Curitiba - sustainable city

It is a city in southern Brazil

1.8 million people

It aims to improve the environment, reduce pollution and waste and improve the quality of life

The city has a budget of $600 to spend every year

Good bus system (1.4 million passengers per day)

Cheap fare is paid for all journeys (benefits poor residents)

Over 200km of bike paths in the cities

Car use is 25% lower thant he national average

The city has one of the lowest levels of air pollution in Brazil

Green space increased from 0.5m^2 per person in 1970 to 52m^2 per person in 1990

Over 10,000 parks and natural areas

Residents have planted 1.5m trees along the cities streets

Builders are given tax breaks if their building projects include green space

70% of rubbish is recycled

Poorer residents are given food and bus tickets for bringing their recycling to local collection centres

Curitiba has been very successful in its aim to be sustainable

1. Reduction of car use means less pollution and use of fossil fuels. Meaning this won't damage the environment for people in the future

2. Leaving green, open spaces and conserving natural environments mean people in the future will be able to use it

3. Recycling means fewer resources are used and there is less waste has to go to landfill. Meaning more resources will be available in the future

4. Curitiba is nice place to live - 99% of its residents said in a recent survey that they were happy with their town

• Curitiba has the highest recycling rate in the world - 70%
• Curitiba has a bus system that is so good that car traffic has decreased by 30% while the population trebled in a twenty year period
• Curitiba has teh largest downtown pedestrianised shopping area in the world
• Curitiba has built large numbers of beautiful parks to control flood rather than concrete canals. So many that they use sheep to cut the grass as it's cheaper than lawnmowers
• Curitiba is a city where 99% of inhabitants want to live. In comparison , 70% of sao paolo's residents want to live in curitiba
• Curitiba's average income per person has gone from less than the brazillian average in the 1970's to 66% greater than the brazillian average