Urban Spaces Sustainability. Applied Study to Curitiba’s …
469
Curitiba is part of the Upper Iguaçu River Basin and has six sub-basins: Atuba,
Barigui, Belém, Iguaçu, Ribeirão dos Padilha and Passaúna (Curitiba 2013). In
Paraná, five Basin Committees operate and Curitiba is under the responsibility of the
Alto Iguaçu and Alto Ribeira Tributaries Committee.
The Central District is located in the Belém River basin, which represents 20% of
the area of the city. It presents a progressive loss of quality as it flows from its origin
to the river mouth (Bollmann and Edwiges 2008). Belém river is 17.8 kms long.
7.2 kms are in the center of the city and the basin covers approximately 87.80 km
2
of drained area. It presents the highest index of water pollution among the rivers
that bathe the city, caused mainly by sanitary sewage, solid waste and disorderly
and irregular occupations (IAP 2009). The original soil of Curitiba was modified by
urbanization decreasing the flow of streams during the dry season and increasing
flooding during the rainy season (Curitiba 2017b).
Curitiba was founded at the confluence of the Ivo and Belém rivers, then the city
spread over the floodplain areas. The first records of occupation report that it was
frequently flooded (Curitiba 2017b). Belém river, once an important structuring axis
of the urban layout, became an environmental and urban problem: it was rectified,
channeled and urbanized in the last decades, polluted, and experienced increasingly
worse floods (Duarte 2006).
In 1886, as a preventive measure for public health problems, the first Curitiba park
was created, the Passeio Público (Curitiba 2013) with artificial lakes according to the
modern engineering design of the time, transforming flooded areas into public spaces
(Curitiba 2017b). It was an urban approach to control rivers, to prevent contagious
diseases and to promote areas for urbanization (Duarte 2006).
In 1912 the river Ivo was channeled and the river Belém rectified. In 1920 Saturnino de Brito presented a preliminary study called Saneamento Curitiba, and in
1940 with the Agache Plan, the first basic sanitation plan for Curitiba, was elaborated
(Duarte 2006). The denial of urban rivers, that once were references for the occupation of the territory became obstacles to economic development. Unfortunately, this
was a common scenario in many Brazilian cities.
Regarding urban drainage, Curitiba has a general map of irregular occupations,
flood spots and critical points. However, it is noted that there are no flood spots in
the center, although that population suffers from urban drainage problems. The city
has no survey of the places in the center of the capital that flood more frequently, but
people already know the most problematic spots (Tavares 2012).
Belém river is disregarded, domesticated in parks and hidden as a sanitary sewer
in the city center (Duarte 2006). Knowing that environmental quality is one of the
fundamental aspects to improve the quality of life in cities, water management,
especially of urban rivers, is essential in the search for more sustainable cities. Healthy
rivers give more value to the cities and in the case of Curitiba Central District, streets
that hide rivers, contribute to the loss of affective memory: rivers are now remembered
by bad smells or floods. Within this analytical framework, the tendency of reopening
of the rivers is clear as an attempt to rescue the river’s interrelations with the city,
exalting human responsibility to the environment and increasing the shared sense of
responsibility among people. The group Solo Arquitetos (2017) designed the project
469
Curitiba is part of the Upper Iguaçu River Basin and has six sub-basins: Atuba,
Barigui, Belém, Iguaçu, Ribeirão dos Padilha and Passaúna (Curitiba 2013). In
Paraná, five Basin Committees operate and Curitiba is under the responsibility of the
Alto Iguaçu and Alto Ribeira Tributaries Committee.
The Central District is located in the Belém River basin, which represents 20% of
the area of the city. It presents a progressive loss of quality as it flows from its origin
to the river mouth (Bollmann and Edwiges 2008). Belém river is 17.8 kms long.
7.2 kms are in the center of the city and the basin covers approximately 87.80 km
2
of drained area. It presents the highest index of water pollution among the rivers
that bathe the city, caused mainly by sanitary sewage, solid waste and disorderly
and irregular occupations (IAP 2009). The original soil of Curitiba was modified by
urbanization decreasing the flow of streams during the dry season and increasing
flooding during the rainy season (Curitiba 2017b).
Curitiba was founded at the confluence of the Ivo and Belém rivers, then the city
spread over the floodplain areas. The first records of occupation report that it was
frequently flooded (Curitiba 2017b). Belém river, once an important structuring axis
of the urban layout, became an environmental and urban problem: it was rectified,
channeled and urbanized in the last decades, polluted, and experienced increasingly
worse floods (Duarte 2006).
In 1886, as a preventive measure for public health problems, the first Curitiba park
was created, the Passeio Público (Curitiba 2013) with artificial lakes according to the
modern engineering design of the time, transforming flooded areas into public spaces
(Curitiba 2017b). It was an urban approach to control rivers, to prevent contagious
diseases and to promote areas for urbanization (Duarte 2006).
In 1912 the river Ivo was channeled and the river Belém rectified. In 1920 Saturnino de Brito presented a preliminary study called Saneamento Curitiba, and in
1940 with the Agache Plan, the first basic sanitation plan for Curitiba, was elaborated
(Duarte 2006). The denial of urban rivers, that once were references for the occupation of the territory became obstacles to economic development. Unfortunately, this
was a common scenario in many Brazilian cities.
Regarding urban drainage, Curitiba has a general map of irregular occupations,
flood spots and critical points. However, it is noted that there are no flood spots in
the center, although that population suffers from urban drainage problems. The city
has no survey of the places in the center of the capital that flood more frequently, but
people already know the most problematic spots (Tavares 2012).
Belém river is disregarded, domesticated in parks and hidden as a sanitary sewer
in the city center (Duarte 2006). Knowing that environmental quality is one of the
fundamental aspects to improve the quality of life in cities, water management,
especially of urban rivers, is essential in the search for more sustainable cities. Healthy
rivers give more value to the cities and in the case of Curitiba Central District, streets
that hide rivers, contribute to the loss of affective memory: rivers are now remembered
by bad smells or floods. Within this analytical framework, the tendency of reopening
of the rivers is clear as an attempt to rescue the river’s interrelations with the city,
exalting human responsibility to the environment and increasing the shared sense of
responsibility among people. The group Solo Arquitetos (2017) designed the project