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URBANACUPUNCTURE

URBANACUPUNCTURE

JaimeLerner

Washington|Covelo|London

Copyright©2014JaimeLernerTranslatedfromthePortuguesebyMacMargolis,PeterMuello,andAriadneDaher.

AllrightsreservedunderInternationalandPan-AmericanCopyrightConventions.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyanymeanswithoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher:IslandPress,2000MStreet,NW,Suite650,Washington,DC20036IslandPressisatrademarkofTheCenterforResourceEconomics.

ThisprojectwasmadepossiblewiththesupportoftheJohnS.andJamesL.KnightFoundation.

IslandPresswouldalsoliketoacknowledgethecollaborationoftheCenterfortheLivingCity.

LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2014944763

Keywords:Architecture,Barcelona,Beijing,bicycling,busrapidtransit,Curitiba,Paris,pedestrianzones,publicmarkets,publicspace,publictransportation,urbanism,urbanplanning

CONTENTSPrefacebyCarolColetta,KnightFoundation

ForewordbyJanGehlIntroduction

24-HourShopkeepersinNewYorkCity

TheOldCinemaNovo

RescuingaRiver

TheForbiddenCity

Cali

DoNothing!Urgently

AroundtheClock,orThe24-HourCity

UrbanKindness

MusicalAcupuncture

ContinuityisLife

StreetSounds,Colors,andScents

GoodRecycling

PeopleintheStreets

SmartCar,SmartBus

CommitmenttoSolidarity

DrawYourCity

InstructionsforPerformingUrbanAcupuncture

CreativeLeisurevs.IndustriousMediocrity

Self-EsteemIsGoodAcupuncture

LightIsGoodAcupuncture

Aqua-puncture

TheMobilityCard

Eco-clock

Arborescence

ProducedMemory

OfParks,Squares,andMonuments

TheOne-PageGuide

UrbanCholesterol

BuildingswithDignity

AcupunctureofSilence

RamblasandGalleries

APinprickDoesn’tHurt

TrompeL’oeil

ALettertoFellini

HowtoFindSomeoneinaCity

ThePresenceofGenius

MarketsandStreetFairs

TheBarCounter

LovefortheCity

IPREFACEt is with great pride that we present this English translation of JaimeLerner’sUrban Acupuncture.We know it belongs to the canon of great

urban readings, and Jaime follows in the tradition of Jane Jacobs,WilliamWhyte,andmanyothervisionarieswhohaveilluminatedtheworld’sthinkingoncities.UrbanAcupunctureisaworkoffierceloveforreal,living,people-filledcitiesandcitiesforpeople.

Jaime’swordsemergefromknowingmanycitiesandlovingeachofthemfor the surprises, delights, and kindness they offer, from the delight of ashaded sidewalk to thegift of a trumpeterwho serenadeshis neighborhoodeveryevening.

Jaime sees all these small wonders of a city and celebrates them. ButJaimeisnotjustanobserver.Hisloveforcitiesbearsfruitinafiercedevotiontomakingthemwork.He’sanactorandareinventor.Hedoesn’tjustpreachurbanacupuncture.Asamayor,anurbanplanner,anddesigner,he’sactuallysuccessfullyperformedtheseinterventions.

I share his love of cities and the wonder and possibilities that smallinterventionsbringandhowthosepinpointsofactioncan reorder the fabricandsenseofacity.

InChicago,oneofthecitiesIwasfortunatetohavecalledhome,Ihadthepleasure of living three blocks fromLurieGarden. I consideredmyself theluckiestperson in theworld tobe sonear thisurbanoasis thatwasatonceformal and wild, contemplative and quite alive. It was overwhelminglybeautiful,eveninwinter.WheneverIvisited,andItriedtodosomostdays,Icouldfeelmybloodpressuredrop.Itwasarespiteofcalminafreneticcity.

(I’vetoldmyhusbandtopleasesneakmyashesinwhenIdieandspreadthemtherebecauseit’saplacewhereIcouldbequitecontentforever.)

Luriewasmy calming point. Then therewasChicago’s SummerDance.Set inabeautifulgarden, itattracts thesinglemostdiversegroupofpeopleyoucouldeverhopetogather.Strangersdancewithstrangers.Andtheytoucheachotherforextendedperiodsoftime!

Eveningsalwaysbeginwithanhourofdanceinstruction,followedbytwohours of dancing to live music. From June through September, Thursdaysthrough Sundays, Chicagoans from all over town gather to dance Tango,Swing, Cajun, Rhumba, Salsa, Greek,Waltz, Step, Line, you name it. It’sChicago’s own version ofDancingwith the Stars without the stars… justordinarypeoplewhowanttodance.

These two places, these two pinpoint interventions in time, space, andplacehave,forme,liftedthespiritandfabricofthecitytosublime.Yes,realcitieswithrealpeoplewillhaverealproblems,buttheywillalsohavepeoplelike Jaime Lerner who are too busy loving their city and reinventing theircommunity to let anything get in the way. As Jane Jacobs once put it,“Designingadreamcityiseasy.Rebuildingalivingonetakesimagination.”

KnightFoundationwantstonurturecivicinnovatorsandwehopeJaime’swordsinspiremorepeopletofullyengageinthelifeoftheircity.

CarolColetta

VP/CommunityandNationalInitiatives

TheJohnS.andJamesL.KnightFoundation

WFOREWORD

ithout an understanding of people and politics, planning is merely atechnocratictool.JaimeLernerhasadeepunderstandingandpassionfor

planningandpolitics—buthecaresaboutpeopleaboveall. In thisbook,heshares inspiring stories about how visions of unified and vibrant cities canbecomearealitythroughwhathecallsurbanacupuncture.

We all know we have to work hard to create more sustainable andhealthiercities.Butitisonethingtoagreeuponthosevisions,andcertainlyanotherthingtodosomethingmeaningfulaboutit.Transformingcitieshastodowithnotonlytheirphysicalfeaturesbutalsopsychological,cultural,andmanyother factors. JaimeLerner has been a great source of inspiration forgenerations of city planners and politicians as someonewith a professionalandhumanunderstandingofcities,butatthesametime,adeepunderstandingof the political forces atwork. It is therefore verymuchwelcomed that henowshareshisstorieswitha largeraudience.Withitspoeticformat,UrbanAcupuncture is almost like getting a glimpse into JaimeLerner’s notebook,withstoriesfromallovertheworldandfromdifferentperiodsinhiscareer,includinghiswork as amayor aswell as a consultant for cities around theglobe.

JaimeLernerisnotonlyagoodstoryteller,heisadoerwhohasdeliveredimpressive results and affected many people’s lives in Curitiba and othercities.Urbanacupuncture is anapproach to cityplanningdesigned tomakethings happen. Don’t start with everything, start somewhere, make thingshappen, try it out. The inspiration of this book and from Lerner is bothvisionaryandveryhands-on.ReadingUrbanAcupuncture,yougetthefeelingthatyoucanactuallymakeadifference;youcandoitnotalone,buttogetherwith others. Ways to bring all groups of citizens together are very muchpresentinthebook,andforgoodreasons,asthesocial,democraticaspectsofurbanlifeareoftheutmostimportancetomakeourcitiesworkinthefutureasbalancedcommunitiesforall.

Thisisnotatechnicalortheoreticalbook;itisabookfilledwithpoetryandmagic that communicates the importance of dreaming and, at the sametime,beingpragmaticandmakingthingshappen;toalwaysaskifwehavetherightsolutionor if thereisabetter,maybeasimplerway.JaimeLerner isamuch-needed advocate for simple, common-sense solutions—for example,Curitiba’ssystemforguidingbusdriverstothecorrectpositionatbusstops.Thissolutioncouldhavebecomeverycomplexandexpensive,butendedupotherwise after a chat with a bus driver and a test showing that the drivercould easily align his vehicle using lines painted on the bus window and

platform.

The approach that people should be at the center of planning has beenaroundforquiteanumberofyears,andJaimeLernercertainlyisoneofthepioneerswithinthisfield.Ithasn’talwaysbeenlikethat,however,andwhenJaimeLernerproposedapedestrianstreetin1972inCuritiba,itwasnotseenas the obvious thing. He describes how many business owners and othercommunity members probably saw him as crazy. But only a day after theinauguration,oneof theopponentsrequested that theworkbeextendedandthatthepeople-orientedapproachbeappliedtootherregions.

Lernerhasalwaysdaredtotakeleadership;inthisbook,hesharesstoriesthatcaninspireotherstodothesame.Withtheurbanacupunctureapproach,therearenoexcuses,andthefocusisverymuchongettingstarted.

Goodacupunctureisaboutunderstandingplacesbetter,understandingthatone city is not like the other, understandingwhat it is that ismissing in aneighborhoodbeforedesigning.HereLernertouchesuponanimportantissue:the need for good programming. There is plenty of good design but anexorbitantlackofgoodprogrammingwithadeeperunderstatingofproblems,people,andplaces.

This book is like having a dinner with a good friend where theconversation just flows, one story after the other, good examples that willstickwithyouwhenyougohome.Oneofthoseeveningswhenyougohomeinspiredtodosomethingyourself,believingthatchangecanhappen.

Thankyouverymuch,JaimeLerner.

JanGehl

Copenhagen,Denmark

May2014

IINTRODUCTIONhave always nurtured the dream and the hope that with the prick of aneedle,diseasesmaybecured.Thenotionofrestoringthevitalsignsofan

ailingspotwithasimplehealingtouchhaseverythingtodowithrevitalizingnotonlythatspecificplacebutalsotheentireareathatsurroundsit.

Ibelievethatsomeofthemagicofmedicinecanandshouldbeappliedtocities,formanyofthemareailing,andsomearealmostterminal.Justasgoodmedicine depends on the interaction between doctor and patient, successfulurbanplanninginvolvestriggeringhealthyresponseswithinthecity,probinghere and there to stimulate improvements and positive chain reactions.Intervention is all about revitalization, an indispensable way of making anorganismfunctionandchange.

StreetartistattheCentrePompidou,Paris.PhotobyK.C.Tang.CreativeCommonsBY-SA3.0.

I often askmyselfhow it is that somecitiesmanage tomake importantandpositivechanges.Therearescoresofanswers,butoneseemstometobecommon to all innovative cities: every city that succeeds has undergone anawakening,anewbeginning.Thisiswhatmakesacityrespond.

Everyone knows that planning is a process. Yet nomatter how good itmaybe,aplanbyitselfcannotbringaboutimmediatetransformation.Almost

always,itisasparkthatsetsoffacurrentthatbeginstospread.ThisiswhatIcallgoodacupuncture—trueurbanacupuncture.

Wherecanweseeexamplesofgoodurbanacupuncture?SanFrancisco’srevitalized Cannery district is one; another is Güell Park, in Barcelona.Sometimes,apinpointurbanprojectleadstobroaderculturalchanges,suchaswith the Centre Pompidou in Paris, or Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Bilbaomuseum,oreventherestorationofGrandCentralStationinNewYork.

Then again, urban acupuncture may also come in a single stroke ofgenius, such as the pyramids at the Louvre, the revitalization of BuenosAires’s PuertoMadero, or Oscar Niemeyer’s Pampulha in Belo Horizonte.Youcanfeelitatworkinthesmallestvenues,likePaleyParkinNewYork,oringrandstructureslikeJeanNouvel’sInstituteoftheArabWorldinParisorDanielLibeskind’sHolocaustMuseuminBerlin.

Insomecases,interventionsaremademoreoutofdirenecessitythanoutof a desire for improvement, and are meant to heal wounds that man hasinflicteduponnature—theopenwoundofarockquarry,forinstance.Intime,theseurbanscarsmaybetransformedintoanewlandscape.Makingthebestof these new landscapes and repairingman’s blunders requires nothing lessthan the best sort of acupuncture. One striking example is the Ópera deArame,inCuritiba.AnotheristheremovalofSanFrancisco’sfreeway.

Urban transit systems have administered admirable doses of urbanacupuncture the world over. Consider the splendid gates of the centennialmetro stations in Paris, Norman Foster’s metro stations in Bilbao, orCuritiba’sExpress-Bustubestations.

Weknowthattheplanningprocessofacitytakestime—andithasto—for it involves a multitude of actors and issues, as well as long-termguidelines. However, sometimes, a simple, focused intervention can createnewenergy,demonstratingthepossibilitiesofaspaceinawaythatmotivatesotherstoengagewiththeircommunity.Itcanevencontributetotheplanningprocess.This gets to the essence of true urban acupuncture—it needs to bepreciseandquick,that’sthesecret.

U

S.K.Deli,NewYorkCity.PhotobyDanDeLuca.

24-HOURSHOPKEEPERSINNEWYORKCITYrban acupuncture doesn’t always have to involve bricks and mortar.Sometimes it follows the introduction of a new custom or a change of

habit that suddenly clears the way to transformation. Often good urbanacupuncture arises fromunplanned human intervention,where no bulldozerorconstructioncrewhasevertrodden.

IoftensaythatNewYorkshouldbuildamonumenttotheUnknown24-hour Shopkeeper. This industrious group—many of them immigrants fromKorea—has done the city an extraordinary service merely by keeping itsgrocerystoresandsidewalkdelicatessensopenaroundtheclock.Theseshopsnot only offer infinite shelves of merchandise but also enliven wholeneighborhoodsbyliterallylightingupcountlessdrearystreetcorners.Peoplemingle andmeet under the glowof city lights as they goout for nighttimeshopping.Andallofthismakesforamuchsafercity.

Andsincetheseshopkeepersneversleep,theirblazingstorefrontsserveasvital city reference points doing far more for the city than any parade orcultural festival ever could. This is why the unknown shopkeeper and themyriad mom-and-pop businesses rank among the finest acupuncturists ofNewYork.

ManyofthestoresinNewYork’s“LittleKorea”recallthecharmsofLesHalles in theweehoursofpredawnParis.Fordecades, thismarketwas theheartof thecity,apulsebeatingawayforgenerationaftergeneration,muchlikethenightmarketsthatkeepthestreetsglowingafterdarkinthousandsofcities around the world. To this day, a small open-air market survives on

Paris’sRue de Seine at the corner ofBucci, a hallowed urban address thattimehasnoterased.

In theEast, therearemanymoreexamples, startingwith theTokyofishmarket,which is aboilwith commerce long before the sun comes up.Heregiantoctopusesareondisplay; therestingraysspread theirgreatwingsoverice.Everywherebuyersandsellershaggleandhawktheirwares,aBabelofcommercethatannounceseachnewday.

I often say that all these people who toil away at daybreak are urbanorderlies, pumping oxygen into cities that must never be allowed to stopbreathing.Theyareacity’struelifeblood.

O

CineTeatroMorretesinMorretes,Brazil.PhotobyAnnaCarolinaRusso.

THEOLDCINEMANOVOne feature common to all good urban acupuncture is the imperative ofpreservingorrestoringtheculturalidentityofaplaceoracommunity.So

manycitiestodayneedacupuncturebecausetheyhaveneglectedtheirculturalidentity.Asadexampleisthedisappearanceofthelocalmovietheater.

In the past, the movie house was the magic realm of fantasy, music,utopia, reality, dreams, and hope. Above all, cinemas were places for cityresidentstomeetandmingle.

Movietheatresinfluencedentiregenerations,andnotjustculturally;theywere places where people gathered, gossiped, laughed, and argued, theirdiscussionsoftenechoinglate intothenightandreverberatinginotherpartsoftown.Cinemashelpedspreadfashionandfads,literatureanddance,musicand even history. And nothing rivals the movie house when it comes torecordingtheimportantdatesofanation.

