Last week Brazilian architects protested Brasília’s engagement with Singapore’s Jurong Consultants to devise a new urban master plan for Brazil’s capital. The result was a protest at an annual Institute of Architects of Brazil (IAB) meeting in Rio de Janeiro. Donning masks and chanting Oscar Niemeyer’s and Lúcio Costa’snames, the architects and urban planners shouted their disapproval of outsourcing Brasília’s future to a foreign country.

Of course Singapore is a leader in urban planning; nonetheless Brazil is laden with talented architects, designers and planners. True, Brasília has its share of problems as the result of unchecked growth. What worked for Niemeyer and Costa, the fathers of Brasília and Brazil’s modernist take on design, 50 years ago must be amended now so that the capital can grow sustainably in the future. Brazil’s leadership in architecture and design is one of the great legacies of the 20th century: Brasília should embrace it, not turn its back on the country’s design heritage.

Photo courtesy Wikipedia (Beth Castelo)

About The Author

Leon Kaye

Leon Kaye is the founder and editor of GreenGoPost.com and its advisory division, GGP Media. Contact him to discuss how he can work with your organization or event. His focus is making the business case for sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR). He writes for San Francisco-based Triple Pundit, Inhabitat and now The Guardian, for which he writes about corporate responsibility, water, and green building. He has also written for AIA's Architect Magazine. Leon works out of Fresno and Silicon Valley, California, and when he has free time, he enjoys hiking, gardening, cooking, weightlifting, and planning his next trip to one of the 60 countries he has visited. He has an MBA from USC's Marshall School of Business and is also a proud graduate of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) and Cal State-Fresno.