For decades, a succession of military regimes and democratic governments in Brazil sought to shape the future of their society through the manipulation of urban spaces. Planned cities were built that reflected the ideals of high modernism, and urban designers and planners created clean-cut minimalist spaces that reflected the hope for an idyllic future in a still-developing nation. But these cities were criticized as “utopian dreams” in a country plagued with the urban realities of rampant sprawl and the infamous slums known as favelas. In this international collection, architects, urban plann ... More

For decades, a succession of military regimes and democratic governments in Brazil sought to shape the future of their society through the manipulation of urban spaces. Planned cities were built that reflected the ideals of high modernism, and urban designers and planners created clean-cut minimalist spaces that reflected the hope for an idyllic future in a still-developing nation. But these cities were criticized as “utopian dreams” in a country plagued with the urban realities of rampant sprawl and the infamous slums known as favelas. In this international collection, architects, urban planners, and scholars assess the legacy of Brazilian urbanism to date. Chapters evaluate the country's experiments with modernism and examine how Brazilian cities are regenerating themselves within a democratic political framework that meets market and social demands, and respects place, culture, and history.