Movie theaters had their own stories to tell and became part of urbanhistory.Yetinmostcitiesaroundtheworldtheyaredisappearing.Inscoresoftowns,theoldmoviehousehasgivenwaytosupermarkets,churches,andsoon.Toooften,thetraditionalmoviehousehasbeenreplacedbyshoppingmallcineplexes;butthatisanotherstory.

Acity’smemory is likeanold familyportrait.And just aswewouldn’tthinkoftearingupanoldfamilypicture—andtheoldmovietheatreispartofthispicture—wecan’taffordtolosethispointofreference,whichissovitaltoourownidentity.

In thestateofParaná in southernBrazil, aprojecthasbeen launched torestoreoldmovietheatres.Theserestoredtheatresareequippedwiththelatestinmovieprojectionandviewingtechnology,therebycreatingnewvenuesfornationalfilmfestivalsandindependentproductionsthataresooftenneglectedbythemajorstudiosandtheshoppingmallcineplex.

Inthisway,theoldCinemaNovoisaprogramthatreinforcesourculturalidentity.Thisisurbanacupuncturetryingtorecuperateourcollectivelossofmemoryandidentity.

W

UmbrellashangabovetherevitalizedCheonggyecheonRiverinSeoul,SouthKorea.PhotobyDianaLim,www.flickr.com/traveloriented.

RESCUINGARIVERhen I first arrived in Seoul some years ago, the SouthKorean capitalappeared tohold fewsurprises.HerewasonemoreancientAsiancity

transformedbyan impressivevitality,hurtlingvertiginously intomodernity;somuchsothatyoumightneverhaveguessedthiscitydatedback800years.

PedestriansadmireanartinstallationintheCheonggyecheonRiver.PhotobyriNux,Flickr.CreativeCommonsBY-SA2.0.

Seoulwasanotherexampleofaplacewherethingsweredoneinahurry:huge avenues and freeways speeding toward a chaotic downtown wherepeople have to dive in and out of underground passages just to cross thestreet.Thecars,meanwhile,rolledoverunblemishedpavement,almostas if

glidingonaredcarpet.

Thisishowsomanycitieswerebuilt,anddestroyed,bykowtowingtothecombustion engine. Beautiful, historic cities, each one appointed withmagnificent buildings and palaces, and surrounded by our modern-daydragons—automobiles.

My first surprise in Seoul was being invited to observe a rare urbaninitiative.Themayor’sofficewantedtosetasideamajorportionofthecity’sstreets for the Curitiba Bus, a mass transportation system anchored by anexpressbusandknownastheBRT,orBusRapidTransit.

Thegreatestsurpriseofall:theSeoulgovernmentplannedtoremovethespaghetti-liketangleofelevatedhighwaysfromthetransit-chokeddowntownarea and revive a stream, the Cheonggyecheon, which once captured therunoff from the winter thaw from the surrounding slopes. The stream—believe it or not—had been bulldozed decades before in order to hide thedegradationandpollutionthathadbesetitovertheyears.Theelevatedwayswerebuiltontopofreclaimedareas.

Nowtheplanwastorestorethesitebysalvagingtheriverandrevitalizingthe adjacent areas. The project was expensive (repairing a mess is nevercheap),buttheenthusiasmofthemayorandhisstaffwascompelling.Theirplanalsoincludedmakingwayforpedestrians(apeople-friendlycity).

Assoonaswearrived,wewereshowntheprojects.Allof theplanners,architects, and engineers involved demonstrated a very sharp understandingofthecity:itsdesignwasclear,incorporatingthehillsidesandtherevitalizedstream.That is tosay, therenewedcitywasalreadyintheirheads.Ihadnodoubt thatsoonenoughtheirprojectswouldcometo lifeaswell,as theyinfact did. The road infrastructure was removed to reveal the river and itscourse, creating an area where people and the natural environment couldinteractagain,andreestablishinganimportantreferenceforthecity.

InSeoul, I also had the privilege of sitting downwith one of the city’smost respected intellects—Young-Oak Kim—a philosopher with a Harvarddegree who went on to studymedicine. After returning to his native land,ProfessorKim taught philosophy for two years in one of themost popularcourses in South Korea. Now this very famous man has decided to be areporter, looking intomajor issues.Our conversationwas a celebration.Weshared somanywaysof thinking, andespeciallyabelief in simplicity—theessenceofEasternphilosophy.

Duringourvisit,ProfessorKimdrewformeafree-handmapofthecity.What impressed me most was how closely he “read” the city, citing themeaningofeachneighborhood,ofeachlocation,andofeveryname,alldone

so simply and concisely. Like the engineers of the Cheonggyecheonrestoration, Professor Kim understands the elements of the city like fewothers can. If only all cities had fewer peddlers of complexity and morephilosophers!

H

CyclistsonaBeijingstreet,fall1988.PhotobyJohnR.Williams.AccessedviaIDEAS:ImageDatabasetoEnhanceAsianStudies.

THEFORBIDDENCITYistorytellsusthatBeijingisoneoftheworld’soldestcities.Intheearlyfifteenthcentury, itwasdividedinto twocities,separatedbywalls.The

inner city cradled the ImperialCity, surroundedby a10-kmwall.Thiswas“TheForbiddenCity,”wheremoatsmarkedtheperimetersof thepalacesofemperors.ThelastemperorwasPu-Yi,overthrownin1911andexpelledfromthecityin1924.

ButBeijinghaslostoneofitsmoststrikingfeatures.Theseaofbicyclesthatwaspartofthetraditionallandscapehasdisappeared.Oneachbicyclesatoneperson,ormaybemore.Itwasacityofpeople.

Today’sBeijing ismore like an encampment of ultramodernbuildings,surroundedbyenormousfreeways,bypasses,cloverleaves,andbeltways.Inthe“donut” formedby thesecondand thirdbeltwayrings, there’saCentralBusinessDistrict.Beijingisnowacityofroads.

ClosetotheForbiddenCityandinsomeimmediatelyadjacentareas,it’sstill possible tomakeout small sectionsofwhatused tobe theold city—acitythattodayispreservedonlyinoldmoviesandbooks.

Beijing needs a good dose of urban acupuncture to reclaim its rightfulplacein thesun.Thatmeansfewerhighways, lessconcrete,andmoreroomfor people and bicycles. Just a pinprick here and theremight be enough tobringbacktheold-fashionedstreetsandthecitybuses.Howpresumptuousofme!TryingtoteachacupuncturetotheChinese!

L

ChildreninSantiagodeCali,Colombia.PhotobyRomanoGermánBarney.

CALIikeclockwork,abreezewaftsinannouncingtheevening.Aplazaglowssoftly under the stars. The city is safe and peaceful as lovers stroll and

children skipalong the sidewalks.Hereand there,youcan stillglimpse thecity’ssoul:theoldneighborhoods,thesoftcolors,thesidewalksechoingthebeatofadistantsalsa.

ParquedelaRetretaatnight,SantiagodeCali.PhotobyRomanoGermánBarney.

WhatashameagoodpartofthisColombiancity’sidentityhasbeenlostamid so many outsized avenues. Just to cross them, you’ll find yourselfhuffingupandoversuspendedpedestrianbridges.

Suddenly,youstumbleacrossanoldopen-airshoppingmallwithinternal

gardens, a largecourtyardwith live acousticmusic, andnot anamplifier insight.There’snopiped-insoundtrackbeatingdownonyourhead.

It’sdevilishlyhot,butbyfour-thirtyorfiveintheafternoon,asoftbreezecomes whispering over the city. Perhaps it’s the gods themselves who arecallingatlast.

But there’s good architecture in Cali. There it was in a small house Ivisited, built by architect Benjamín Barney andmeasuring barely 6meterswide,withapatio.Orrather,Ishouldsaythehouseisthepatio,embracedbyseveralbalconies.

Maybe, in thiscitygoodacupuncturemeansbuilding thingssmallerandsteppingasidetogivewaytothesimplebeautiesofnature,likethehandsomeriverorthecaressingwind.

Chévere!

O

TheSantaJustaElevator,Lisboa,Portugal.PhotobyNolAders.CreativeCommonsBY-SA3.0.

DONOTHING!URGENTLYne of the first decisions I had to make in my first term as mayor ofCuritibawashow to respond toapetitionpresentedbyaneighborhood

association, which made a rather odd request. They asked that the city donothinginthatparticularneighborhood.

Isentthesecretaryofpublicworkstocheckintothesituation.Whatwediscoveredwas that the association’s request, though highly unusual,madegood sense. The city was tidying up the area—aligning the still unpavedstreets—butwhatconcernedtheresidentswasthatthemachinesmightendupcoveringasmallnaturalspring.

Mydirectivetothepublicworksauthoritywastersebutunequivocal:“Donothing! Urgently.” Sometimes, when a city faces decisions about publicworksthatcoulddomoreharmthangood,doingnothingis themosturgentpriority.

Thirty-twoyearslater,whiledrivingaroundLisbon,Ilookedatthehills,Lisbon’sbeautifulhills,andattheriverTejo.Theday’snewspapercarriedastory about newprojects forLisbon—tunnels and overpasses. Expo 98 hadblessedthecitywithimprovements,butmostlybyaggressivelyrenovatingablightedpartofthecity.

IntheclassicalLisbon—AvenidasLiberdade,RocioandColinas—maybethebestacupuncturecallsfordoingnothingatall,urgently.

P.S.Almost nothing, that is.How about a brazen bit ofmeddling?Say,paintingtheSantaJustaElevatorinvermilion?

AvenidadaLiberdadeatnight.PhotobyEmilioGarcía.

I

Rua24horas,Curitiba.PhotobyMorio.CreativeCommonsBY-SA3.0

AROUNDTHECLOCK,ORTHE24-HOURCITYt’s late afternoon in Zócalo, Mexico City’s old historic district, andsuddenly, I get the feeling I’m going to be swallowed up in the crowd.

Peoplesluicebackandforthlikefloodwaters.Mostofthemarestreetvendorspeddling odds and ends, just trying to stay afloat themselves. Suddenly, aquestion hits me broadside in this human riptide: how in the world can amegacity reconcile the formaland informalsectorsof theeconomy?Sofar,the answerswe’ve come upwith have beenmostly fruitless if not outrightunjust.

StreetseafoodinBangkok’sChinatown.PhotobyJohnWalker.

Sowhynotcallatrucetoallowthetworivaleconomiestoworktogether?Sincethedayhas24hours, thefirststepmightbetostrikeanagreementtodecidewhoworkswhen.

Street vendors could start after hours—at say 6:00 pm, their colorfulmobilestallsliveningupthecityasthesignsgodarkonmanyconventionalstorefronts.Thiscouldbea rarewin-wincombination forcities.Onesectorwouldhelptheotherbecausebothwouldworkinsequence,keepingthecityalivewithcommercedayandnight.Theround-the-clockbuzzofcommercewouldnotonlypleaseconsumersbutmightevenmakethestreetssafer.

Streetpeddlers,afterall, representan institutionasoldas thecity itself.Thinkofopen-airmarkets.Atagivenhour, inagivenneighborhood,streetmerchants go to work—often hours before the lights go on in traditionalstorefronts—and then vanish alongwith their wares and jerry-built booths,leavinghardlyatrace.

And this arrangement works out fairly well. The open market is amoveable feast that rises earlyandpacksupwith the sun.Somecities, likeShanghai, Hong Kong, and Curitiba, have nighttime street markets. Thesemakeforpleasantrendezvouspointsduringthelesshectichours.

Hereacupunctureisperformedaccordingtothetickingoftheclock.

S

ChristmaslightsofRuaXVdeNovembro,Curitiba.PhotobyRadamésManosso.

URBANKINDNESSomeyearsago,agroupofexceptionalpeoplefromBeloHorizonte,myoldfriendValérioFabrisamongthem,managedtowinrespectbypromoting

initiativesthatencouragedpeopletodemonstratelovefortheircity.Callthemthepromotersofurbankindness.

Since then, there’s been a steady flow of creative ideas and gesturesreflectingthegrowingcommunityawarenessthaturbankindnessisessentialtothelivelihoodofanycity.

OnestoriedexampleistheLittleCowofLeopoldinaStreet—asculptureinacitypark thatwas“adopted”byBeloHorizonte’s residents.Some timeago,vandalsattacked thecowandalmostdestroyed it.Butoneman took ituponhimselftocrossthecitywithabucketofsandandcementandrebuildit.Nowandagain, theLittleCowsportsanewlookandnewcolorswhenevertheartisticimpulseseizesthetownspeoplewhohavegrownsofondofher.

OnehousewifeintheSãoGeraldodistrictisfamousforthenativitysceneshesetsupinherlivingroomeveryChristmas.Sheneverlocksherdoorandgladly welcomes anyone who wants to visit her yuletide installation. Inanother Belo Horizonte neighborhood, garbage collectors sing while they

work.ThisishowurbankindnessbecameatraditioninthecapitalofMinasGerais.

Therearepeoplewhogoabout theirbusinesswithpleasureormakenosecretofthejoytheytakeintheireverydaylives.

Byplacinghis sculptureson the sandofLemebeach inRiode Janeiro,OscarNiemeyeralsomadeagraciousbowtourbankindness.

InCuritiba, after finishinghisdailywork,onedentistgoes tohisofficewindowandplaysthetrumpet.

InPortoAlegre,aradiostationhasawindowlookingontheRuadaPraia,wherepassersbycangatherandwatchliveinterviews.Invitingthepublictolookoveryourshoulderwhileyouworkisatrueexampleofurbankindness.

When Iworked inRio de Janeiro, therewas a talented designer on ourteam.Iwillneverforgetthedayhecametotheofficedressedasaclown.Hetook his seat at his desk and quietlyworked away all day long, just as healways did. Late that afternoon, he announced that hewas quitting his jobbecausehehaddecidedtodowhathehadalwaysdreamedofdoing:becomeacircusclown.Withouttellingasoul,itseemed,hehadbeenstudyingafterhourstobeaclown.That’swhenhedrewhisfirstroundofapplause.

Someyearsago, Iwentout tohear thesuperbHélcioMilitobossanovatrio. That was a long time ago, but I will always remember that evening’sgestureofurbankindness.Aftertheshow,theclub’sowner,seeingthatIwashavingdifficultieshailingacabatthatlatehour,drovemetomyhotelinhisowncar.

ThenthereisMaripá,asmallcityinthewestofmyhomestateofParaná,wheretownofficialshadorchidsplantedalongthestreets.Theseflowersweresoprettythattownspeoplereturnedthefavorbyimplantingtheirowncodeofurbancourtesy:nobodymesseswithMaripá’sorchids.

InRome,my dear friendDomenico deMasi once toldme another finestory of urban kindness. Every Friday, a group of residents in a certainapartmentbuildingorganizestheexhibitofapainterintheelevator;youcanadmire the painting as you ride. But the experience isn’t confined to theelevator shaft.As you go back down the stairs, you ring the bell of all theapartmentsoneachfloor.Onebyone,theresidentsopentheirdoorsandtalkaboutthepaintingandtellstoriesabouttheartistovercoffee.Onceaweek,thepaintingisreplacedbyanewonebyadifferentartist.Itjustgoestoshowthaturbankindnesscanalsobebeautiful.

InSalvador,CarlinhosBrown founded amusic school in a shantytown,where every Saturday he sponsors a live concert by local musicians. A

recording company records a CD of the show and the profits go to theinhabitants.

My son-in-law, Bas, once toldme a story about the “window-washers’floating gardens,” in New York. One architect came up with the idea ofplacing plants and flower boxes on the elevated platforms that windowwashersusetocleanoutsidewindows.Astheplatformshoveralongsidethebuilding, they turn into true floating gardens. This is an unforgettablekindness.

