Brasilia : Example of Modern Urban Planning

-Sarad Chalise

There are many cities in the world; some of them are historically great because of their importance in the history. Great cities attract ambitious people. You can feel it when you walk around one. Every great city passes the message to us, that we could do better, for that we must try hard. So I reckon we, planner, should inspire by those cities, that has been created by great legends of planner and architect and getting inspire from their hard work we have to create our own legacy to the future planners.

After great World War II, world’s most of the nation started to give relive to their countries. They started to rebuild their nation again by doing economic progressiveness. They started to rebuild cities, big skyscrapers; great wonder building, by doing great research and planning.Today I am going to write about city, which has been the great example of modern Urban Planning. That city is Federal capital of Brazil; Brasilia. The city is located in the federal district and is in the central-west region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central.

Brasilia under construction in 1959

The city was planned and developed in 1956, with Lucio Costa as the principal urban planner and Oscar Niemeyer as the principle architect. Finally on April 22 1960, the people of Brazil were able to experience their new, young and great city, Brasilia as a federal capital city.  

   

As the national capital, Brasilia is the seat of all three branches of Brazilian government. The city also host the many headquarter of many Brazilian and multinational companies. The location for big commercial and residential buildings, expensive urban areas, as well as building the city around large avenues and dividing sector, have sparked a debate and reflection on life in big cities in the 20^th century. The city is so managed, that it has been divided in different sectors for different purposes. When we see the city from the above, the main portion of the city looks like an airplane or butterfly.

   

The residential zone of inner city is arranged into superblocks. Apartment building, school, retail stores, and open space are included in superblocks. At the northern end of lake Paranoa’, separated from inner city, is a peninsula with many fashionable homes, and a similar neighbourhood exists in southern lakeshore.

Brasilia also the only one city in the world built in the 2oth century to be awarded the status of Historical and Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. From every aspect, Brasilia has been created as a great, beautiful, modern city in the world.  Finally, there are lots of planned city in the world but Brasilia is the one from which we, student of planner could get great inspire and open up our creativity in planning different things since the time of study phase to the professional phase.