Curitiba

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Curitiba
Downtown of Curitiba
Flag Seal
Location of Curitiba
Country	Brazil
Region	Sul
State	Paraná
Founded	29 March 1693
Incorporated	1842
Government
- Mayor	Carlos Alberto Richa (PSDB)
Area
- City	430.9 km²  (166.4 sq mi)
- Metro	15,416.9 km² (5,952.5 sq mi)
Elevation	934.6 m (3,066.3 ft)
Population (2006)[1]
- City	1,788,559
- Density	4,159.4/km² (10,748.5/sq mi)
- Metro	3,261,168
- Metro Density	210.9/km² (546.2/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-3 (UTC-3)
- Summer (DST)	UTC-2 (UTC-2)
Website: http://www.curitiba.pr.gov.br

Curitiba (pron. IPA: [kuɾi'tibɐ]) is the capital city of the Brazilian state of Paraná. In 2005 its population was approximately 1,757,904 people. Its metropolitan area comprises 26 municipalities[2] with a total population of over 3.2 million (2006 IBGE estimate).^[1] Curitiba is the largest and one of the most important cities of Southern Brazil, being a cultural, political and economic center. Curitiba's main airport Afonso Pena International Airport is one of the most modern Brazilian terminals and the second most important airport in Southern Brazil.

The city is on a plateau 932 m (3107 ft) above sea level. It is 105 km (65 miles) west of the sea port of Paranaguá, at 25°25′47″S, 49°16′19″W, .

People from Curitiba are known as Curitibanos.

One theory about the name "Curitiba" comes from the Tupi words kurí tyba, "much pine," due to the large number of Brazilian Pines (Araucaria angustifolia), in the region prior to its foundation. The Portuguese who founded a village in 1693 gave it the name of "Vila da Nossa Senhora da Luz dos Pinhais" (Our Lady of the Light in the Pine Forest). The name was changed to "Curitiba" in 1721. Curitiba officially became a town in 1842. Growth was based on the cattle trade, being half way between cattle breeding country to the South and markets to the North. Waves of European immigrants started arriving after 1850, mainly Germans, Italians, Poles and Ukrainians. The Universidade Federal do Paraná (Federal University of Paraná), the first in Brazil, was established in Curitiba in 1913, the same year in which electric streetcars were first deployed.

Contents 1 Urban Planning 2 Climate 3 Football Clubs 3.1 Stadiums 4 Transportation 5 Arts and entertainment 6 Sister cities 7 Famous places 8 Curitiba's famous people 8.1 Arts 8.2 Science 8.3 Politics 8.4 Sports 9 External links 9.1 Official website 9.2 On Urban planning 9.3 Other 10 References

[edit] Urban Planning

Curitiba has a master planned transportation system, which includes lanes on major streets devoted to a bus rapid transit system. The buses are long, split into three sections (bi-articulated), and stop at designated elevated tubes, complete with disabled access. The system, used by 85% of Curitiba's population, is the source of inspiration for the TransMilenio in Bogotá, Colombia, as well as the Orange Line of Los Angeles, California, and for a future transportation system in Panama City, Panama. The city has also paid careful attention to preserving and caring for its green areas, boasting 54 m² of green space per inhabitant.

In the 1940s and 1950s, Alfred Agache, cofounder of the French Society for Urban Studies, was hired to produce the first city plan. It emphasised a star of boulevards, with public amenities downtown, an industrial district and sanitation. It was followed when possible, but was too expensive to complete.

By the 1960s, Curitiba's population had ballooned to 430,000, and some residents feared that the growth in population threatened to drastically change the character of the city. In 1964, Mayor Ivo Arzua solicited proposals for urban design. Architect Jaime Lerner, who later became mayor, led a team from the Universidade Federal do Paraná that suggested strict controls on urban sprawl, a reduction of traffic in the downtown area, preservation of Curitiba's Historic Sector, and a (supposedly) convenient and affordable public transit system.

This plan, known as the Curitiba Master Plan, was adopted in 1968. Lerner closed XV de Novembro St. to vehicles, because it had very high pedestrian traffic. The plan had a new road design to minimise traffic: the Trinary Road System. This uses two one-way streets moving in opposite directions which surround a smaller, two-lane street where the express buses have their exclusive lane. Five of these roads form a star that converges to the city centre. Land farther from these roads is zoned for lower density developments, to reduce traffic away from the main roads. A number of areas subject to floods were condemned and became parks.