Back in the 1980s, the city of Curitiba decorated its buses for theChristmas season. The moving strings of lights and illuminated ChristmastreeswereacolorfulgiftforthosewhohadtospendChristmasdayworking.And as the buses made their rounds, they ended up spreading the light ofChristmastotheentirecity.

Sometimesurbankindness is embodiedby a singleperson, like the lateSérgioMercer.HisfellowtownspeopleregardedMercerasamanofsterlingcharacter, a talented advertising executive, and an extremely skilled writer.HisdeathwasaverysadmomentinthelifeofCuritiba.

MercerwasaspecialkindofCuritibano.Hesomehowembodiedthefaceandtheconsciousnessofthecity.Hekneweverythingthereistoknowaboutmusic,literature,andwasalsoagreatculturalcritic.Aboveallelse,hewasaloyalfriend.AndMercerhadanotherextraordinarytalent,aswell:hewasaconversation tuner. If the conversation in a group started to go flat,Mercerwouldfine-tuneittoamoreagreeablekey.

He had the habit of orchestrating, and could come up with newarrangements anywhere, anytime. He loved the tango and played animaginary bandonéon. You could actually see him “playing” it; the velvetbandonthekneeandall.

Thewhole city turned out for his funeral to reminisce about one of itsdearestcharacters.OneofhiscousinsspottedmethereandgavemearareCDoftangos:“IwassavingitforMercer,butsinceheisnolongerhere,Iwouldlikeyou,oneofhisbestfriends,tohaveit.”

ThenIrememberedthatIalsohadboughtatangoanthologythatImeanttogivetoMercer.Ileftthecemeterywithaheavyheart.

OnthewayhomeIstoppedatarestaurantfortakeout,sincenoneofmyfamilywasin themoodforgoingout thatday.ThenIbumpedintoMonicaRischbieterandherfriends,allofwhomwereglumafterthefuneral.ThenitoccurredtometogiveMonicathebookthatIhadbeensavingforMercer.

ThatledmetotheideaoflaunchingaMercer’sNationalDay,adateset

asideforgivingafriendagift.ThedatewouldbeMay6,thedaywhenallofCuritiba lostagreat friend.Sincewecouldno longergiveMercergifts,wewouldhonorhimbygivingpresentstooneanother.

Itwouldhavebeenthegreatestsortofurbankindness,andafittingtributetothemanwhoalwaysgavesomuchtohiscity.

Vampeta,asoccerstarwhousedtoplayfor theBraziliannational team,alsooffereda finegestureofurbankindness tohishometown, tinyNazarédasFarinhas,tuckedawayinthenortheasternstateofBahia.Once,whenhewaspassingthroughhishometown,someoneaskedhimifhecouldspare20reais(about$11)tohelppatchupthemovietheatre’sleakyroof.

Vampeta decided to have a look and quickly saw that the building thathousedthecinemawasindeplorableshape.Infact,theCineRioBrancowasa town landmark, one of Brazil’s oldest survivingmovie houses, dating to1927. SoVampeta bought the building and totally refurbished it. They saythattheinaugurationofthenewcinemawasthebiggestcelebrationNarzaréhadeverhad,withsoccerlegendRonaldinhoonhandashonoredguest.

Themoviehousestilldoesnotturnmuchofaprofit.SoVampetapaysthesalariesofitsemployeesoutofhisownpocket.Inadditiontoshowingfilms,the theater also stages plays and holds artworkshops formore than eightychildren who live in nearby slums. Vampeta himself doesn’t even like themovies, but he never thought twice about offering this gesture of urbankindnesstohishometown.

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TangodancersintheSanTelmoneighborhoodofBuenosAires,Argentina.PhotobyLuizCavalheiros.

MUSICALACUPUNCTUREnAntonina,acoastalcityinthestateofParaná,theyserveadeliciousdishthat is cooked in a clay pot sealed with manioc purée. They call it the

barreado.Bylocaltradition,fireworksannouncetheopeningofthepot.Butwhatmakestheoccasionevenmorespecialisthatthecity’santhemissungasthepotisunsealed.

Every city has its own gesture, its own song. Some have a wholerepertoirethatimmediatelybringstomindthetown’sparticularfeaturesandlandscape.ThinkofRioandyouarelikelytostarthumming“Copacabana,”“Corcovado,”“GirlFromIpanema,”or“CidadeMaravilhosa.”

StreetmusiciansinRome.PhotobyMarcoHeersink,Studio2255.

Rome, Chicago, New York, San Francisco—all these cities have been

immortalizedbysongsthat,intime,becameuniversal.Whenyouhearthem,youinstantlyevokeamentalportraitofthecity.

Just mention tango, or Carlos Gardel, and Buenos Aires automaticallycomestomind.Youcantakeinatangoshowalmostanywherethesedays,forthere are accomplished tangeros theworld over, but nothing compares to ashowinBuenosAires,wherethegenrewasborn.Nomatterwhereitturnsup,tangowillalwayscarryitsporteñostampoforigin.

Samba is one of Rio de Janeiro’s cultural trademarks. There areprofessionalsambamusiciansalloverthecountry.ButcomeCarnival,sambatakes its rightful place, in the streets. And that is where Rio—with itschoreographed parades of 80,000 or more costumed dancers, dancing andsingingintheworld’slargestopera—isunbeatable.

Whenadistinct songorbeat takesholdofacity’sorcountry’s identity,thengoodurbanacupunctureisatwork.Ithasechoesineverydayliving,liketheimprovisedtappingonamatchboxatastreetbarinRio,thebeatofdrumsonthesidewalksofBahia,orhip-hopgushingfromthegiantboomboxesinthestreetsofNewYork.

Somesongsareinthemselvesaformofacupuncture.Othershavebecomeveritable tattoos—by Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Milton Nascimento,Dorival Caymmi, and Vinicius de Moraes—adding indelible colors to thecity’sfeatures.

It is hard to imagine Bahia without Caymmi, João Gilberto, Gil, andCaetano.AndwhatwouldMinasbewithoutthemusicofMiltonNascimento?

Brazilwouldn’tbeBrazilwithoutVilla-LobosorAryBarroso.

There are songs that practically seem to conjure the city before you, asthoughtheywerementalsnapshots.

ButleaveittoAntonioCarlosJobimtowritemusicthatmadehisstoriedcity,RiodeJaneiro,seemevenmorebeautiful.Andbylookingbetter,acitybecomesbetter.

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CraftmarketinBryantPark,NewYorkCity.PhotobyStacyCashmanatRamblingTraveler.com.CreativeCommonsBY-SA2.0.

CONTINUITYISLIFEanymajorurbanproblemsarisefromalackofcontinuity.Acitypockedwith lifelesssuburbsor tractsofurban realestatedevoidofhousing is

justasskewedasonestrewnwithabandonedlotsandramshacklebuildings.Filling up these many urban “voids” can be the first step to soundacupuncture.

An important step is to addelements thatmaybemissing fromagivenarea.If thereisplentyofcommerceorindustrybutnopeople, thenhousingdevelopment could be encouraged. If another district is all homes andapartmentblocks,whynotboostservices?Andifabuildingiscrumblingorashop closes its doors, somethingnewmust bebuilt in its place, even if it’sonlytemporary.Someyearsago,afterwatchingsomeofCuritiba’straditionalcoffeehouses—truemeetingpointsinthecity—gooutofbusiness,webuiltaprovisionalcaféinapedestrianmallthatservedasnewhubofactivity.

Thequickeranabandonedlotisoccupied,thebetter,andpreferablywithsomething evenmore attractive or lively than before. I am also in favor ofcreating temporary structures to rescue failing services or establishments—sayaflowermarketoraconcerthall—untilnewprojectstakehold.Youcouldcallthisjerry-builtacupuncture:puttingupportablestructureshereandtheretoshoreupthreatenedneighborhoodsorcityaddressesthatneedrevitalizingoranewburstofenergy.

Thekeyistoaddtheurbanfunctionthatismissing.Itcouldbebuildinghomesorelsecreatingaprovisionalrecreationcenter;thegoalistopromotea

healthy mix of urban activities. Whatever structures are constructed, anyinitiative must be undertaken quickly so as not to break the continuity ofurbanlife.Continuityislife.

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LobstervendorinSihanoukville,Cambodia.PhotobyTartarin2009,Flickr.CreativeCommonsBY2.0.

STREETSOUNDS,COLORS,ANDSCENTStreet vendors are, for the most part, an unloved class. That’s a shame,becausetheyaremorethanjustanotherkindofmobilemerchant.Granted,

sometimes their practices fall shy of the norms of conventional commerce.Butgivenhowprevalentthesefootloosevendorsareinourlives,perhapsit’stimetheywereregardedwithalittlemoresympathy.

Whether it’s New York’s roving hot-dog chefs, barefoot merchantspeddlingcoconutmilkorsunscreenonthebeachesofRio,orthefruitsellersin the Caribbean who balance towering baskets of produce on their heads,streetsellerseverywhereshareacommonidentity.Theyinfusesound,aroma,andcolorintothecitystreetsinawaythatdefinesandenlivensoureverydaylives.

Foryears, I lived in frontofacookie factory inCabral,adistrict inmyhometownofCuritiba.Everydayoftheweek,adifferenttypeofcookiewasbaked.Thursdaywascoconut-cookieday,andthesavoryperfumeoftoastedcoconutpermeatedtheentireneighborhood.

Thefactoryisnolongerthere,buteveryThursdayIcanstillsmellthosecoconut cookies baking.Likewise, onCuritiba’s south side, the air is lacedwiththepungentsmellofmatteteafromtheteafactorythere.Peoplearoundtheworldhavesimilarstoriestotellabouttheirowncities.

The hum of roaming knife sharpeners honing blades, the chant of fruitvendors, paperboys crying out the latest headlines: by now some of thesesoundsmayhavecompletelydisappearedfromcities.

But new signs appear. The “sandwich-board”men of São Paulo and somanyothercities,whohawkedtheirwaresonfacingbillboardswornaroundtheir necks like twin slices of bread, have givenway to fancywebsites onwhichcountlessopportunitiesarenowadvertised.Butthesounds,thecolors,thearomasofopen-airmarketsandofstreetvendorsmustnotbeallowedtodisappear.

What a terrible place is a flavorless city, leechedof the spice and colorthataretheessenceofitssoul.

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TeatroPaiol,Curitiba.PhotobyJanainaFalkiewicz/janafalk,Flickr.

GOODRECYCLINGachcityhasitshistory,itsownpointsofreference.Iamnotjustreferringto all those landmark buildings that are part of any nation’s heritage. I

meantheplacesthatbelongtothecity’scollectivememoryandthatarevitaltoitsidentity—theintangiblebondthatforgesasenseofbelonging.Itmightbe a particular factory, an old tram station, or one of those bygone generalstoreswithitswaresscatteredunpretentiouslyovercreakyshelves.

But sincemany of these once-familiar urban icons are gone forever orchanged beyond recognition, we have to come upwith new ones and newactivitiestobringourdormantcityspacesbacktolife.Thereisnothingthatflattersaneighborhood—indeed,anentirecommunity—morethantherevivalofsuch“lost”spaces.

SanFranciscoledthewayin the late1960swhenit transformedtheoldGhirardellichocolatefactoryandthelong-shutteredDelMontecanneryintoGhirardelli Square and The Cannery, which blossomed into vibrant publicarcades.BotharenowkeyattractionsofSanFrancisco’sstoriedFisherman’sWharf.

Beginning in the1970s,urban recyclingbegan tosweep theglobe,withbrilliant projects like São Paulo’s SESC theatre complex, London’s trainstations,andsomanyotherrestoredtreasuresacrossEurope.

In1971,Curitibaconverteditsoldpowderhouseintoasmalltheater,theTeatroPaiol.Soonafter,anoldgluefactorywasreincarnatedastheCreativity

Center,acivicrecreationalartscenter.

AndwhocoulddenythecharmsofPuertoMadero,theoldBuenosAiresdocks transformed intoastylish riversidearcadeandofficecomplexorSãoPaulo’sJulioPrestesStation,whichwasreinventedasasplendidconcerthall.

There are good and bad examples of urban recycling, of course.Whatmattersisthattheworldwidewaveofrevitalizationhasrescuedourcitiesbyturning blighted urban zones into vital new civic spaces. This is greatacupuncture.

Now even grave injuries inflicted by man on the urban landscape—abandoned quarries and craters created by sandblasting—have beenrefashionedintohandsomeparksandamphitheaters.Onceagain,Curitibaledthe way with its Ópera de Arame (an opera house made of glass andlightweightsteel),andthePedreiraPauloLeminski(anopen-airamphitheaterbuilt to accommodate 80,000 spectators), and scores of other parks built inhonor of the myriad ethnic groups and immigrants who forged the city’sculturallife.

EventheIguaçuRivervalley,withitsringofsurroundingponds,helpedsalvagethewholestatefromaterribleecologicaldisaster.OnceanoilspillintheIguaçuRiverthreatenedtoblightthelandscape,butthenecklaceofsmallconnecting lakes saved the day, serving as a natural filter. The oil slickoverran the first pond and then another and another; but finally the tenthsandy-bottomed pond did the job, halting the damage and allowing rescueworkers to begin an intensive clean up.Divine intervention?Hardly.Theseponds were nothing but the wounds man had inflicted upon the landscapewhilequarryingforsand.

Here, injurybecamea solution.Thanks to theseunintendedponds,mandesignedanewlifefortheIguaçuRiver.

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ShibuyaCrossing,Tokyo,Japan.PhotobyCandida.Performa,Flickr.CreativeCommonsBY2.0.

PEOPLEINTHESTREETSometimes,Istoptowatchhowadropofmolassesdrawsaswarmofants.Or how a bar or a general store in a poor neighborhood—with their

blazinglightsandanimation—attractspeople.Infact,it’smainlypeoplewhoattract people. Man is both a protagonist and a spectator in the drama ofeverydaylifeunfoldingonthecitystage.

Goodacupunctureisaboutdrawingpeopleouttothestreetsandcreatingmeeting places. Mainly, it is about helping the city become a catalyst ofinteractionsbetweenpeople.Amasstransithub,forexample,doesn’thavetobejustabusstation.Itcanalsobeagatheringplace.

In Strasbourg, the inviting design of the tram stopsmakes for pleasantpointsofrendezvousandleisure.InSeoul,Isawametrostationthathousesan infant recreation area and a small planetarium. InCuritiba, buzzing busterminals,wherebetween500,000and800,000passengerscomeandgoeachday,havebecomeagreeablepublicmalls.

The more cities are understood to be the integration of functions—bringingtogetherrichandpoor,theelderlyandtheyoung—themoremeetingplacestheywillcreateandtheliveliertheywillbecome.Thedesignofpublicspaceisimportant.PlacedelaBourseinLyon;Barcelona’sPlazadelSol;theGammeltorv in Copenhagen; Tokyo’s Tsukuba Centre Square; and thePioneerCourthouseSquareinPortland,Oregon,aremagnificentexamplesofhowtotransformthecitybycreatingdynamicandinvitingpublicspaces.

Getting students into the streets is also hugely important. In too manycitiesaroundtheworld,studentsarephysicallyseveredfromtheheartbeatof

urban life, confined to distant islands that are conventionally known ascampuses.

