Urbanexus

View Original

Revisiting Brasilia

Pat Finn, a high school English teacher and a freelance writer on art and architecture, says, “The urban planning of the 1950s wasn’t perfect. But we need something like it if we are going to solve the housing crisis today.” This led him to revisit the master-planned city of Brasilia and write an article posted by Architizer.

He notes the faults or problems with Brasilia. And then he asks and answers several rhetorical questions.

Is Brasília really less workable than, say, Los Angeles? The latter is also car-dependent but has far more congestion. And is the class segregation in Brasília really worse than in Rio? Are isolated housing blocks really worse than favelas? And if Brasília failed to achieve its aims, does this mean it wasn’t even worth attempting?

Finn’s answers these questions with a resounding NO!

After reading the article, you may find that you have changed your perspective on Brasilia, or at least you will learn more about the place.