Jaime Lerner, Urbanistic and Master of tactical Urbanism, Passes Away At 83

The celebrated architect and urban planner, trained at the Federal University of Paraná, Jaime Lerner died this Thursday, May 27, 2021, at the age of 83, as a result of complications resulting from chronic kidney disease.

The news was released through the statement issued by the Mackenzie Evangelical University Hospital, Curitiba, Brazil, where he had been hospitalized since May 21, after presenting a fever.

Jaime Lerner architect was one of the most important urbanist in the history of Brazil. He served as mayor of the city, Curitiba, on three occasions. He also served as Governor of the State of Paraná for two administrations and was President of the International Union of Architects. He became internationally known for the implementation of the integrated public transport system in the city of Curitiba in the 1970s.

Jaime Lerner. Photograph by Daniel Katz.

Jaime Lerner stood out on the international scene for the use and implementation of ideas that turned the capital of southern Brazil into a world benchmark in terms of urban planning and sustainable growth.

Lerner's main legacy was the adoption of the BRT (Bus Rapid Transportation) transport system, which consisted of the installation of exclusive channels for buses and stops integrated by the city in 1974. In the following years, the example of Curitiba was replicated in many cities of the world.

His professional practice also included the creation of wooded parks around the city of Curitiba, such as the Botanical Garden and A Ópera de Arame, and the closure of Rua XV for automobiles.

With simple and precise ideas, Lerner published six books, most of them related to urban planning. With quick actions of improvement in concrete points, he was an inventor of ideas with which he organized the revolution that made the city a national and international reference in urban planning, transportation, environment, and social programs.

"I always had the illusion and the hope that with a needle stick it would be possible to cure diseases. The principle of recovering energy from a sick or tired point through a simple puncture has to do with the revitalization of that point and the area around it ... It is almost always a spark that initiates an action and the consequent propagation of this action. It's what I call good acupuncture. True urban acupuncture."

Jaime Lerner.

His motto, creativity begins when you get a zero out of your budget, inspired a large number of unique solutions to urban problems on five continents. These and other ideas she reflected in the books "Urban Acupuncture" and "The neighbor, a relative on the street."

In 2010, Lerner was listed as one of the 25 most influential thinkers in the world in the prestigious list produced annually by the American magazine Time.

In recognition of his work, he received several international awards and titles, including the United Nations Maximum Prize for the Environment (1990), UNICEF Criança e Paz (child and Peace) (1996), in 2001, the World Technology Award for Transportation, in 2002, the Sir Robert Mathew Prize for the Improvement of Quality of Human Settlements, by the International Union of Architects, the Volvo Environment Prize in 2004, and received the Urban Planning Medal from L'Académie D'Architecture in France.

Lerner was chosen by the American magazine Planetizen as the second most influential urban planner of all time, only behind Jane Jacobs.

BRT bus system stops. Image via Jaime Lerner Institute.

Aerial view of Curitiba - Torre da Telepar, Bairro Mercês. Image via Jaime Lerner Institute.

Jaime Lerner as mayor during the 70´s. Image via Jaime Lerner Institute.

Asphalt during the 70´s. Image via Jaime Lerner Institute.

Bus terminal inauguration in 1988. Image via Jaime Lerner Institute.

Aerial View Parque do Bacacheri. Image via Jaime Lerner Institute.

Jaime Lerner and Ceneviva. Image via Jaime Lerner Institute.

Guaíba Orla Urban Park by Jaime Lerner Arquitetos Associados. Photograph by Arthur Cordeiro.

Rua das Flores plan. Image via Jaime Lerner Institute.

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Jaime Lerner

Jaime Lerner, born in Curitiba on December 17, 1937, is an architect and urban planner, graduated in Architecture and Urban Planning from the School of Architecture of the Federal University of Paraná in 1964.

Responsible for the creation and structuring of the Institute of Urban Planning and Research of Curitiba (IPPUC) in 1965, he participated in the preparation of the Master Plan for Curitiba that resulted in the physical, economic and cultural transformation of the city.

He was Mayor of Curitiba for three terms: 1971/75, 1979/83 and 1989/92.

During his first term as mayor of Curitiba, Lerner consolidated the urban transformation and implemented the Integrated Mass Transport System, worldwide acknowledged for its efficiency, quality and low cost.

In the two subsequent terms, in addition to the cutting-edge urban planning actions, Lerner intensified an encompassing program that resulted in social advances, ranking Curitiba among the capitals with the highest quality of life in the world.