Sometimes,thespaceissobarrenthatitismorelikeadesert.It’sjusttheoppositeofwhatstudentsreallyneed:tobeintegratedwiththecityinordertodevelop a more generous view of society. Otherwise, all they’ll get arefragments of information about a world they know only from a distanceinsteadofthroughdailyexperience.Afterall,canyouimaginetheSorbonnefarfromParis,orColumbiaUniversityinsomeNewYorkexurb,orBerkeleyseveredfromSanFrancisco?WhatwouldtheUniversityofHeidelbergorSãoPauloSchoolofLawbe if theyweresomehowuprootedandplunkeddownfarawayfromtheirvibrantcities?

And if universities seem remote and self-contained, why not bring thecampustothetownbysponsoringpublicseminarsorartsandculturaleventsfor the broader community? In the same way, the university campus canreturnthefavorandopenitsgatestothecity.Onewayoranother,townandgownworkbestnotasrivalsbutaspartners.

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JaimeLernerwithaDockDockcar,anelectriccar-sharingserviceinParis.PhotocourtesyofInstitutoJaimeLerner.

SMARTCAR,SMARTBUSew topics are more hotly debated today than that of the future oftransportation. Much of the talk centers on the car of the future, and

judgingby theever-more-sophisticatedautomobileshowsaround theworld,thevehicleof the future looksdaring indeed.Even theMuseumofModernArtweighedinonthediscussionsomethreeyearsagowithamajorexhibitdedicatedtothetechnologyanddesignofthecaroftomorrow.

Butthetruesmartcarstillhasn’tbeeninvented.Whencarmakersunveilabold new design, the engine is fairly standard, while the models boastingadvancedengines(thehybridandflex-fuelvarieties)aren’tmuchtolookat.Cars tailored to city driving—petite, fuel-efficient, and slow—are lousy ontheopenhighway.Well,iftwodifferenttypesofcarsarereallyrequired,thenwhynotbuildtwocarsinone:acar/bike,say,orevenasedanwithanother

collapsiblecitycarfoldedinthetrunk?

Afterall,theSmartBusalreadyexists.Itcomeswithafewbasicfeaturesand requirements. First, it requires a lane all its own (painted or not, butexclusive nonetheless), a reliable schedule, and frequent runs. Next, theremustbestep-lessboardingandexitways,prepaidticketing,andachoiceoflocalorexpresslinesarrivinganddepartingatregularintervals.

Ihavenodoubtthatthecityofthefuturewillbeservedbysurfacetransit.Itisfaster,vastlycheaper(one-hundredththecostperkilometerofasubway),andcanbeeasilyintegratedwithexistingmetrolines.Thesecretistocreateabusservice thatperformsasefficientlyasorbetter thanasubway line.Thesolution?TheBRT.

TheSmartBikealsoexists.Thisisabicyclethatdoesn’thavetojostleforspaceamongcars,trucks,orbusesinthestreet,orcrowdoutpedestriansonthe sidewalk. It is abikewith apathof itsown, a clearlymarked trail thatfollows rivers, canals, and railroad tracks.Thisbikewill onlybecome trulyintelligent,however,whenit’saseasytouseas,well,anumbrella;justpopitout,pressaleverand,voilá,instantportabletransportation.

Thenthere’stheSmartTaxi,avehiclethatcompetesneitherwiththebusnor themetro. It doesn’t vie for the same space or customers as the othermeansof transportation,but complementsboth. In thisway, theSmartTaxihelpskeeptrafficflowingbyferryingpassengerstoandfrofromthesubwaytothenearestintegratedbusstation,orbetweensubwayhubswithouttryingto replace or upstage either service. In order to mesh well with the largerpublic transit web, the Smart Taxi would have to operate on the sameintegratedfaresystem.Imaginethat—cabsworkinginpartnershipwithmasstransportationandnotagainstit!

Now, imagine theultimatemodeof transportation: theSmartPedestrian.Smartpedestrians are thosewhoare allowed tomove freely throughout thecity,evenincityparkinglots,justbyflashingtheirownpersonalizedmobilitycard. As a consumer, the Smart Pedestrian will demand efficient urbanfacilities, more shops, and better services. Of course, they will have to besmartshops,smartmovietheaters,andsmartservices.

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MorrosdosPrazeresfavela,RiodeJaneiro.PhotobyDany13,Flickr.CreativeCommonsBY2.0.

COMMITMENTTOSOLIDARITYsitpossibletopracticesoundurbanacupunctureandstillbecommittedtosocial solidarity? For decades, we have lived with the consequences of

socialinequality,whichendsupmarginalizingaconsiderablesegmentoflow-income people in cities. Just the paperwork churned out by countlessseminars, symposia, and consultancies on the urban underclasseswould beenoughtocoverupalargepartoftheworld’sslums.

Mostoftheworld’spoormaketheirhomesonhillsidesorinthelowlands.Itwasthebesttheycoulddoinsocietiesthatleftthemlittlealternative.Butwhatnow?Howtotakeurbaninfrastructuretotheseinhospitableareas?Whatis to be done with the garbage that piles up into polluting mountains thatoccasionally collapse, burying whole communities? Can we find a way toprovidehonestworkforthejoblessandtheunderemployed?Mostimportant,howcanwestopthetwinmodernurbanepidemicsofdrugsandviolence?

Somecitiesareshowingtheway.Curitiba,forexample,solveditswasteproblemindeprivedareasbyencouragingresidentstoexchangetheirgarbageforbustokens.Thesystemwasfoundedoverthirteenyearsagoandhasbeenworkingeversince.

About twenty-five years ago, I came up with a plan for takinginfrastructuretohillsidefavelas.Theideacalledforusingthehandrailsofthepathsandstairsthatusuallywindtheirwayupthroughtheslumsasconduitsforwaterpipesandelectricalcables,branchingofftofeedindividualhomesthroughtherooftopsorwindows.

Sewer pipes, meantime, would be channeled along the base of the

stairway. It was a simple and practical solution, but came with one majorcaveat: no digging into hillsideswas allowed, because it could increase theriskoflandslides.

Andthere’smore.The levelareasofhillsidedistrictscouldbeequippedwithrecreationalandcommercialfacilitiesandcommunityservices,justlikeanyotherareaof thecity. Jobscouldbecreatedby turning the favelas intoduty-free zones, with tax breaks for manufacturing and service industriesoperating in the slums. Such tax-free zones would attract investments andservices fromotherneighborhoods,helping to integrate the favelaswith therest of the city. In thisway, enterprise in the hills and the lowlandswouldradiateouttotheentirecity,creatingopportunitiesand,undoubtedly,helpingtoreduceviolenceandcrime.

The best way to bring safety to the slums is to generate businessopportunities in the most densely populated districts and the flatlands.Restaurants,shops,servicecenters,streetlights,andotherurbanfacilitiesareall beacons of integration. Forget all the elaborate diagnostics and endlessurban studygroups.Taking social integrationup thehillsides is agoodandexpedientkindofurbanacupuncture.

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MapofTaghazout,Morocco.IllustrationaccessedviaMaptiaanddrawnbyEllaF.Sanders(ellafrancessanders.com).

DRAWYOURCITYoodurbanacupunctureisalsotheartofstimulatingknowledgeaboutthecity.Howmanyofusreallyknowthecityinwhichwelive?Andsince

we rarely pay much mind to what we don’t know, how can we hope togeneraterespectforacitywedon’tunderstand?

Drawyourcity.That’swhatIsuggestedto200journalistsgatheredinCalifor International Journalist’s Day. To what extent do reporters who writeaboutandcommentontheurbanbeatdayinanddayouthaveabroadviewofthetowntheycover?

WhatIwastryingtotellthejournaliststhatdaywasthatcityreportingisnotonlyaboutwhether themayor is aheroor a crook.Rather, Iwanted toknowhowstoriesabout thecity’s failingsmightbeofvalue.What Ihopedwas for the journalists to tellme how they thought theirworkmight reallyhelpthecity.

Buthowcanyouimproveyourcityifyoudon’tevenknowit?Ordon’tdrawit?That’swhat’smostimportant:Wegettoknowthecitybyafewofitsstreetsandpointsofreference.Citymaps—which,inanycase,sofewofusknow—arelittlemorethanlinesonagrid.Ibegantolearnabouttheriversofmycityonlywhen I startedworkingas an architect in themunicipalurbanplanningdepartment.

The same applies to state (or province) and country maps. What isdepicted is a political blueprint of municipalities, a jigsaw puzzle whosepiecesfittogethertoformastate,acountry.Butthisstate,thiscountryhasa

design that hasnothing todowith thispuzzle. It is thedesignof its rivers,hills,plateaus,andmountainridgeswherenaturalresourcesarelocated.

Of course, thosewho cannot see this tend to get their knowledge fromothers.But it isnot the same thing.Drawyour city.Makeamodelofyourstate.Drawyourcountry.

Some timeago,when Iwas stategovernor, I launchedacampaignwiththepurposeofencouragingeverybodytohelptopreserveourrivers.Sincethemajor polluting factors were sewers—the government’s responsibility—andgarbage,thiswassomethingthepeoplecouldtakechargeof.

During this campaign childrenwere asked:Do you know the river thatflows near your house? How could they respect these rivers if they didn’tevenknow them?Andwhat’sworse, almost all of the riverswere covered,channeled.

Once theriverswere identified, the ideawas towritedownthenameoftheriverrunningneartheirhousesbythehousenumber.Maybethen,peoplewouldstartpreservingthem.

At the Science Park, built inCuritiba as ameans of recovering the oldfacilitiesofaruraltrade-showpark,weinstalled,amongotherthings,ahugemodel of the state of Paraná. A walk through the model gives you moreknowledgethanmonthsofhistoryandgeographystudies.

Inthatsameparkwebuiltaplanetariumshowinghowindigenouspeoplessaw the universe and its constellations. This wonderful idea cost only tenthousand dollars, a very low sum compared to the cost of a traditionalplanetarium.

Ifancient stargazerscouldsee theseconstellationsdrawn in theskyandhanddownthisknowledgefromgenerationtogeneration,whyshouldn’tyoubeabletodrawyourowncity?Makingsuchadrawingwouldbegoodurbanacupuncture. Once assimilated, it would become a beautiful imprint of amemory.

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IllustrationcourtesyofInstitutoJaimeLerner.

INSTRUCTIONSFORPERFORMINGURBANACUPUNCTURE

on’tforgetthatthecityisameetingpoint.Itisgregariousbydefinition,the place where the codes and by-laws of living together were first

established.

The great ideological conflict in the world today is “globalization vs.solidarity.” In the words of Portugal’s Mario Soares, we must “globalizesolidarity.”

Andthecityis thelastrefugeofsolidarity.Thecityisn’t theproblem—it’sthesolution.

Thebiggestproblemwecreatedwasmovingour livelihoodsawayfromourhomes.Weseparatedworkfromlife.

Thecityisanintegratedstructureoflifeandwork.Thecityisameltingpotofhumanactivities.Themoreyoublendincomes,ages,andactivities,themorehumanthecitybecomes.

Imagineacityinlayersdepositedovertime,andit’slikesearchingforitshidden design; a strange archeology that revives ancient buildings, streets,andmeeting spots, assigning new functions, changing valueswe once helddear.It’slikegazingintoakaleidoscopeandfindingthelostdesignthatwillenableustobetterunderstandpresentencounters.

We can give this design something new, consolidating it with masstransportation, adequate land use and a framework of roadways, all bound

togetherinasinglepurposethatdefinesthewaysinwhichacitymaygrow.

The car is our “mechanical mother-in-law.”We have to maintain goodrelationswithher,butwecan’tletherdominateourlives.Wehavetoknowhowtocoexistwiththeautomobilewithoutbecomingitsslave.

The streets are a stage and a setting too important to serve only onefunction,sotheymustacquiremultipleusesovertime.

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IllustrationcourtesyofInstitutoJaimeLerner.

CREATIVELEISUREVS.INDUSTRIOUSMEDIOCRITY

sitpossibletodotherightthingbeforewedothewrongthing?Ahallowedprinciple says that industrious mediocrity sometimes wins out over idle

creativity. For thosewho do not constantly question their own actions, it’salwayseasiertocarryoutsomeoneelse’sideas.

BusRapidTransitstation,Curitiba.PhotobyMarioR.DuranOrtiz.

Industrious mediocrity is gaining ground, along with merchants ofcomplexity:thebean-countersandtheinconclusive,never-endingresearchers.Butsometimes,justonestrokeofcreativityisacupuncturepowerfulenough

tomakeprogress.

When we were implanting one of the most important improvements inCuritiba’stransitsystem,BusRapidTransit,steplessboardingwasessential.Thefirstbattlewastogetholdofalarge-capacity,articulatedbus.Wehadtoconvincethechassismanufacturersthatitwaspossibletobuildsuchathingandthattherewasamarketforit.

ThroughKarlosRischbieter,aformerfinanceministerandex-memberofthe board ofVolvo, Imanaged to arrange ameetingwithVolvo’s board ofdirectorsinGöteborg,Sweden.Wesetuponestudyofthecitiesthatneededsolutions for surface travel and another to see whether this would betechnicallyviableinCuritiba.

Imagineoursurprise tofind thatapowerfulorganization likeVolvohadnomorethanafolderofnewspaperclippingsaboutmasstransportation!Theywere embarrassed—so embarrassed that, two months later, their vicepresidentcametoBrazil totellmetheywerewillingtostartdevelopingthechassisinCuritiba,onlinewiththeteaminGöteborg.

Whenthechassiswasready, itwastestedlateatnight toseeifabusofthat length would function on our streets and on our bus-only lanes. Thearticulatedbuswasimpressive—itcouldcarry270passengers.Itwasamajorvictory.

But it was equally important to make fare-paying andboarding/disembarking quick and agile. So it was essential that passengerspaybeforegettingonthebusandthatboarding/disembarkingbestepless,onthesameleveloftheplatform.

Paymentwas easily resolvedwith a turnstile at the entranceof the tubestation.But the boarding/disembarking procedure also had to be perfect, toprevent slowdowns or bottlenecks and to avoid accidents. An impeccableconnectionbetweenbusandtubewasessential.

Wewereapproachedbyahugenumberofsellersofcomplexandcostlysolutions. One proposed solution was for the bus to dock and depart byelectronicmeans.Everysolutionpresentedtouswasextremelyexpensive—asexpensiveasthebusfleetitself.

ThenthearchitectCarlosCenevivacalledoverthebusdriverwhowasthechiefofoperations,RobertoNogari,andaskedhimifhecouldstopthebusinthetubestationwiththedoorexactlyoppositetheloadingplatform.Withouthesitation,thedriverstationedthebusperfectly.

Cenevivathenaskedhimandtheotherdriversiftheycouldalwaysrepeatthe samemaneuver with the same precision. The driver had an immediate

solution—asmallmarkonthebuswindowandanotheronthestation.Whenthe two linedup, theoperationwasdoneperfectly,quickly, and safely.Thesystemhasworkedforelevenyearswithoutasingleaccident.

Itwascreativeacupunctureandagreatvictoryoverlaboriousmediocrity.

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MamambyLouiseBourgeois.InfrontoftheGuggenheimMuseum,Bilbao.PhotobyVicenteVillamón,Flickr.CreativeCommonsBY-SA2.0.

SELF-ESTEEMISGOODACUPUNCTUREowmuchdoyoulikeyourcity?Generally,youlikeyourcitybecauseyouwerebornthere.Butwhatdoyoureallythinkofyourcity?Doyouknow

it, feel part of it? Or have the naysayers convinced you that there’s nosolution, and you’re sure that your city has the worst infrastructure, is themostviolentandunfair?Andit’sworseifit’sabigcity,wheretheproblemsarejustasbigandit’seasytojustifyyourfrustrationbyscale.

