Lucio Costa was appointed to plan the new capital of Brazil, Brasilia, which was built 600 miles inland from Rio de Janeiro between 1957-1960. The plan for Brasilia was based on a simple cross layout, with a main axis containing government buildings and a cathedral, and residential wings on each side. The city was designed on different scales, with wide avenues and monumental buildings alongside planned residential superblocks and commercial areas. While Brasilia had innovative design aspects like extensive green space and grade-separated roadways, it also faced criticism for not considering pedestrians and displacing some residents far from services.

1. Planning and Designing of Brasilia

2. Brief History Before Brasilia, the capital of Brazil was Rio de Janeiro. In 1956, the president of Brazil appointed a commission for the selection of a new capital site. An Architect named as Lucio Costa was appointed to plan the new capital of Brazil. Brasilia was about 600 miles away from Rio de Janeiro. The prime purpose to develop the new capital was to open up the past and almost unpopulated and underdeveloped areas of central Brazil. Some Planners called it the practical example of development of regional areas. The dual purpose of this capital was Regional development Administrative purpose The city plan was based on the ideas of Le Corbusier.

7. BRASILIA The City Built in 1956 Within 2,000 days (erected in record setting time of three years (1957-60) April 21, 1960, officially inaugurated and started functioning as the new capital of Brazil.

8. REASONS OF CREATION In order to locate the capital to an inland location Fear of invasions to the previous capital of Brazil, Rio De Janeiro To create a growth centre (in order to promote economic & regional dev.) To enhance a spirit of national unity throughout the Brazil

9. Plan of Brasilia Lúcio Costa’s plan for the city was detailed and thorough. It stipulates which zones are to be residential and which are to be commercial. It limits where industries can settle, where certain buildings can be built and how tall those buildings can be, etc.

11. Layout Plan The basis of the plans of the city was a simple cross. However, the cross had to be adapted to the local topography, as there was already plans for the artificial lake, and the city gained the shape of an aeroplane. An airplane symbolizing the fastest way out of town City pointing like an arrow into the future Two intersecting axis Monumental axis or fuselage of an air plane A Residential axis or the wings of an airplane

12. Layout Plan The fuselage of the aeroplane contains the ministries, government buildings, the senate and chamber of deputies and a futuristic cathedral, designed by Oscar Niemeyer. It is about five and half mile long. There is also a tall television tower, with spectacular views of the city and the lake. The wings of the aeroplane are named the North Wing and South Wing: each is roughly 7 km. in length. The avenue between the lake and the wings, called L4 Sul or L4 Norte , depending on which wing it’s on.

13. Layout Plan The curved axis is a wide boulevard of 500 feet wide on either side of which are set up a grid iron of housing super blocks. Embassies and civic centers are placed between the curved axis and lake. An industrial estate was adjacent to the railway station. Wind direction is considered while planning the industry. Wind direction and smoke of industry should not be towards the residential area of the city. Outside the triangle, on the opposite shores of the lake are two large informally planned residential areas of low density houses. These areas are more environmental friendly.

14. Circulation Network Circulation network is a set of different components which are connected with each other in a hierarchical way. Motor car is dominated in circulation system. When there are grade separated junctions (fly-over) then there is feasibility for motor car movement. There are separate roads for local traffic and for through traffic. There are no independent pedestrian ways except very few pedestrian malls. The fast traffic roads form the structure of the plan and the other roads are used to sub-divide the principal axis into the super blocks and triangles. The curved residential boulevard consists of dual carriage way for fast through traffic. A single carriage-way is provided on either side of it for local traffic. They provided three clover leafs and fly-over to avoid congestion.

15. MAP OF BRASILIA

16. SCALES OF DESIGN Designed city has four scales Monumental scale to provide Brasília with the dignity of a capital city having wide avenues of six lanes (in each direction) the Esplanade for ministries and public buildings the bus station (junction of two axis) the Cathedral the Plaza of Three Powers are designed Residential scale orderly super blocks with a uniform height of six stories vast motorways providing an excellent transportation system

17. Monumental Axis

18. Three power square

19. Presidency and Ministries

20. Gregarious/social scale the bus station the entertainment, commerce & retail sectors Bucolic scale for making Brasília a park city, where everything was separated by vast green spaces and parks

21. TYPES OF SETTLEMENTS Row houses Super blocks Satellite towns

22. Residential Super blocks Each group should have a church a secondary school a movie house a youth club adequate field space for children to play Lower buildings for commercial businesses in between Super-Blocks Each building was only six stories high (based on the idea that a mother would still be able to call to her child below from that height)

23. Residential Super blocks

24. Residential Super blocks

25. Residential Super blocks

26. Commercial area

27. SATELLITE TOWNS For future extension Several satellite towns have been created over the years to house the extra inhabitants Brasilia's total population (including the satellite cities) is now over 2,000,000 inhabitants although it was Planned for only 500,000 inhabitants

28. RECREATIONAL AREA Botanical Garden Zoo Brasilia National Park Contains the highest concentration/sq. m of works by the best-known Brazilian artists. 25 sq.m of green space/resident (ideal by UNESCO)

29. POSITIVE ASPECTS OF BRASILIA The city is not threatened by any kind of natural disaster Virtually no air pollution Many and large green areas Good climate: the temperature is very pleasant all year (never too hot, never too cold), and sunny days are very common In the original plan there were no traffic lights -- all cars traveled over overpasses and through tunnels to avoid intersecting traffic A popular saying is that the inhabitants are born with wheels instead of feet

30. NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF BRASILIA Housing prices are very high Public transportation is inefficient. The urban bus system has a lot of deficiencies As a consequence, most of the people who have cars commute by car Great distances between the buildings The newer satellite towns have very few green areas, unlike the Pilot Plan Many of the famous buildings are beautiful but not functional

31. NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF BRASILIA The city has been acclaimed for its use of modernist architecture on a grand scale however, it has been roundly criticized for much the same reasons. After a visit to Brasília, the French writer Simone de Beauvoir complained that all of its superquadras exuded "the same air of elegant monotony," and other observers have equated the city's large open lawns, plazas, and fields to wastelands. One major criticism of Brasília is that it was not designed on a pedestrian scale. Pedestrians were not taken much into consideration during the advent of the motor age, when the city was developed. In the original plan there were no traffic lights - all cars travelled over overpasses and through tunnels to avoid intersecting traffic. Another criticism of Brasília is the displacement of poor residents too far away in satellite towns. Buses and a surface rapid transit system connect these cities to the centre. Inhabitants of these satellite towns live in conditions inferior to those of the Pilot Plan. When one talks of Brasília, these satellite cities are rarely taken into consideration, even though their population far surpasses that of the Pilot Plan. Some, like Taguatinga, are now larger than Brasília itself.