Today, Curitiba is considered one of the best examples of urban planning world-wide^[2]. In June 1996, the chairman of the Habitat II summit of mayors and urban planners in Istanbul praised Curitiba as "the most innovative city in the world."

In the 1980s, the RIT (Rede Integrada de Transporte, Integrated Transport Network) was created, allowing transit between any points in the city by paying just one fare. At the same time, the city began a project called the "Faróis de Saber" (Lighthouses of Knowledge). These Lighthouses are free educational centers which include libraries, Internet access, and other cultural resources. Job training, social welfare and educational programs are coordinated, and often supply labor to improve the city's amenities or services, as well as education and income.

[edit] Climate

Curitiba Weather Statistics[3]
Month	Temperature (ºC)
	Avg High	Avg	Avg Low
Jan	25.9	20.2	16.3
Feb	26.2	20.5	16.7
Mar	25.0	19.4	15.7
Apr	22.6	17.2	13.3
May	20.5	14.8	10.6
Jun	19.3	13.3	8.7
Jul	19.1	13.1	8.4
Aug	20.2	13.8	8.9
Sep	20.3	14.6	9.9
Oct	22.0	16.3	12.3
Nov	23.3	17.9	13.8
Dec	26.4	19.9	15.8
Yr	22.6	16.5	12.5

Located in Southern Brazil, Curitiba is a somewhat humid city in Subtropical zone. It is located in a plateau (around 900 m) and the flat terrain with flooded areas contribute to its mild and damp winter, with average temperatures of 13°C (57°F) in the coldest month, falling slightly below 0°C (32°F), on the coldest days. During summer, the average temperature is around 21°C (70°F), but gets above 32ºC (90ºF) on hot days.

In fact, of Brazil's twenty-six state capitals, Curitiba is the coldest due to altitude, despite being 600 km north of Porto Alegre, the southernmost state capital in Brazil, but located at sea level.

Curitiba's inhabitants claim that its weather is unpredictable. Heat waves during winter and cold waves during summer are not uncommon, and even within a single day there can be great variation, a typical feature of subtropical climate. A local saying says that "Curitiba is a city in which the four seasons are clearly defined, and it has all four every day." Several factors contribute to the climate's variable nature:

• The flat terrain surrounded by mountains in a rough circle with radius 40 km help block the winds, allowing the morning mist to cover the city on cold mornings.
• The flatness of the terrain hinders quick water drainage after rains, providing then a good source of water vapor for the atmosphere.
• Cold fronts come often from Antarctica and Argentina all year long, bringing tropical storms in summer and lots of cold winds in winter. They can be very quick, with no more than one day between the start of the southern winds and the start of rain.
• Curitiba's weather is also influenced by the dry air masses that dominate Brazil's midwest most of the year, bringing dry and hot weather, sometimes even in winter.

[edit] Football Clubs

The three main football clubs in the city are: Coritiba Foot Ball Club (founded 1909, Brazilian Champion 1985), Clube Atlético Paranaense (founded 1924, Brazilian Champion 2001 and Brazilian 2nd League Champion 1995), and Paraná Clube (founded 1989, Brazilian 2nd League Champion 1992 and 2000). The match rivalry between Atlético and Coritiba is popularly known as Atletiba.

[edit] Stadiums

• Clube Atlético Paranaense: Kyocera Arena
• Coritiba Foot Ball Club: Couto Pereira
• Paraná Clube: Vila Capanema

[edit] Transportation

Main article: Rede Integrada de Transporte

Curitiba has a very simple and practical transportation system. Public transportation consists entirely of buses. There are several different types of bus, each with a different function.

Moving around in a car can be difficult in and around the city centre because of the many one-way streets and constant traffic jams. This makes the public transportation system more attractive if one wants to go there. The trinary system allows quick access to the city centre for car drivers. Some avenues are spacious and laid out in a grid, and apart from some points around the city centre, Munhoz da Rocha Street and Batel Avenue, traffic jams aren't thus severe.

Recently, the city installed around 200 traffic radars, causing much discontent among drivers in general. This technology uses sensors under the pavement which trigger a digital camera if the car is above speed limit. The picture, including the date and time it was taken, is sent to the driver's home, as a speeding ticket. The system can send these tickets to drivers anywhere in Brazil.

The speed limit is usually 60 km/h on avenues, but can be 40 km/h in dangerous places or where many pedestrians cross the street.