Butscalehasnothingtodowiththefactthataproposalmaybeunviable,northelackoffunds.Whatisimportantisthecorrectvision,andacompetentset-up of a “corespon-sibility equation.”What’s needed is a scenario, or anidea,adesirableconcept.Andallofthepeople—ormost—willhelpbringitto fruition. It’s precisely at the moment of execution that a people’s self-esteemhelpsacitymoveforward.

Thecityof Joinville, in thestateofSantaCatarina inBrazil,decided tobecome a center of excellence in ballet. The mayor joined a campaign bychoreographer Jô Braska Negrão to create a branch school of Moscow’sBolshoiBallet,andtheentirecityworkedtomakeithappen.

ClaudeNobisledacampaigntomakeMontreux,Switzerland,thehostofoneoftheworld’smostimportantjazzfestivals,andthewholecityisreapingitsbenefits.

Nova Jerusalem, in the poor Brazilian state of Pernambuco, annuallystagesthePassionofChristatEastertimeinareasthroughoutthetown,andthe spectacle has raised the self-esteem of the city—and of all Brazilian

people.

To stimulate self-esteem is fundamental acupuncture. That’s whathappenedwith urban transport and solutions forwaste disposal inCuritiba.It’swhathappenedinBilbaowiththeGuggenheimMuseumandallitsotherrecentconquests.

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LightreflectedinthePrinsengrachtCanal,Amsterdam.PhotobyJethroMorsink.

LIGHTISGOODACUPUNCTUREe’vesaidthatidentityisanimportantpartofthequalityoflifeofacityand that toknowacity is to respect it and tobepartof it.Starting in

1971,Curitibabegan to reinforce its highwaynetworkwithpublic lighting.Thatis,thepubliclightingsystemcametohighlightthebasicstructureofthecity.

By the typeand intensityof the light,youcouldknowwhereyouwere.Yellowishsodiumlight(400watts)wasused to identifystructural roadwaysthat carriedmass transportation.The feeder lineshad lightsofother colors,andwhenyoureachedthedowntownarea,thelightingalsowassodium.

ChristtheRedeemerstatueonCorcovadoMountain,RiodeJaneiro.PhotobyRicardo,Flickr.

Itbecameveryeasyto“read”thecity,andithelpedresidentsgettoknowit better. Unfortunately, as time went on, these “light lines” have becomesomewhat blurred, and the distinctions confused, but it was excellentacupuncture.

Manycitieshaveusedpublic lighting toperformexcellent acupuncture.The Schouwburgplein in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, becomes a sprawlingurbanstage.Usersthemselvescanmodifythepubliclighting,andthenatureofthesquarechangeswithlightingeffectsthatmakethespaceseemtofloat.InAmsterdam,thelightsofthebridgearchesarereflectedinthecanalwaters.In fact, the entire city is reflected in the water. In the Rathausplatz, in St.Pölten,Austria,thelightingaccentuatestheopenspaceoftheplaza.ButthemostfascinatingeffectsareinthePlacedesTerreauxinLyon,France,wherethelightandwaterreflectallthesurroundingfaçades.

Butwhataboutneon,whichcarriesitsownmessageonthenightair?InSão Paulo, in the 1970s, we proposed a neon treatment for the Vale doAnhangabaú, a downtown area and a traditional site for demonstrations,ralliesandpublicshows.Itwouldbeneonacupuncture.

DuringtheRio2000project,weproposedcreatingsidewalksintheformofwavesinRio’supscaleBarradaTijucabeachdistrict,highlightedbyneonbordersthatwoulddramaticallyilluminatethebeachandtheoceanwaves.

Therewas a time inPariswhenyou could personally decidewhat timepublicmonumentswouldbelit.Allyouhadtodowascallacitydesk,markthetimeandplace,payaservicecharge,andyouhadyourpersonallightingtohighlightamonumentoranypartof thecity forsomeoneyouwanted toimpress.

Nothing is more beautiful than the Christ the Redeemer statue shiningatop CorcovadoMountain in Rio. The Brazilian lyrics of the song “QuietNightsofQuietStars,”byAntonioCarlosJobim,sayitall:“AndawindowlookingoutonCorcovado,theRedeemersolovely.”

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ThecanalsofAnnecy,Italy.PhotobyEdwinK.C.Lee.

AQUA-PUNCTUREecadesago,IsawamoviestarringJeanneMoreauandsetintheFrenchcity ofAnnecy, and I fell in lovewith theplace. InAnnecy, the canals

were part of the city’s daily life, and they led to another charming setting:TailloriesLake.

Theimageremainedsoclearinmymemorythatyearslater,asIarrivedinGeneva for a meeting to discuss the quality of life in Arc-et-Senans (theformer royal saltworksofClaude-NicolasLedoux, nowaUNESCOWorldHeritageSite), I tooka taxi from theairport to thecityandsawa sign thatread: Annecy 32 km. I made up my mind instantly. Minutes later, I waswalking by the canals of Annecy, searching for the exact spot that I hadengravedinmymemory.Istayedfortwodaysinasmallhotelthere.

I had been in Venice years earlier and was moved by the scenery, thehistory,andthecharmofacitythatispartofmankind’sheritage.ButVenicealso draws more tourists than it can comfortably hold. Annecy is an old-fashioned,down-homeVenice.

But I don’t want to talk about cities where water has such a powerfulpresence, likeRio de Janeiro,HongKong,Berne,Amsterdam,Geneva andFoz do Iguaçu. I’d rather discuss cities that have used water as a tool forurbanacupuncture.Inotherwords,aqua-puncture.

I’llalsomentionthecitiesthathavestraight-jacketedtheircanals,coveredovertheirrivers,createdenvironmentaldisasters.CitieslikeLosAngelesandSão Paulo have turned their backs on rivers and continue to abuse them,transforming them into flood sites and deposits of waste and garbage—an

attitude of disregard toward the rivers that have marked their course inhistory.

But there are also cities like Seoul, which is revitalizing theCheonggyecheon River. It’s similar to the way Curitiba transformed theIguaçuRiverintoaclean-upproject,fromitsspringsallthewaytoitsmouth.These rivers and canalsdon’t have tobebig. InParis, theoldCanalSaint-Martinwasrecuperated,revivingasymbolofthecity’soldbohemianyears.InFreiberg,Germany,downtownareasareconnectedbyanancientsystemofsmall,inter-linkedcanalsknownasbäckle.Littlemorethan30cmwide,theyare a constant presence in public areas. In Lyon itself, in the Place desTerreaux,lightandwaterperformalovelypas-de-deuxinauniquesetting.

DuckattheSaint-MartinCanal,Paris.PhotobyNicolasVigier,http://boklm.eu/.

IpersonallywillneverforgettherevitalizationoftheBelém,Barigui,andIguaçurivers,aswellasthePedreirasParkinCuritiba.Ifindtheinterventionsin these rivers remarkablebecause theydemonstrate adifferent approach todealingwithurbanmacrodrainage,onethatisforthecity,itspeople,anditsnatural environment. Instead of channeling the rivers and burying them inconcrete, theywere preserved in their natural course and the riparian areasprotected,creatingpublicparksforCuritibathatatthetimehadagrandtotalof one. In the Belém and Barigui rivers, lakes were created. These lakes,which are actually flood control mechanisms, also add beautifully to thelandscapeofthesesites.

ThePedreirasParkshowshowamanmadewoundinthelandscapecanbetransformed into something positive for the city. After being exhausted asquarry sites, these areas were abandoned, creating a problem in theneighborhood. A more generous look at those carved holes in the groundrevealed the striking enclosed spaces they formed, inspiring the creation of

twonewvenues:thePedreiraPauloLeminski,anopen-airconcerthallwhereperformers such as José Carreras and PaulMcCartney have been featured;andtheÓperadeArame,anetherealglassandsteel theatreagainst thehardrockbackground,builtintimefortheFestivaldeTeatrodeCuritiba.

Itistrulyamatterofhowonelooksatthings—eitherasaproblemorasan opportunity to do something creative. Perhaps, if kissed by the rightprincess,everyfrogcanbeturnedintoaprince.

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IllustrationcourtesyofInstitutoJaimeLerner.

THEMOBILITYCARDcupunctureisn’talwaysaphysicaltransformation.Sometimesit’ssimplya good idea that can change a city’s life for the better. Big cities face

terrible circulation problems and deterioration brought on by excessiveconcernwiththeautomobile.

Even cities that responded to this nefarious tendency and made publictransportationthepriority,reducingexcessiveuseoftheautomobile,stillfacetheseproblems.Thecompulsiontoextendthereachofautomobilesintoevermoredenselypopulatedareaspersists.

Cities likeParis andLondon,whichhaveextensivemetronetworksandquality systems of surface transportation, still have a high percentage ofautomobile use.What to dowith that part of the population that insists onusingcars?

London took the first radical step, charging a toll for cars entering thedowntownarea,andIbelievetheideaofreducingcaraccess tocitycenterswillbewidelyrepeated.

Ihavenothingagainst theautomobile.But the idea is touse itcorrectlyandadequately,notallowittomakethecitycenterunviable.Ithinkthebestsolutionisthecreationofamobilitycard.

Thepre-paidcardcanbeusedforall travel insidethecity.Startingwithperimeterparking,whereyouleaveyourcarandtakethemetroorthebus,allispaidforwiththesamecard.Youcanevenuseitfortaxis.

Thesolutionformorerationalmobilityistheintegrationofallmeansof

transportation.Thesecret isnot toallowcars, taxis,buses,surface transportsystems,andsubwaystocompeteonthesameitinerary.Themobilitycard,bydemanding fast integration in order for it to work properly, will alloweveryonetoownaBMW—Bus,Metro,orWalking.

TECO-CLOCK

hisisanotherideathatdoesn’trequirephysicaltransformation,butrathersolidarity with your neighbor and with future generations. Many have

tried to motivate people around the world with the concept of sustainabledevelopment.Buttheexplanationsareconfusing—eithertooacademicortoopolitical—andthere’snocomprehensioninthem,justenthusiasm.

People often think they can’t do anything, and are quick to join thenaysayers. The media don’t help because they also make catastrophicpredictions,asifthingsneverchange.Buthowcanwechangeifpeopledon’tknowwhattodo?

Look,it’ssoeasy.Ifyouwanttochangetheenvironment,it’snotenoughsimplytofeel likea terminalpatient.Startwithtwosimplethings:Separateyour organicwaste fromwhat’s recyclable anduse your car less.You’ll beconserving energy, saving trees, and helping your country become lessdependentonothers.Savemoreandwasteless.

That’swhyI’mproposingthecreationofaneco-clockforeachhome.It’sa clock that keeps track of the proportion of what you spend compared towhatyousave.Iftheratioisgreaterthanone,youarehurtingyourneighborandtheenvironment,becauseyou’reconsumingmorethanyousave.Ifyoudon’t save anything you’re irresponsible, because the clock will register“infinite,”themarkofirresponsibility.

Ifyoureco-clockregistersirresponsibility,punishmentwillbeimmediate.You’ll lose the right to blab about the environment in the bar with yourfriends.Andyoucan’tbepresidentofanNGO.

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Tree-linedstreetinShanghai.Photo©SonGallery™.CourtesyofiStockphoto.com.

ARBORESCENCEegetationcanbegoodurbanacupuncture.Citiesthatmightnothavegreatattractions in some areas change radicallywhen they plant trees.Many

citiesachieveunityessentiallythroughtheirintensevegetation.

Shanghai has trees planted every fourmeters along all its streets. Theybeautifythelandscape,generateshade,andarekeysupportsforthebamboostructuressetouttodryclothes.Theseclothedbamboofigureslookjustlikescarecrows.

CananyoneimaginewhattheRiobeachfrontwouldbelikewithouttreesalongitssidestreets?Treesareacupuncturethateasethepaincausedbytheabsenceofshade,life,color,andlight.

Curitibaplantedonemilliontreesinlessthantwodecades.Itstartedwitha gesture of true urban courtesy. The publicwas asked to help irrigate thesmalltreesplantedonthestreets.Thecitygovernmentlaunchedacampaignthatproclaimed:“CityHallprovidestheshadeandyousupplythewater.”

Inmanycities,thehousingprojectsareblandbecauseoftheiruniformityandtheabsenceoftrees.Whenweinstitutedourhousingprograms,stressingdiversificationthroughamixtureofvariousincomelevels,thecityofCuritibaplantedtreesonthestreetsandaskedeachresidenttochooseafruittreeforhisgarden.

Thelayoutofthestreetsdidnotallowthefellingofasinglestandingtree,and roads were laid out to avoid the trees. The traditional scorched-earthpolicyofurbandesignhadcometoanend.

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PlaqueoutsidetheBarrachinaRestaurant,PuertoRico.PhotobyBogdanMigulski,Flickr.CreativeCommonsBY2.0.

PRODUCEDMEMORYloísioMagalhães,apioneerofmoderndesigninBrazil,said,“Historyislikeaslingshot.Thedeeperyoupullback,thefartheryoushootforward.”

Identity,self-esteem,thefeelingofbelonging—everythingisrelatedtothereferencepointsapersonhasinrelationtohiscity.

InevergottiredofsayingthatmystreetinCuritibahadeverything.I’dgoforawalkandcheckthetimeonthetrainstationtower.WhenIcouldn’tseeit, the factorywhistlenext tomyhouse toldme the time.Or Iknewby thesmelloftheRailwayWorkersCafé,whereI’dgetmycoffeeafteranightofreadingorstudying.There, in thestationsquare,wasacanvasairplane thatphotographersusedasabackdropforpicturesofchildren.

TherewasthesmellofthetobaccoshopwhereIboughtmycomicbooks,thenetworkofstreetcartracks.Tothisday,Icanimitatethesoundthetraincarsmade arriving in the yard. I remember the smell of the varnish of thefurniturepolishersout front.Thesoundsof the ironsat the tailor shopnextdoor.Thenewspaper teletypesacross thestreet,or thecircus showsnearby.Thefancyhotel,theradiostations,theCityHallbuilding,theorchestrasattheCuritibanoClub.

Allthismayseemlikenostalgia,butitneverfades.Andwhenitdoesn’texist anymore? Do we make it up? No.We trace it back.We look to ourhistory and culture for something that will revive or leverage various

moments.Memoryacupuncture?

San Francisco did this, telling the story of the places described in thebooksofDashiellHammettorthefilmsofHumphreyBogart.It’sthememoryoffiction.

RiodeJaneirodidit,too,withthestoriesofthebossanova,BottlesAlley,NascimentoSilvaStreet,thelittlebars.

The artists and performers of any age always help, singing andwritingabout the specific locations. People will assemble it all later, laying thegroundworkfornewstories.

InSanJuan,PuertoRico,asignmarksthespotwherethefirstpiñacoladawasmade.InHemingway’sParis,theRitzwillalwaysbeasimportantasanyofthecitymonuments.

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TuileriesGarden,Paris.Photo©Kiev.Victor.CourtesyofShutterstock.com.

OFPARKS,SQUARES,ANDMONUMENTSougotoasquare,butyouloseyourselfinapark.Asquareofteniswhereyouwatchtheworldgoby;aparkiswhereyoudiscoverwhatlieswithin

yourself.

Okay,it’snotquitethatsimple.Squaresandparksarelikepaintings:alotdependsontheframe.It’simportanttoknowwhichonetouse.

Evenmoredifficultisthepasse-partout,apicturemountingwithcoloredtapeasaframe.Somesquaresneedasmallframe,andalargepasse-partout.And some parks sprawl across the city,without a frame or passe-partout…suchanappropriateword.

