Day 1 (1/8/17) Today, we got to Curitiba around 11am and got settled into our rooms at Lancaster Hotel. We realized Curitiba closes almost all of the stores on Sundays. Ana got an eye infection there her and Tait had to go to the hospital for antibiotics. Before presentations at 7, we went out into town to see the buses pass by and to eat food at local stores that were open. At 7pm the first presentation was about Guanabara Bay Water Quality and Sewage Issues by Jacalyn and Christian. We learned which river feeds into the bay, wet vs dry season, industrial waste contaminants , oil and sewage waste that goes into the bay. The second presentation was by Kim and Catalina about Tijuca Forest. We learned about the urban forest, environmental benefits, economical benefits, cultural benefits, the biodiversity and the history. Day 2 (1/9/17) Today, we went Instituto de Pesquisa e Planejamento Urbano de Curitiba (IPPUC) and Danielle Moraes gave a presentation. Danielle Moraes is an architect and an urban planner. She told us how there is 26 cities in the metropolitan area. The Paraná area is 435 km squared. In 1842 the village turned into the city. In 1853 the first city project was done. In December 1965 IPPUC was created. The Agache Plan was the first Master Plan for the city. She discussed the bus rapid transit (BRT) system which She discussed the Green line which is a street that goes through the city and the buses are eco friendly. They developed the sidewalk plan and the bikeway path. In Curitiba there are 41 public parks. The second presentation was at SMMA, the environment agency in the city. Today we met Carlos who became our favorite person in Curitiba. He taught us about the surrounding ecosystem and the recycling products/structures inside the building. Carlos taught us about the Pine forests and how they point the leaves upwards for sunlight. Curitiba got its name from the trees. The two types of wood we learned about was Imbuia and another type that was built in 86's by the indians. They use PVC to hold one of the bamboo structures. Carlos explained how one of the structures are cool in the hot weather and warmer in the cold weather due to the shape. Carlos showed us a presentation about the Green Exchange which is where you exchange trash for fruit. We took a short walk to one of the parks where we saw Capybaras near the stream. Before getting in cabs we all got acai bowls. It was Erikas and Andys birthday prior to that day therefore we all went to a buffet dinner in a local mall that night. Day 3 (1/10/17) Today on our way to the presentation we got harassed by , we listened to a presentation from Urbanização de Curitiba (URBS). The presentation was about urban planning and the connections between land use, street network and public transportation. The RIT-integrated transport network. In Curitiba there are 250 lines, 21 terminals, and 6,500 bus stops. Elders, people with disabilities, postmen, students and policemen do not have to pay for the fare. S.I.T.E.S. is a special education transportation system. Biofuel is made up of 100 percent soybeans. Blue buses take 20 minutes and the red buses take 35 minutes. The fuel economy is 35.35 %. New projects include an 100 percent electric bus which would take about 5 hours to charge. We visited the Operational Control Center which surveillance 89 traffic and 622 transports cameras. We saw the computers and the security cameras in the control room. After we went on tour bus to botanical gardens and then the Wire Opera House. The Wire Opera House was built on quarry. Day 4 (1/11/17) Today, there was a presentation with local officials. All of the officials were new and the mayor was not there. Carlos told us that the new mayor is very different from the last which makes the local people on edge. The first presentation was by Alexandre Hojda about Curitiba Operation Center. They have different departments for urban operation management such as the department of traffic and the situation room (IPC). The next presentation was titled Innovative Curitiba. The presentation "Vale do Pinhao" talked about the Green Line that runs North to South. The plan is to build more bike paths and electric cars. Another plan they have is to build a technological park. They said the green line should be done within the year. The "Movement" was about moving students in the area and having 200 people leaving in 20 days. The building we were in was going to turn into a tech room. Once we asked questioned at the end , we realized that all of their plans had no specific direction or deadline just ideas. Hopefully they will once the new officials settle in. After the presentations, we went to the Oscar Niemeyer Art Museum. Our tour guide showed us around and Tyler scared off a possible pickpocketer in a fedora. The presentations were at 8pm. Erika and Ana did their presentation on the parks in Curitiba. Tyler and Anna did their presentation on Curitiba. Day 5 (1/12/17) Today was the last day in Curitiba and we took a 3 hour train ride to see the Atlantic Forest. Since the train ride was 3 hours we started salsa dancing and teaching kids "No Music". Three of the kids went up to the microphone and sang "No Music", Justin Bieber and a Portuguese song. We made it to the town Morretes where we had lunch and shopped around local stores. Heather and I bought sun stone necklaces. We stopped at two places on the bus ride back. The first stop was at the church and the port near the ocean. The second stop was at a sugar/fruit market. Before the end of the day we took the red bus for about 30 minutes to experience the bus system in Curitiba. You pay for the bus before you get into the tube. After we took the red bus we packed and left for Igaucu the next day. |