Afonso Pena International Airport is Curitiba's main airport. It is located in the nearby city of São José dos Pinhais and all commercial flights operate from this airport. It is integrated into Curitiba's transportation system, with rapid buses and executive buses connecting the airport to the city.

Small aircraft may also use the Bacacheri airport, which today hosts a flight school and an airbase.

[edit] Arts and entertainment

Curitiba is going to be the first city in Brazil to have an IMAX cinema. It`s will be in the Palladium Shopping Center which will be the biggest mall in southern Brazil.

[edit] Sister cities

The Sister Cities of Curitiba are:

• - Cracow (Poland)
• - Treviso (Veneto, Italy)
• - Coimbra (Districto de Coimbra, Portugal)
• - Guadalajara (Jalisco, Mexico)
• - Hangzhou (Zhejiang, China)
• - Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia)
• - Asunción (Paraguay)
• - Montevideo (Uruguay)
• - Suwon (Gyeonggi-do, South Korea)
• - Himeji (Hyogo, Japan)
• - Lyon (Rhône-Alpes, France)
• - Orlando (Florida, USA)

[edit] Famous places

Curitiba is mostly known for some of its famous places:

• Autódromo Internacional de Curitiba
• Biblioteca Pública do Paraná
• Bosque Alemão
• Bosque Gutierrez
• Bosque do Papa
• Bosque de Portugal
• Catedral Basílica Menor de Nossa Senhora da Luz
• Feirinha do largo da ordem
• Fonte de Jerusalém
• Jardim Botânico de Curitiba
• Memorial Ucraniano
• Museu Alfredo Andersen
• Museu Oscar Niemeyer
• Museu Paranaense
• Museu do Expedicionário
• Ópera de Arame
• Palácio Avenida
• Parque Barigüi
• Parque do Bacacheri
• Parque Náutico do Iguaçu
• Parque São Lourenço
• Parque Tanguá
• Parque Tingüi
• Passeio Público
• Praça do Japão
• Rua XV de Novembro
• Rua 24 Horas
• Santa Felicidade
• Teatro Guaíra
• Teatro Paiol
• Torre da Telepar
• Universidade Federal do Paraná
• Universidade Livre do Meio Ambiente
• Zoológico de Curitiba

[edit] Curitiba's famous people

[edit] Arts

• Isabeli Fontana - Super Model
• Poty Lazzarotto - Artist Plastic
• Paulo Leminski - Poet and Writer
• Dalton Trevisan - Writer
• Letícia Sabatella - Actress
• Larry Grehan - Irish writer

[edit] Science

• César Lattes - Physicist
• Newton da Costa - Mathematician

[edit] Politics

• Jaime Lerner (Former mayor of Curitiba and governor of Paraná; Renowed urban planner, president of the International Union of Architects for three years)

[edit] Sports

Mixed martial arts

• Wanderlei Silva
• Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

Auto racing

• Raul Boesel - 1987 World Sportscar Championship champion
• Mauricio Gugelmin - Formula One, Indianapolis 500 and Champ Car driver
• Ricardo Zonta - Formula One driver. 1998 FIA GT Championship champion
• Enrique Bernoldi - Formula One driver

Alpinism

• Waldemar Niclevicz (Leading mountaineer in Brazil. Born in Foz do Iguaçu, but based and widely associated with Curitiba)

Beach Volleyball

• Emanuel Rego (Gold medalist in 2004 Olympics)

Volleyball

• Giba (Gold medalist in 2004 Olympics)

[edit] External links

[edit] Official website

• Curitiba official website

[edit] On Urban planning

• IPPUC - Instituto de Pesquisa e Planejamento Urbano de Curitiba

[edit] Other

• Curitiba Cultural Website
• Curitiba Street Guide - Guia de Ruas
• Lista de conjuntos, sobrados e chácaras em Curitiba Curitiba apartments and houses list

• Curitiba travel guide from Wikitravel

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: -25.4553° -49.2627°
  • Mapping from Multimap or GlobalGuide or Google Maps
  • Aerial image from TerraServer
  • Satellite image from WikiMapia

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} Região Metropolitana (Portuguese). Prefeitura Municipal de Curitiba. Retrieved on 2007-01-08.
2. ^ Irazabal, Clara Elena. "Curitiba and Portland: Architecture, City Making, and Urban Governance in the Era of Globalization," page112. UMI Microform: 2002.
3. ^ Instituto Agronômico do Paraná - IAPAR. [1]