 432 km2 Population (2008): 1.83 million Annual population growth rate: 1.86 percent The city is bordered by the Iguaçu River to the east and Passaúna Park to the west. The city is located at the center of Brazil’s largest economic corridor, which includes Brasília, Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paolo, and near major cities, such as Buenos Aires and Montevideo, in other South American countries.

BRAZIL

PERU

PA C I F I C OC E A N

Brasília

BOLIVIA

PARAGUAY Curitiba BRAZIL

AT L A NTI C OC E A N

ARGENTINA URUGUAY

500 km.

Curitiba Metropolitan Region • • • •

Map 3.1 Location of Curitiba

Consists of 26 municipalities, including Curitiba Land area: 15,622 km2 Population (2008): 3.26 million Population growth rate: 2.01 percent

Source: Map Design Unit, General Services Department, World Bank.

Population Growth in Curitiba YEAR

1960

1970

1980

1991

2000

2007

2008

Population (1,000s) Population density (persons per km2) Green area (km2 per person)

361 836 —

609 1,410 <1

1,025 2,373 —

1,31 5 3,044 —

1,587 3,674 —

1,797 4,161 —

1,828 4,232 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 Ecological and Economic Benefits

Figure 3.2 Policy Integration in Curitiba Source: IPPUC

Curitiba took various innovative approaches to ecological and economic urban planning. The following are the seven major approaches.

Innovative land use planning integrated with transportation planning Urban sprawl and concentrated traffic in Curitiba’s downtown area were anticipated because of rapid population growth. The city formulated a master plan in 1966 that integrated land use and transportation plans. Curitiba decided to direct urban growth linearly by designating structural axes radiating from the city

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ECO2 CITIES: ECOLOGICAL CITIES AS ECONOMIC CITIES

center (figure 3.3). Major economic activities are concentrated along these corridors, and the city appears to have a linearly formed downtown. At the same time, the city center was reinforced with high-density development (figure 3.4). The structured corridors became major public transportation routes under a bus rapid transit (BRT) system that includes dedicated lanes and bus stops nearly every 500 meters. To realize this plan and guide linear urban growth, Curitiba implemented detailed zoning plans that reflect the master plan’s strategic vision, geographical and geological constraints, water and wind directions, Curitiba’s industrial profile, and urban cultural and social factors. In 2000, Curitiba had 50 types of specific zoning categories (figure 3.5). Each zoning category defines requirements related to land use, building-to-land ratios, floor area ratios, and maximum building heights. For example, in the city


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