Module 1B Dirty Transport Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, is a planned city It is a clear example of a city designed according to modernist urban theories of architects and urban planners It was built in record time –three years, from 1957 to 1960– and planned in relation to Brazil’s need to conquer physically, culturally and economically its own continent-sized country However, its population is growing at a much higher rate than predicted Today, Brasilia is surrounded by many satellite cities, some of them planned and others developed over the years according to needs This unanticipated change has important consequences for traffic flow Originally, people would take thoroughfares to cover long distances and loops to get to specific places Consequently, there was no need for traffic lights Nowadays, the system of thoroughfares and loops is still in use but there are traffic jams and not enough parking places Traffic lights are now present as well Distances are great and people use cars and taxis to commute daily from one place to another There are other options in relation to means of transport As regards buses, Inter-State buses originally stopped at the Central Station At present, there is a Central Bus Station for urban buses and Inter-State buses stop at Estação Rodoferroviária (Bus and Railroad Station) This division is necessary due to the growth of the city There is also a subway system –which has a station within the bus station– and it is very fast and clean It connects the largest satellite cities with the Pilot Plan But there are still many stations which are not operational In 1987, UNESCO declared Brasilia a world heritage site While this situation helps preserve the place, it also poses problems for the need to adapt the modern plan to present demands Did you know that Brasilia has the shape of an airplane? The wings are formed by the residential areas and the cockpit is occupied by the political centre Activities 1 Read the text and choose the correct option a Brasilia (remains the same / does not remain the same) as in the ‘60s b There (are / are not) unplanned satellite cities c There (are / are not) enough parking places d People (only use / not only use) cars to move from one place to another e (Some / All) subway stations are now working English Toolkit - Social Sciences Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011 Modernist Urban Theories Module 1B 2 Lucio Costa was the main urban planner of Brasilia Complete his ideas using the verbs in brackets ( ) in the Simple Future a I (design) Brasilia according to modernist theories b With this plan, people (not get) stuck in traffic c We (build) the city in five years d There (be) thoroughfares and loops to regulate traffic e There (not be) traffic lights What the words in bold refer to? c …planned in relation to Brazil’s need to conquer physically, culturally and economically its own continent-sized country d There is also a subway system —which has a station within the bus station— and it is very fast and clean e But there are still many stations which are not operational 4 Complete this form about your city My City Name: Province: Country: Founder: Date: Present population: Important monuments: Important people born / living there: Characteristics: It has got a village cinema a shopping centre a pedestrian precinct Yes Yes Yes No No No 5 Use the information in activity to write a report about your city English Toolkit - Social Sciences Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011 a Brasilia is a planned city, its population is growing at a much higher rate than predicted b Today, Brasilia is surrounded by many satellite cities; some of them are planned