World Town Planning Day 2024
Post by Chris Bean, Service Lead for Planning and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Rather than repeat numerous articles and blog posts discussing the announcements from the new Government on restoration of mandatory local housing targets, the concept of grey belts, and the lifting of the effective ban on onshore wind farms and the updates to the NPPF revision on World Town Planning Day it seemed apt to think back to my Urban Design studies on urban development models around the world.
I was particularly reminded of Curitiba in Brazil. In the 1940s and 1950s, the urban planner Alfred Agache, co-founder of the French Society for Urban Studies, was commissioned to design its first city plan, focused on a “star” of boulevards with public amenities at the centre, an industrial district, and sanitation infrastructure. Although innovative, Agache’s plan was only partially implemented due to high costs.
In 1972, Jaime Lerner became mayor and pursued his vision of a sustainable city.
Today, Curitiba stands out among Brazilian cities for its high Human Development Index. It was awarded the Global Sustainable City Award in 2010, given to cities excelling in sustainable urban development, and is widely recognised as one of the best big cities to live in within Brazil.
With 52 square metres of green space per person, Curitiba is truly a green city. Its 400 square kilometres of parkland also function as a decentralised stormwater management system: during heavy rains, rivers overflow into low-lying parks, creating temporary lakes that mimic natural floodplains.
Around 70% of Curitiba’s rubbish is recycled by residents, and every household participates in recycling.
It all sounds like a highly sustainable and well-planned city.
Yet despite these positive statistics, over time Curitiba has apparently faced typical growth challenges found in medium to large Brazilian cities, such as limited infrastructure, traffic congestion, and public transport struggling to meet demand.
I’ve read that the rise in informal neighbourhoods has further strained the city’s ability to provide essential services, while issues like traffic, crime, and unemployment have increasingly affected residents’ quality of life.
Though I’ve never visited Curitiba, perhaps on World Town Planning Day it offers valuable lessons—both positive and cautionary – as we pursue new urban development.
In our eagerness to build and meet the UKs housing needs, we need to ensure that the legacy we create truly benefits residents and communities and stands the test of time. Our planning team can provide planning advice at all stages of the development process from initial site identification and feasibility assessments through to gaining planning consent and project implementation. We have a proven track record of successfully delivering planning permission for a wide variety of projects, including residential and commercial property, energy, minerals and waste schemes. Working closely with the wider team of other in-house Wardell Armstrong technical specialists (such as ecologists, ground engineers, archaeologists and landscape architects) the planning team provides a central point of contact to ensure that a clear consistent and joined up service is provided.
