Jaime Lerner on Making Curitiba’s First Pedestrian Street

This is the third installment of videos from Brazil. Demonstrating again how Curitiba Brazil was 35+ years in front of our NYC livable streets curve, this video is about a street transformation.

Former Mayor and founder of Bus Rapid Transit, Jaime Lerner sat down with me during my visit to discuss how and why he made the first pedestrian street in the middle of downtown Curitiba.

Rua XV de Novembro (15th of November Street) is a vital artery through downtown Curitiba. In 1972 under the direction of then Mayor Jaime Lerner, it became the first major pedestrian street in Brazil. The first phase of closing the street to automobiles and opening it to people took place in only 72 hours. The pedestrian plaza spans 15 blocks, and although it was initially unpopular, it is now a central meeting spot and the epicenter of local businesses in the center of Curitiba.

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5 Comments

  1. Clarence Eckerson Jr.

    This is an absolutely wonderful story. I want to go there!

  2. Luis Patricio

    XV Street is really a nice place here in Curitiba. Unfortunately it was an isolated measure taken more than thirty years ago.

    On the last decades it's happening exactly the opposite. Public parks cut down in half, lots of new fast lanes, underpasses ...

  3. brian

    the micro-centro neighborhood of buenos aires has a wonderful network of pedestrianized streets also.

    calle florida is one of them and connects with others:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Street

  4. Shemp

    It's ridiculous to say "Brazil is 35 years ahead" when focusing on one city that isn't exactly the country's center of gravity. Sao Paulo and Rio not exactly kicking butt here.

  5. Elizabeth Press

    Shemp thanks for the comment - Curitiba, Brazil would have been more appropriately stated...the integrated thought process around public transportation, public spaces, parks, recycling, social project etc 35 years ago in Curitiba are things we have only started to pay attention to and focus on in NYC over the last several years.

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