Asquaremusthaveentrances.Theyareopentoall,butwithportals,theyseemmorespecial to the individual.Theyaresmall,andstillcanbelong tomillions.Sometimes,they’resobigthattheyseemtobelongtonooneatall.It doesn’t matter if they’re closed, open, fenced-in, covered—whatcharacterizesthemallisthefeelingofbelonging.

There’s no question that the Place des Vosges in Paris belongs to themagnificent housing that surrounds it. At the same time, it belongs toeveryone. Gramercy Park in New York, surrounded by buildings, has anintimate connection with the entrances of all the structures. The shelteredplazasofNewYork’sbuildingsbelongtomillions.Theyaresmall,but theyenclosedistinguishedspaces.

WhetherlocatedinavastensembleontheoutskirtsofParisorahousingprojectinBrazil,theselargesquaresgiveusthesensethattheybelongtono

one.But the small Italianplazas let us join them, and immediatelybecomepart ofourmemory.Oneof the smallest squares in theworld, thePlacedeFurstenberginParis,givesyouthesensethatitbelongsjusttoyou.

Whatcanwesayofparks?Immense,vibrant,bustlingparkslikeGoldenGate Park in San Francisco, full of conveniences and attractions?Or thosethat serve as a setting for natural beauty, like the sprawling Aterro doFlamengoinRiodeJaneiro,ortheFrenchparksthatcreateaframeworkandperspective for monuments, like the Tuilleries? What about those that areframedbythebuildingsthatsurroundthem,likeCentralParkinNewYork?Ortheparksthatwelcomeeveryone,liketheEnglishparks,orthosedefinedbyveritablecathedralsoftrees,liketheBotanicalGardensinRio,ormassivecandelabras,likethearaucáriapinesinBariguiParkinCuritiba?

And I love the small patios typical of the small French hotels, like thepatioof theHôtelde l’Abbayeor theRelaisChristine inParis.TheSpanishpatios, with their fountains that drip minutes, or Pelourinho square inSalvador,withitsvibrantcolorandsmells.

Idon’tlikethemonumentsofpeoplethathavenowarmthoraffection,orwhoconsiderthemselvesabovethecommonpeople,withphrasesintendedtodefendthem.

Ibelieveinagoodacupunctureofsentiment,liketheideaofthefamousAmerican urban designer Allan Jacobs who proposed a street lined withstatueswhere anyone could payhomage to friends and relatives.Thatway,youcanspendpleasanthoursrightnowwithfuturemonuments.

And let’s not forget sculptures and busts, which are also important. InCuritiba, thePolishcommunitywished topay thecityback forcreating thePapal Park in honor of the visit of JohnPaul II to theParaná state capital.They decided to order a sculpture of the pope from an assistant of therenownedsculptorPietroBardi.

Andonan importantdate, therewewere, thegovernor and I asmayor,ready for the inauguration. The band was playing. An immense panelconcealedthestatue,whichuntilthatmomenthadnotbeenrevealed.

The bandheightened the suspense and,with a drum roll, the panelwasliftedandthepope’sstatueappeared.Itwashideous.Thepopelookedlikethedevil from someAfro-Brazilian cult,with gleaming eyesof synthetic resin.Pandemoniumbrokeout.

Not even theband’s futile efforts couldhelp.AnelderlyPolishwoman,followed by a rabid mob, brandished her parasol like a bayonet, ready tofinishoffwhoeverwasresponsibleforthemonstrosity.

The ensuing conflict and conciliation with the Polish community hadsome tense moments. It reminded me of a United Nations assembly. Acommissioncametoaskmetoremovethestatue,whichIrefusedtodo.HowcouldIcensoraworkofart?

After a fewweeks, I finally reached a solutionworthyofSolomon.Wewould try to use vegetation to cover the statue, and the Polish communitywould give us a high-relief image thatwould be permanently placed on anoutdoorpaneltakingcarethattheimagethistimewasagoodlikenessofthepope.

Itseemedliketheproblemwassolved.Thestatuewouldbecamouflagedandthehigh-reliefimagetohonorthepope’svisitwouldbeputinplace—ifonly a supposedmiracle hadn’t occurred at the statue.Newsof themiraclespread,andpeopleonlywantedthestatue’sblessings.Thesurrogateimageisstill there, completely forgotten. Statues and monuments are goodacupuncture when they become a part of the city’s story, belonging toeveryone—evenifthistakesamiracle.

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PhotocourtesyofInstitutoJaimeLerner.

THEONE-PAGEGUIDEvertheyears,Idevelopedthehabitofmakingaone-pageguideforeachcity,oneverytrip.Thegoalwastoavoidwastingtime.InthefewdaysI

wasthereinacity,Iwantedtofiindoutwhattherewastosee,whatwasnew,whatwasworthwhile.Sometimes,intwoorthreedaysinNewYorkorParis,I’dwastealotoftimejustgettinginformed.

In thisguide, I’ddrawthemapof thecityononesideof thepaper—orrather,thewayIunderstoodthecity.Ontheotherside,I’dwritemyagenda,withhotels,restaurants,thetimesandplacesofexhibitions,andotherthingsthatIhadtosee,likeconcertsorshows.

Soon a few friends began to ask to borrowmyguide.When they camebackfromtheirtrips,they’dreturnthecopy,addingonthenewthingsthey’ddiscovered.Andsotheguidewasconstantlyupdated.

Andlet’snotforgetaboutthechildren.Theyalsodeservetheirownone-pageguide.Itcouldbethecoverofaschoolnotebook,wherechildrenhaveamapofthecity—andwhat’smoreimportant:theywouldgettoknowit.Ontheothersideoftheguide,childrencouldlistwhattheylikemostaboutthecity,andexchangeinformationwiththeirclassmates.Ormaybeastatemapinhigh-relief, a small model that would help them understand their state, itsmainriversandgeographiccontours.Thisguidewouldbemoreuseful thanlearningwhat the greatest common denominator is good for. I still haven’tfoundanexplanationforthat.

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Bicyclistsandcars,Barcelona.PhotobyUGTCatalunya.

URBANCHOLESTEROLhat’s the best acupuncture for high urban cholesterol?Well, first let’sexplain what this disease is. Urban cholesterol is the buildup of

excessive automobile use in our veins and arteries. This affects people’sbodiesandeventheirminds.Theysoonstarttothinkthatcarsarethesolutionfor everything. So they prepare the city to revolve around the automobile.Viaducts,expressways…andfuelemissions.

Thesolution:Use them less.Avoidautomobileusewhen there’sagoodpublictransportationalternativetogettowhereyou’regoing.

That’sgoodcholesterol.

Butplanningacityaroundtheautomobilepresentsanotherproblem.Theshoppingcenteronthecity’soutskirtsencouragesustoskipexercise,toavoidawalkaroundtown.

Separatingthefunctionsofcitylife—livehere,workthere,andtakeyourleisuresomeplaceelse—isawasteofenergy.Theresultismorepressurefromtrafficjams,wastedtime,pollution,andstress.

Andhowmanytimeshaveyoudeniedyourchildrenanareatoplayinjusttoguaranteeparkingspacefortwocars?

Good cholesterol is controlled use of the car.And good acupuncture isthrowingthekeysawayforafewhours.

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St.PancrasStation,London.PhotobyDanielLoshak.

BUILDINGSWITHDIGNITYhesenseofbelonging.That’sthefeelingthatnoble,olderbuildingsgiveuswhenweseethemonthestreet.

Theybelongtothestreet.

Theyopenontothestreetwithgrandeur.Andtheyopentotheirresidentswith generosity.Magnificent foyers, doors, portals, lobbies. They leave nooneunsheltered,theyseemtowishtogiveussanctuary.

ChryslerBuilding,NewYorkCity.Photo©DavidPedre,courtesyofiStockphoto.com.

Theyareveryunlikemodernbuildings,whichhidetheirentrancesorpushthemtotheside,asiftheyconsidertheserelationshipssecondary.

Anothersensationanolderbuildingimpartsisacontemplationofeternity.Asifsomeoneuptherewerewatching.

Andthecrownofthebuildingisimportant.Ithaslinkstothestreetandtoimmortality. It’s as if the crownof abuildingwere a formof reverence forfuturegenerations.

Modern buildings aren’t like that. They simply stop, with strangestructuresaddedon,likewaterrepositories,TVantennasandelevatorshafts,exhibitingtheirentrails.Atbest,awell-groomedpenthouse,oranewfloor,apoolforthebenefitoftheprivileged.Theyhavenosenseofcommunity—ofbelonging—that thegrandoldbuildingshad.For this reason, I feel that theolder buildings of various eras offer a form of reverence for the city. A

ChryslerBuilding, aCrowneBuilding, aBritish train station—all have thistypeofcommitment.

Whatisthecommitmentofamodernbuilding?Todenyusanentrance,tohide its public face, to open itself only to a select few. Surrounded by itsentrails or its egoism. Its transience makes it a candidate for humandemolition,becauseitisunperturbedbyitsreductiontorubble.

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Musicianonaquietstreet,Barcelona.PhotobyAlanLevine,Flickr.

ACUPUNCTUREOFSILENCEitieshavetheirownsounds.Inmany,it’shardtohearthenaturalsoundofthecitybecausethere’sasonicinvasionofnoisesthatmixwiththesound

of the city. That’s a shame, because its natural sound is part of the city’sidentity.

IhadamarvelousexperienceinFerrara,Italy.It’sacitythatconvincesmethatasilenceispossiblethatwillallowustohearthesoundsofthecity.It’snotanabsolutesilence,buttheabsenceofthedistortionofthenaturalurbansounds.

You hear conversations; you hear the sounds of the urban environment.AllthissimplyheightensthebeautyofFerrara,atraditional,historiccitywithoneoftheoldestuniversitiesinEurope.Ferrarahasmanyyoungpeopleandsomeverylivelyareas,butyoucanstillhearthecity.Thesoundsarereal,notmixedordistorted—theunadorned soundsof a livingcity.Ferrara’s soundsareinpureform.

Thesoundofacityhasnothingtodowithitsscaleorwiththeabsenceofnoise.Barcelona is a noisy city, but that is its own sound in pure form, asnatural as a matador’s promenade. The sound of the avenues, theconversations,arepartofthecity’sidentity.InnoisyBarcelona,thereisalsoasilencethatallowsustohearthesoundifthecity.

Ferrara and Barcelona speak to us of normal days. It’s the sound thatmakesup theday-to-day lifeof the city.But there are cities thatoncertaindays—special days—also have special sounds. To hear the sound of thesecities,onthesedays,isamagicalmoment.

On Yom Kippur in Jerusalem, you can hear the sound of this magicmoment.Littlebylittle, thecitygrowsquiet, thenoisefalls toahush, therearenomoresounds,justwhispers.

Thecarsstop.Therearen’tjustafewcars,likeonaweekendorholiday—there are none! Not a single car. The streets are empty as grown-ups andchildrenwalkquietly along thevehicle paths.The cars are all parked, as iftheyhadbeenabandoned.There’snosoundoftrucks,buses,pickups,motors—nothing,absolutelynothingmotorizedonthestreets.

There’s a deep, low murmur in the city, and people walk silently insneakersorsandals—nothingthatmakesnoise.Thereseemstobeacollectivedesire to walk through the streets, with no fear of its former tenants. Theconversationsproduceakindofmurmur—aholywhisper.

OntheDayofAtonement,everythingcomestoastandstillinJerusalem.In other cities there is some minor activity, but in Jerusalem everythingsimplystops.It’salawthatallrespect,whethertheyarereligiousornot.Theelderly,youngpeople, andchildrenwalk to the synagoguescarryingbooks,whileothersweartheirtallithimrightonthestreet.

Groupsofyoungpeoplesitonthestreetandtalk.Thecrowdleavingthesynagoguefillsthestreets,andtheconversationsgoonforhoursandhours.Setting aside the religious aspect, you suddenly realize that it’s simply atremendouschitchat.

Streetswithoutcarsmakemewonder if aglobal “strike” ispossible—apactamongcitydwellersallovertheworldtodiscoverhowmuchbettertheircitieswouldbewithoutcars.Tolearnhowsilenceisimportantforthequalityoflife,orsimplytoisolatethesoundsofthecity.

AsYomKippurends,peoplewaitforthefirststartocomeout.Theywalktoward the huge open-air patio at theWailingWall to await the call of theshofar.Trumpetsthatoncebroughtthewallstumblingdownnowsoundforapeoplewhoanchor their identity in thiswall, a fewstones thathavebeenareferenceforthousandsofyears

InIstanbul, there’samagicmomenteveryday.Late in theafternoon,asMuslimsbegintheireveningprayers,there’sasuddensilence.Silenceallowsforonlythesoundofthecitytobeheardatthisspecialhour.

The transformation is instant—and amazing. A bustling, dynamicmetropolisofnearly10millionpeoplesuddenlyfallssilent.Avoiceechoesinsuccessionfromalltheminaretsofthecity.Atthisexactmoment,thesoundofthecityisthevoiceoffaith.

Goodacupunctureofsilenceisallowingthenaturalsoundofcitiestobe

heard.Silencethatpurifies,thattunesinthecity’struesound.Intheolddays,lamplightershadthenoblemissionoflightingthegaslampsthatilluminatedthe city’s streets. In a similar way, my dream was to be a tuner of cities,highlightingtheirtruesound.

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GalleriaVittorioEmanuele,Milan.PhotobySanketAgrawal.

RAMBLASANDGALLERIESan the simple layout of a street influence a city’s behavior? TheacupunctureperformedbytheramblasofBarcelona,theroutesthatlink

thecity’scentralplazatoitshistoricport,seemstosayyes.

Barcelona isoneof themostexcitingandspiritedcities in theworld,orperhaps the most vibrant. You can’t credit only the Catalan spirit for thisenergy.Itisasumoffactors.

Barcelonaisoneofthemostdenselypopulatedcitiesintheworld,infusedwiththeCatalanspirit,theMediterranean,itshistoryandbackground.Yetthedesign of the rambla is the ideal setting for urban life. Through its amplepedestrian space and diverse surroundings, it acts as a catalyst for uniqueinteractions and experiences. In the earlyhoursof themorning, it’s alreadypercolating. And the fiesta that unfolds during the day makes it an idealmeeting place. People are both actors and spectators of the pageant that isBarcelona.Sure,othercitiesalsohavemusicians,mimes,andmagiciansontheirstreets.Butnoneofthemseesthepageantunfoldsofrequently.

It’s almost like a movie—each section of the rambla is a bazaar untoitself.

Everycityhasgalleries.Somearesimple, juststoresside-by-side,whileothersaregrandiose,liketheVittorioEmanuelegalleryinMilan.It’sthemostbeautifulmeetingplaceinthecity.OrliketheGUMshopsinMoscow,ortheLafayetteGallery—actuallyadepartmentstore—inParis.

Butthecitywiththegreatestnumberandthewidestvarietyofgalleries,withoutadoubt,isParis.TheVivienneandColbertgalleries,interconnected,are magnificent. So is the Passage des Panoramas, near the Bourse. Whatdelights me in these galleries isn’t only that they are ancient coveredpassages.It’sthequalityofthestores,theshopwindows,andtheattentiontodetail.And,ofcourse,theirabilitytoselllace,ribbons,cakedecorations,andmusic boxes with the dignity of a merchant offering the world’s mostpricelesstreasures.

GUMdepartmentstore,Moscow.PhotobyAndrewAnderson.

StreetperformersinGüellPark,Barcelona.PhotobyDavidEllis.

But the biggestweapon—real heavy artillery—is in the galleries of thePalaisRoyalplaza: thearmiesof toysoldiersondisplay.Youcanevenbuymedalsatthesestores,andwalkoutmoredecoratedthanafieldmarshalonparade.