Elected Governor of Paraná State in 1994 and re-elected in 1998, Lerner promoted the greatest economic and social transformation in its history. Supported by a successful investment attraction policy, Paraná consolidated its position as the new economic hub in the country, receiving US$ 20 billion in investments between 1995 and 2001. Emulating the successful experience of Curitiba, during his time in office Jaime Lerner tackled transport, land use, education, health, sanitation, recreation and industrialization as a whole.

When not in public office, Jaime Lerner was intensely engaged in architecture and urban planning work.

In the 60’s he and his team achieved two important awards in architecture contests: 1st place in the National Contest for the Headquarters of the Federal Police, in Brasília – 1968, and 2nd place in the Eurokursaal International Contest in San Sebastian, Spain – 1966. He was a member of the group of young architects who represented Brazil at the Paris Biennial Exhibition in 1969. In 1989 he was awarded the Silver Medal at the International City Design Competition promoted by the School of Architecture and Urban Planning of the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, USA. In 2007 he received from the XI Buenos Aires International Bienal of Architecture a joint award for the Pedra Branca urbanization project, and, in 2009, the Prêmio Brasil Olímpico, from the Rio 2016 Candidacy Committee, for his participation in the development of the BRT project and several consulting services rendered to Rio de Janeiro connected to its candidacy as Olympic city.

In addition to having presided the Brazilian Institute of Architects – IAB – Paraná Chapter, he also received several state and national awards from that Institute for urban planning and architecture works.

Lerner developed plans for several Brazilian cities, among which: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Recife, Salvador, Aracaju, Natal, Goiânia, Campo, Grande and Niterói. He has also worked in Caracas (Venezuela), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Shanghai (China), Havana (Cuba), and Seoul (South Korea); and acted as a United Nations consultant for urban issues.

In the field of education, he is an Urban and Regional Planning professor at the Architecture and Urban Planning School at the Federal University of Paraná. Lerner was invited to deliver speeches and lecturer at the Universities of Cincinnati (USA), Columbia (USA), Osaka (Japan) and was a Guest Lecturer at the University of California- Berkeley (USA) and Columbia University, in addition to seminars in several countries such as Colombia, Puerto Rico, Spain, Great-Britain, Japan, the USA and China.

He spoke at important conferences such as the International Green Forum, Osaka, Japan (1986); New York Academy of Sciences (1986); UIA/AIA Conference “World Congress of Architects’ (Chicago, USA, 1993), the 53rd Annual United Nations Conference (2000), and the Clinton Global Initiative (2006), and was invited in 2006 to participate in the exhibit “Leonardo da Vinci: Men Inventor, Genius – section Modern-Day Leonardos”, at the Science and Industry Museum of Chicago, USA; and in the 8th Bienal Internacional de Arquitectura de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Keynote speaker at the TED – Ideas Worth Spreading in Monterrey, California in 2007, at the Ecocity World Summit in San Francisco, California and at the Urban Age Conference Sao Paulo in 2008, at the Mane Expo Madrid, Spain, in 2009, and at the World’s Cities Summit in 2010. In 2011 he contributed at the event The Ideas Economy, Intelligent Infrastructure, promoted by The Economist in New York, and at the Advanced Leadership Initiative – Revitalizing Cities Think Thank at Harvard University, USA.

He is also one of the founders of Instituto Jaime Lerner, a center created to disseminate urban management strategies.

In July 2002, Lerner was elected president of International Union of Architects, for a three-year term. His main project at UIA is the program Celebration of Cities, which invites all nations and cultures of the planet to propose solutions for their cities.

Since April 2003, Jaime Lerner presides the then created Jaime Lerner Associated Architects, with office in Curitiba. The company has an extensive staff of consultants and collaborators in several areas of knowledge, based on experience gained from Curitiba and other cities of Brazil and abroad. It developed plans and projects for Brazilian cities such as São Paulo, Brasília, Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, Florianópolis, Recife, Joinville, Cuiabá, São Caetano do Sul, Campinas, Serra, Macaé, Louveira, Montes Claros, Uberaba; also David (Panama), Oaxaca, Durango and the Sinaloa Region (Mexico), Luanda (Angola) in addition to many projects for the private sector.

In 2010, Jaime Lerner was listed among the 25 most influential thinkers in the world by the Time Magazine and received the Médaille d’Urbanisme by L’Académie d’Architecture (France). In 2011, in recognition for his leadership, vision and contribution in the field or sustainable urban mobility he received the Leadership in Transport Award, granted by the International Transport Forum at the OECD.

Jaime Lerner passed away, in Curitiba, Brazil, on May 27th, 2021.

Published on: May 27, 2021

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