Book Description

Many urban areas around the world suffer from similar problems: heavily congested traffic, lack of effective public transportation, exploding populations, insufficient housing, overwhelming pollution, rampant corruption, and other issues. Ineffective government exacerbates these problems. The city of Curitiba, in the Parana State of Brazil, found creative ways to transform a small town into a thriving metropolis. Exactly how did Curibita achieve this success? Which policies and programs were effective and which ones weren't? What roles did the public play in the transformation process? Using interviews with urban planners, politicians, scholars, and residents, and analyzing hundreds of policy documents, pieces of legislation and scholarly studies, this book offers an analytical model based on the idea that public entrepreneurs are powerful catalysts for change in the urban arena. The chronicles of Curitiba's journey provide a guide for urban planners and administrators worldwide. "This book should be a must for anyone interested in Latin American urbanization and urban planning/administration. If you are a professor who teaches Latin America or urban planning, this book should be placed on your reading list for your students. It should become a guidebook for those involved in the governing of Latin American cities and other cities in middle-income economies, which share many similar problems." - Michael McAdams, Professor of Geography, Fatih University, Istanbul, Turkey