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InterioroftheÓperadeArame,Curitiba.PhotobyHervalFreire.

APINPRICKDOESN’THURTnacupuncture,theprickoftheneedlehastobequick.

Youcan’t imagineacupuncturewiththeneedlesbeinginsertedslowlyandpainfully.Acupuncturerequiresspeedandprecision.

Thesameappliestourbanacupuncture.Thatwashowweimplantedthefirstpedestrianzone inCuritiba, in1972.Thewholeoperation took just72hours.

Istillremembertheloudprotestofshopownerswhenweannouncedtheproject.Weknewtheideawouldbehardtoimplement,becauseworkcouldbestoppedbyacourtorderinfavorofaprotest.Wehadtoworkfast—veryfast.Mypublicworkssecretarypredicteditwouldtakeafewmonths,atleast.Iinsistedonspeedandsetadeadlineof48hours.I’msuretheythoughtIwascrazy.Thenthesecretarycameandtoldmeitwouldbepossibletofinishinamonth.Onceagain,Irefused.Andmorenewproposalswerepresentedfortheproject’s execution: to prepare the street furniture beforehand; to mobilizespecialteamstopreparethenewpavementineachblock.

Thetimekeptshrinkinguntilthesecretaryreachedhislimit:oneweek.Icontested it and managed to reach an agreement on a period of 72 hours.We’dstartonaFridaynightandpresent thefinishedworkto thepublic thenextMondaynight.

Ifthepeopledidn’tapprovethechange,wecouldalwaysgobacktowhatwehadbefore.Butitwasessentialthatthepeopleseethefinishedwork.Andthat’swhatwedid.

Adayafter the inauguration,oneof thebusinessmenwhohadheadedapetitionopposingtheprojectmadeanotherrequest:thattheworkcontinuetoexpandandincludemoreregions.

TheÓperadeArametheatre,erectedonthesiteofanabandonedquarry,was concluded in sixty days. The idea wasn’t to break records, but somepublicworks,forspecialreasons,needtobedonequickly.WiththeÓperadeArame,we didn’twant tomiss the chance to host an International TheaterFestival.Apoliticaldisputebetweenthegovernorandthesponsorsledhimtoprohibitholdingthefestival in theGuaíraTheater, thecity’smainarena.Sotheneedarose tobuild theÓperadeArame in time tohost thefestival.WestartedonJanuary15.

Twomonthslater,onMarch18,weinauguratedthetheater.Tofinishtheproject in suchashort time,weusedonlyone typeofmaterial, steel tubes.Weheldonlyonebiddingforlabor.Itwasanodyssey.

Another project executed extremely quickly was Passaúna Park, whichhadtobefinishedbeforeanewgovernmenttookoffice.Thegovernoratthetimealsowaspoliticallyopposed,butheunderstoodtheneedtoprotectriversprings.We built a park in twenty-eight days, even before a topographicalstudy. Everything was decided and carried out right at the work site. TheOpenUniversity of the Environmentwas completed in twomonths, also arecord.

More recently, the NovoMuseu, or the Oscar Niemeyer Museum, wasbuiltinjustfivemonths.Youcanimaginehowcomplexaprojectlikethatis,butwehadachancetorecycleanoldbuildingdesignedbyOscarNiemeyerhimself:amagnificent,audaciousprojectof the1960s thatwas transformedinto offices for the state secretaries. It was important to transform abureaucratic area into a space dedicated to creativity, identity, art, design,architecture,andcities.Onceagain,speedwasoftheessence.

And the museum is there to this day, embodying the genius of OscarNiemeyer in a projectwhose cost—$12million—is far less than theoutlayforabranchoftheGuggenheim.

Thespeedoftheseacupunctureshadasinglegoal:topreventtheinertiaofcomplexvendors,ofpettiness,ofbadpolitics, frommakingthesecriticalmomentsandfundamentalprojectsunviable.

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FestivalofLightsatBrandenburgGate,Berlin.Photo©ARPictures.CourtesyofShutterstock.com.

TROMPEL’OEILometimes the city resorts to something false to preserve what is true.That’s thecasewith thepanels at awork site that showwhatabuilding

willlooklikeafterrestoration.

It’swhathappenedwiththerestorationoftheMadeleineinParis.Panelsscreening the work site showed aMadeleine even more beautiful than theoriginal.

Anotherfantasticexampleoftrompel’oeil—Frenchfor“tricktheeye”—istheillusionistdecorationofthenaveandthedomeoftheChurchofGesùinRome,whichwereaddedonacenturylater.OrtheChurchofSantoInáciodeLoyola, where the cupola, projected but not built, was veiled by a trompel’oeilinafalseperspective.

InBerlin,during thereformof theBrandenburgGate,giantpanelswereinstalled to conceal the work. Images of the city were placed on them tocreateadifferentperspective.

Atrompel’oeilthatdoesn’thelpthecityisashoppingmall,withthesamestores,thesamelogos,sothatyoucan’teventellwhatcityyou’rein.That’sreallyatrompel’oeilthatbringsnobenefits.

Butagoodstorewindowcanbea lovely trompel’oeil. Idon’tknowofanycitythathaslovelierstorewindowsthanParis.It’slikewatchingaparadeofcolors.

Everything has its own display, from the simplest hotel to the mostsophisticated stores. It’s a sightseeing tour createdbypeople eager to show

you their best side. Maybe this image of the city is false—or at leastincomplete—but it canbevaluablenonetheless.Maintainingprideandself-esteemrequirescontinuousacupuncture.

Many resort to the trompe l’oeil for shock effect, to create a falseperspectiveoraccentuatetheabsurd.ThisisanoldissuethatremindsmeofthediscussionbetweenTrueandFalse:

FalsetoldTrue:“Igotherefirst.”

Shopwindow,Paris.PhotobyBeatrizSirventValera.

Truereplied:“Youbarelyexist,andIamtheend-all.”

“Withoutme,”saidFalse,“youwouldn’tbetrue.You,byyourself,couldbefalseortrue.Whenwe’retogether,I—becauseI’mfalse—willlieandbetrulywhole.Andyou,withyourtruth,couldbeconsideredfalse.”

In thiscase,acupunctureconsistsofmaking thefalseworkonbehalfofthetrue.

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FedericoFellinidirecting,1972.©JohnSpringerCollection/CORBIS.

ALETTERTOFELLINIe lived in the heyday of the Italian cinema. Fellini, Ettore Scola,Pasolini, Visconti, and so many other magical directors. And at one

point,thecityofCuritibawrotealettertoFellini.Thestorygoessomethinglikethis:

WegotnewsthatFedericoFelliniwouldcometoBrazilfortheBiennialof Arts in São Paulo. A popular movement arose in Curitiba to convinceFellini tovisit thecity.The ideawas topay tribute to therecentlydeceasedcomposer Nino Rotta—composer of the soundtracks for most of Fellini’sfilms—bynaming an auditorium afterRotta, an auditorium to be built in aquarrythatI,asmayor,haddeactivated.

WedecidedtoinviteFellinitoinauguratetheNinoRottaauditorium.Buthowtomaketheinvitation?

Journalists AramisMilarch andValêncioXavier and a large number ofCuritiba’sfilmmakersandmoviebuffsfeltthattheinvitationshouldbemadein the formof amovie.The invitationwouldbepresentedbyFellini-esquecharacters in various parts of the city. In other words, Curitiba would bedescribedtoFelliniinhisownlanguage.

Thenextdayswerefilledwith intensecreativity.Thefilmwasfinished.The final scene took place in the quarry itself, with Italian painter FrancoGiglio giving a pernacchia to movie directors (or, in English, “blowing araspberry”).

Who should deliver the letter? We thought of Giglio himself, whosupposedlywasafriendofFellini.Butbythistime,ithadbeensomuchfunmakingthefilmthatwehadallbutforgottenFellini.

However, the mission demanded that we keep going. And so our ownFrancoGigliowentwithhiswifeRosetotheDolceAqua,incompliancewithapersonalappealfromhisfamily.ButFrancoGigliowassoshythathenevermanaged todeliver the film-invitation.Years later,Gigliodiedwithouteverhavingcompletedhistask.

Nonetheless,thegreatauditoriumwasbuiltinthequarryand,nexttoit,inanotherquarry,weerectedtheÓperadeArametheatre.

Idon’t thinkFellini everknew that thedesire tohonorhimhadcreatedsuchlovelyacupuncture.

Ohyes,andthefilmLettertoFelliniwonprizesatvariousfilmfestivals.

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StatueofHachiko,Tokyo.PhotobyDominiekterHeide,Flickr.CreativeCommonsBY2.0.

HOWTOFINDSOMEONEINACITYcityshouldallowpeoplenotonlytomeet,butalsotobefound.

Finding someone in Caracas, Venezuela, outside its best-knownlandmarks,ishardenough.Urbanreferencesaren’tofmuchhelp.

InTokyo,it’smuchharder.Thereareprivatecodesthateachcitycreates,withindicationsthatonlyresidentsunderstand.

AndhowdoyoufindsomeoneinDolceAcqua,Italy?Once,mywifeFaniandIdisembarkedinNice.WepassedthroughMonteCarloand,ontheroad,we remembered that we were near San Remo, where our Italian pintoreFrancoGigliolived.

Atagasstation,IlearnedthateightkilometersnorthofVentimigliatherewasaplacecalledDolceAcqua,neartheruinsofacastle,nexttotheNerviaRiver.

Wehadthefeelingthatallwehadtodowasshout“FrancoGiglio”andwe’dfindhim.Justgoyellingthroughthestreets,“Franco,FrancoGiglio!”

Afewminutes later,wewereinfrontofamedievalstonebridge.Whenwegotacross,wegavethefirstshout:“Franco,FrancoGiglio!”Aboycamerunningup:“Ilpin-torebrasiliano?He’satPastio’sbar.”

Insidethebar,wefoundafogoftobaccosmokeandtheagreeablesoundof men drinking and talking. We gave our second shout: “Franco, FrancoGiglio!”

One of themen took us by the hand and led us to a two-storey house.

“Franco,FrancoGiglio!”Andheopenedthewindow.

Withthreeshouts,youcanstillfindsomeoneinagoodcity.

But few meeting spots could have a more beautiful story than that ofHachiko,inTokyo.HachikowasanAkita,abreedofdognativetoJapan,andinthe1920shadbelongedtoaprofessorattheUniversityofTokyo,formerlytheImperialUniversity.Everyday,HachikowouldfollowProfessorEizaburoUenototheShibuyastationwherehewouldtakethetraintowork.Eachdayat 3:00 p.m.,Hachikowould go back to the station towait for his owner’sreturn.

OnMay21,1925,ProfessorUenohadastrokeanddiedattheuniversity.Fornearlynineyearsafterthat,Hachikokeptgoingbacktothestationeveryafternoontowaitforhisfriendwhowouldneverreturn.OnMarch7,1934,Hachikodiedinthesamespotwherehealwayswaitedfortheprofessor.

ThestoryofHachikowasalreadyfamousinthecity,andonemonthafterthedogdied,astatuewasplacedattheentranceoftheShibuyastationinhishonor.Thebronzestatue,ninety-onecentimetershigh,wasmadebytheartistTeruAndo.During the SecondWorldWar, all the statueswere confiscatedandmelteddowntomakeweapons,includingthestatueofHachiko.In1948,TakeshiAndo, thesonof theoriginal sculptor,washired tomakea replica,which was placed in the same spot as before. The original Hachiko wasstuffedandplacedonexhibitintheMuseumofNaturalSciencesinTokyo.

Hachiko’slifewasrecountedinabookandinamovieentitledTheStoryofHachiko.VisitorspassingthroughtheShibuyastationcanbuypresentsormemorabilia of the city’s favorite dog in the Shibuya No Shippo store. AcoloredmosaicdepictingAkitascoversawallnearthestation.

March7cametobethedatewhentheHachikoFestivalwascelebrated,inhonorofcanineloyalty.ThestatueofHachikohasbecomeaprimemeetingspotinTokyo.Atanyhouroftheday,someoneistherewithhiseyeontheclock,waitingforafriend.

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NiteróiContemporaryArtMuseum,RiodeJaneiro.PhotobyRodrigoSoldon,Flickr.CreativeCommonsBY-ND2.0.

THEPRESENCEOFGENIUShepresenceofgeniushasclearlymarked thehistoryofmany importantcitiesaroundtheworld.

It’simpossibletocounthowoftenthishappenedinItaliancities,thehomeofRenaissancemasterssuchasMichelangelo,DaVinci,Titian,andBotticelli.

ButnoneofthemfeelsthepresenceofgeniuslikeBarcelona.Therearen’tmanyworksbyGaudí in thecity—GüellPark, theMilaHouse,LaSagradaFamília cathedral, the Batlló House, the Vicens House. Nevertheless,BarcelonabreathesGaudí.Heseemstobeeverywhere,eveninworkshehadnothingtodowith.Still,myfavoritegeniusinBarcelonaisthearchitectLluísDomènech iMontaner,designerof thePalaude laMúsicaCatalana,amongothers.

InRio,OscarNiemeyerdoesn’thavemanyworks—there’s theObradoBerço,theMinistryofEducationbuilding,theMuseumofContemporaryArtinNiteróiacrossthebay.ButRioisOscarNiemeyer.Justasit’salsoMillôr,ViniciusdeMoraes,AntonioCarlosJobim,Cartola,andBurleMarx.

ThecityofBeloHorizontehasevenmoreworksbyNiemeyer,includingthePampulhaproject,amongstothers.Butstill,thesoulofthecityisMiltonNascimento.

Caratinga,anothercityinthestateofMinasGerais,isZiraldo.

Curitiba is Poty. Porto Alegre is Mário Quintana. Bahia is DorivalCaymmi,GilbertoGilandCaetanoVeloso.

Youcantrytorationalizeanycity,butgeniusisessential.

Citiesneedeverything,butit’sgoodtoknowgeniusalsoisrequired.

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FrontgateofLaBoqueriamarket,Barcelona.©Ingenui.CourtestyofiStockphoto.com.`

MARKETSANDSTREETFAIRShydoesamarketattractsomanypeople?Therearemanyexplanations:peopleliketowatchpeople;themarketisasoldasthecityitself;people

liketoseeotherpeopledoingthesamethingtheyare;andpeopleliketoseefood,itspreparation,itscare.

With themodernization of cities and globalization,we began to receiveandbuythingsthatwereoverlypackaged,exceedinglyreadytouse,inplacesthatweretooperfectlyprepared.Wedon’tseethingsintheirrawstate,theiroriginal form. That’s why we feel nostalgic when we see products, fruits,vegetables,meats,andfishintheirnaturalstate.

Themodernzoowillnolongerbeaplaceforlions,giraffes,jaguars,andpelicans,butratheranareaforchickens,cows,pigs,ducks,andsheep.

WhyistheLaBoqueriamarketinBarcelonaoneofthebestintheworld?Becauseit’sgorgeous,withitsstainedglasswindows,andbecausethewayitsproducts are presented is also attractive. The meats, the fruits, and greenvegetablesallsmellfresh,andthewholeatmosphereaffectsthevendors,whoarelivelyandcheerful.It’sgreattofeelthisearlyinthemorning.Breakfastinacaféinsidethemarketisunforgettable.

We all get tiredwhenwe see everything the same. A regular shoppingmall excludes us from the city, with its stores so identical that it’s hard toknowwhatcityyou’rein.Butthemarketsandstreetfairshavealwaysbeenareferencepointforacity.

PariswastheultimateloserwhentheydemolishedtheLesHallesmarket

designedbyVictorBalthard.Nothingcouldever replace thebuoyant lifeofthe“underbellyofParis.”

Butwedon’t have to leaveBrazil to find iconicmarketplaces.TheSãoPauloMarket is an important one.And itwill be even better after the SãoPedro Park is restored and revitalized as planned. The Curitiba MunicipalMarket doesn’t have the same tradition, but it’s still a good market. Thenostalgia that immigrants frompoor northeasternBrazil feel for their homewaspreciselywhatmadetheirtypicalmarketinRioasattractiveasanyintheNortheast.

TheGrandBazaar,Istanbul.PhotobyStephenDownes,www.downes.ca.

InAmsterdam, theAlbertCuypMarkt, everyMondaymorning,and theNoorderMarkt and theWaterlooplein in the Jewish quarter, are as good asany in Europe. The Feskekôrka, in Göteborg, Sweden, is a spectacularmarket,even though itcan’tcompare to theGreatBazaarof Istanbulor theSpiceBazaar,withtheirspecial,singulartraits.

AndwhatcananyonesayabouttheTokyofishmarket?Inthisimmenseterrestrialseaoffishandoctopi,wefeellikescubadiverswithouttanks.

Still,nothing transcends therichness, thesheerpleasureofhagglingandnegotiatinginanArabiansouk.Normally,thealleysareverynarrow,andthemerchantssitoutsidetheshops.Withthelittlespacethat’sleft,you’reforcedtolookfromonesidetotheother.Themerchanthasalreadygottenwhathewanted: your attention. You’re already lost, and you’ll end up buying. Sonow,doastheydo—makethisyourpleasure.Itishere,deepinthecitiesandArabquarters,thatcommercebringsustheflavorofidentity.

Time, always adding new layers to civilization, is nostalgic for theprimitive state of things that allows us to come, conclude, and achievesomething.

That’swhythemostsophisticatedstylesandtrendsseekthemostrustic,

leastdevelopedsettingstostandoutandbephotographed.

Man seeks his neighbor in the market, doing the exact same thing inbustlinglocations.

Themarketplaceisacupunctureofidentityatatimewhenmanycitiesarelosingtheirs.

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CounteratTheDagda,apubinEdinburgh,Scotland.PhotobyJoeGordon.

THEBARCOUNTERupport, a sense of comfort, an alert mind—all are reflections of goodacupuncture.

That’swhyagoodbarcounterisimportant.TheSpanishliketosaythatagoodbarraiswhat’simportant.

A counter is important anytime, anywhere in the world. From the oldemporium,whereyouwouldbuyhouseholdsuppliesandstopatthecounterfor a good chat and an antipasti before heading home, to the sophisticatedbarsandhappyhoursofthebigcities.

Small, big, round—the singlemost important thing, besides the productitself, the food or drink, is the tolerance and understanding of the barman.Fromthechampanerias ofBarcelona to the IrishpubsofNewYork,or thesimpletavernsofRio,allmusthavethisfeelingofsolidarity.Thepatiencetohearthesameoldstories,thatnooneinyourownhousecanstandtohearanylonger.

Which is the best counter? A Rio tavern has the informality, thecomplicity,andthefeelingofcelebration.Celebratingwhat?Idon’tknow—maybecelebratingthefriendshipofsomeoneyoudon’tknowwellenoughtorecognizehisflaws.

I remember the counter of P.J. Clark’s inNewYorkCity,which is—orwas—designed to help you hold on to the handrail and balance on thebarstool. Or the cafeteria counters in New York, where the early-morningconversationsstartupagainstabackdropofgriddlesandspatulaspreparingeggsineveryconceivablestyle,whileLatinosononesideandAmericansontheotherengageinamorningsalsa.Sometimeago,IheadedacrossCentral

Park toacafeteria in theExcelsiorHotel just to seehow fast a70-year-oldmancouldwaitonhisclientsfromaroundtheneighborhood.Idon’tknowifhe’sstillthere,butitwasacafeteriacounteroperatingatlightningspeed.

By the way, speed at the counter is essential. The barra of a tavern inBilbao or San Sebastian has a double line of waiters and a triple line ofclients.Ham and redwine, blood sausage, clams, eels, all come forthwithnoiseandefficiency.

InBerlin, at theGendarmenmarkt, a counter onwheels stretches to thesidewalk so the talk can continue outside. It’s a convertible counter, like asportscar.

At the sushi-yas of Tokyo, the plates of sushi slide along a belt on thecounter in front of the client.On the other side of the oval or circular beltstandthesushimen,workingswiftlyandtirelessly.Theclient’sonlyjobistofollow theparadeofdishesalong thebeltandchoose thekindofsushi thatmostappealstohim.Afterward,allhehastodoiscountthedishesandpaythebill.InTokyo,therearebarsinnookssosnugthatthealltheyhaveisthecounterandnomorethanadozenstools.

Thebar’scounterrepresentsacleanstart,similartotheturnattheendofalaneforaswimmeratthepool.Agoodturnatthecounterisadiveintoafreshmomentofthedaywhen,inthewordsofthejournalistNireuTeixeira,“thenightwillbelikeafilter,andonlythegoodremains.”

Is it surprising that there are so many bars around a pool? The mostbeautifulinNewYorkisinWilliamsburg,Brooklyn,withafakepoollitupinanoldgarage.Iwantthatlightdesignerinmycity.

TheEnglish pub places great importance on the counter. Someof themevenhavedividingpartitions,asortofreservedarea—maybeaconfessional?Canyouimagineawesternsaloon,oranadvertisingset,withoutabar?

Bars require certain boldness in conversation, because someone has totake the initiative. For young people, they’re a good place to shed theirinsecurity;forthelonely,aplacetosharetheirsolitude.

Fromthebarrasofthebajo-rasantesinSanSebastiantothebarinfrontoftheBosphorusinIstanbul,thecounterisacupunctureagainstsolitude,andinfavorofthecity.

Somearespecial,likeBox32attheMarketinFlorianopolis,ademocraticspace for the frequentersof theMarketandas sophisticatedaspatronsmaywish.Frommeatpastriestochampagne.

AnotherveryspecialbarcounterisatManeko’sinCuritiba,whichmade

itsmarkinhistorywiththeonlysolemn,ritualpassageofbarownershiponrecord.

BeforeitbecameManeko’s,thebarwasknownasMano’s,anditwasinagallerywheremybarber,ZeTrindade,alsoworked.ItwascalledtheGalleryofCommerce,butifanyplaceeverlookedlikeaBolivianmetrostation,thiswasit.Theplacewashometoallkindsofstrangeactivities—adollandtoyrepairshop,anumbrellarestorer,apennyarcade.Theprimarymeetingspotwas a place calledMano’s Barwhere peoplewould sit with a view of thearcade.

On Jan. 1, 1984,Mano transferred the place to the newowner,ManoelAlves, in the presence of customers and friends, with the promise that thecookIdaandthewaiterNilsonPassarinhowouldkeeptheirjobs,andthebarwould continue to offer its traditional snacks, such as codfish cakes andpreparedcowhoof.

Unlikemany political promises, this onewas kept and is honored eventodayin thebar thatwasrelocated in1988toCabralBoulevard,barely100meters away, with the nameManeko’s in honor of its new owner.ManoelAlves showed a true gesture of urban courtesy and solidarity with hisclientele.

There’sonlyone thing thebarcountersometimesproducesandmustberigorouslyrepelled:thebore.TheytellmethatintheBraziliancityofPoçosdeCaldastherewasabarownerwhowouldringabelleverytimehefeltaboreapproaching.Itwasawarning—andsucharesponsibility!

There’sthesophisticationofthevinbarsinParis,whereyoucansampleeverytypeofwine.AndtherearethesimpletavernsofRio,anendlesssourceoftastysnacks,gooddraftbeer,andacertainopenbonhomie.

Ah, the bars of Rio. Nothing matches their simplicity, sympathy, andtolerance.Becausethebarcounterrequiresagooddoseoftolerancefromtheownertowardhiscustomers,afundamentalhumantrait.

And the zinc counters of the tabac cafés of Paris, where the morningbeginswithatartine,acoffee,aglassofwine,oramarc.Nomatter.It’s“LaMarseillaise”salutedwithglassesofPernod.

But the solidarity of a bar ismeasured by the relationship between thelengthof the counter and the number of tables.The longer the counter, thegreater the solidarity. Because the bar counter represents a state ofequilibriumforeachpatron,astableplacetoweightheiroptions,toreflectonthe past and consider the future. It’s the undercurrent, running beneath thesurface.

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PontNeuf,Paris.PhotobyBrunoMariotti,Flickr.CreativeCommonsBY-SA2.0.

LOVEFORTHECITYhatifeachneedleprickofacupuncturewereagestureofloveforyourcity?Begin by drawing your city.Draw your neighborhood andmark

thepeopleyouknow.Greetthembyname.That’sgoodacupuncture.

Shop in themarketsandplaceswhere theownersandfamiliesattend totheircustomers.That’sanothernudgeofloveforyourcity.Catchthenextbusandgreetthebusdriver,thefarecollector,andyourneighbors.That’sapointforyou.Takeawalkandnoticethedesignontheground,thestreetlights,andtheitinerary.Anotherpointforyou.

Did you hear and recognize the customary sounds of the city?Did yousmellthetypicalodorsofacertainregion?Morepointsinyourfavor.Didyouask theownerof thestorewhereyouusuallyshopnot toseal thestorefrontwithroll-downsteelgratesatnight,sopeoplecanseethemerchandiseintheshopwindows?Morepoints.

Doyouhaveacircleoffriendsyouchatwith,acaféorabarthat’syourregularspot?Excellent.Doyouhaveyourownbarber,yournewsstand?Evenbetter.Areyouaregularcustomerofthestoresandservicesfacingalongonestreet?Morepointsforyou.Youreco-clockislessthanone.Good.

Doyourememberyourcitythewayitusedtobe,don’tfeeltheneedforjunk food, watch a movie in a regular cinema and discuss it later at arestaurantwithyour friends?Congratulations!Youarenowa citizen, curedbyurbanacupuncture.

You’reabletocapturethespecialmomentsinthelifeofacityandrealize

thateachcitycanbebetterthanitis.It’suptoyoutobecomefamiliarwithitandsensewhat’sbestaboutit,whichissolidarity.Thenyou’llbeabletolovepeopleofeverycity.

Let’sallthinkaboutthecity.

Me,onmypart,Ithinkof…

Ithinkofthatdarlingsquareon53rdStreetinNewYork,

soprecious

thatshouldbeclosed

(toavoidbeingstolen)

IthinkofthestreetsandcanalsofAnnecy

adown-homeVenice

oftheherbagecoveringthemarqueeoftheHôteldeFenice

etdesArtsinVenice,

deepinautumn

oftheshelteredplazasinNewYork,

petiteandgrandiose

atthesametime

Ithinkofhowfastculturebreeds,

poundingandhammeringonthewalls

ofbrownstonesandskyscrapers

IthinkofthesilhouetteofNewYork

ofKoblenz

ofFlorence

ofJerusalem

agreatcitymusthaveasilhouette

RooftopsofBologna,Italy.PhotobyYuriVirovets.

ofthecolorofthecities

ah,thecolorofBologna

ofFaroldaBarrainSalvador

ofthegrayofRueMonfettardbleedingthroughthecolorsofthemarket

thecolorofthesea,seenfromtheterraceofAmanda’sBarinSanJuan,

thedignityofViadeiCalzaiouliinFlorence

thehazymorningsofmygrayCuritiba

andwalls

IthinkoftheeternityofthewallsofJerusalem

ofChina

anditsvalleys

Ithinkofthedoorsandportals

IthinkofthesolitudeofthePlacedeFurstenberg

Abench,atree,anda

streetlamp

andyou,socongenialwiththecrowd

ofpeoplethatyoucareabout

andalonewiththepersonyoulove

Ithinkoftheshelters,thatthecityshouldbe

onegreat,encompassingshelter

IthinkoftheombrelonesoftheCampode’Fiori

oftheart-nouveaumarqueeofabuildinginParis

oftheVittorioEmanueleGallery,averitablecathedralforpassers-by

IthinkofthecountersofRiotaverns

ofthefamilygroceryshopsinCuritiba

Ithinkofthebarsandthestreetcorners

oftheplazasandpatiosofParis

PlaceDauphine

PlacedesVosges

orthePlazaMayorinMadrid

whereahand’sbreadthoftable

isworthahandfulofprose

wherewaitingismoreagreeable

makingadatewithyourself

withyourselfandothers

tolookatariver,likeariverinParis

atcanals,asinVeniceorAnnecy

attheseainSanJuan

atthepeoplepassingintheChampsElysées

atyourself,asyouwereintheParaguasCafé

inBarcelona

tolingerinthebaronabicyclepathinCuritiba

inGramercyPark

atthewindowofabarfacingthe

MuseumofNaturalHistoryinNovaYork

intheplazainSienna

inSanMarcoSquare

inasimpletaverninRiodoFogo

afewmilesfromNatal

attwilightintheBosquedoPapa,inCuritiba

tochatatthePasseioPúblicoparkor

atthedeckofBariguiPark

inCuritiba

atabrunchintheBelaVistaCaféinSanFrancisco

attheBocaMaldita

orattheramblasofBarcelona

athappyhourinahotellobby

inNewYork

inthecafésofBuenosAires

toheartheNewYorkPhilharmonic

aBennyGoodmanconcertatthe

ChurchoftheHeavenlyRest,inNewYork

aliltingsambainGaribaldiSquare

oratabarinRio

aconcertattheSainte-Chapelle

theKlezmaticsrighton2ndAvenueinNewYork

Villa-LobosonaboatintheAmazonrainforest

the“DespertardaMontanha”inthestreetsofOuroPreto

afluteconcertinthegothicdistrictofBarcelona

Ithinkofthepathwaysandtheexcursions

thelittlestrollbehindtheArcodoTeles,inRio

thePasseigdeGraciainBarcelona

andtheCarrerMoncadawithitsmuseums

Ithinkoftheoldhouses

ofSteinerStreet,inSanFrancisco

ofHeidelberg

ofRiodoFogo,inRioGrandedoNorte

ofOlinda

Ithinkofthevalleysof

Jerusalem

Heidelberg

Assisi

OuroPreto

Olinda

ofthepassagewaysandgalleries

oftheRuedeSeine-Dauphine

oftheParisgalleryinBudapest

andthebridges,

theCharlesBridgeinPrague

thePont-NeufinParis

thebridgesofAnnecy

andofcoursetheonesinVenice

Ithinkofthechurches

ofOuroPretoandSaintGermain

ofthecathedralsofDuomoinMilan

ofReims

andtheSagradaFamíliainBarcelona

orthesmallchurchinZumbi,inRioGrandedoNorte

InSanFrancisco,inthesymphonyofacity

inEdinburgh,aparkthatcoversatraintrack

inLondon,thegraceofsmallscale

inNewYorkyoualwayshavethefeeling

thatyou’rejuststartingout

Anelectricblenderofideas

whereyouarealone,inthecompany

ofeveryoneelse

Rome,thecitywherethepast

isatarm’slength

Inshort,everycityshouldhaveapersonality(oramelodythatflows)thatwastheonechosentopresentit,combiningadmiration

forthecityandtheperson

Thecities,exactlywhen?

Parisinthe‘20sandthe‘60s

NewYorktoday

Barcelonainthe‘60sornow

Riointhe‘60s

Curitibainthe‘70s

Nataltoday

Salvadorinthe‘70s

OuroPreto

BecausethecitythatIthinkofnow

willbewithmeforever.