A VISIT TO SOUTH AMERICA January 2006 Roger Kemble

Transportation / Development corridors: seen from Brasiltel Tower CURITIBA Br. For us in Nanaimo this is a very daunting prospect. . but read on . . . has a profound impact. My South American adventure between December 30, 2005 and January 23, 2006 was such an event.

Avenida Paulista Sao Paulo Br. I nearly cancelled. Facing a sixteen-hour flight there: twenty-two back, is not my idea of fun. What the hell am I doing wandering around danger zones? We North Americans thinq South America is dangerous: a sort of xenophobic prejudice I guess.

Avenida 7 do Avril: Sao Paulo Br. Yes, wow, South America! Sometimes events happen within a brief time frame that

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By the way, I was led to believe Portuguese is similar to Spanish. Okay, I thought, no prob., I can hold my own en espanole, having lived in DF for two years. Not so. Portuguese has much in common with French, (Legume in P. verdures in E says vegetables). Later in the Argentine the local accent flummoxed me: like try making sense of a Glaswegian Scot having been brought up in Yorkshire . . . It doesn’t scan . . . DF espanole is not Buenos Aires espanole .

dangerous and dilapidation. Outside welltrodden “business” designated places, it probably is dangerous: my hotel was peripheral to “safety”! Located downtown on the end of a pedestrian network connecting Praca do Arouche to Plaza da Republica and on to Avenida Paulista I walked and walked despite apprehensions. But hey I was there to explore. On my first day I got caught in the predictable tropical deluge: late afternoon for about two hours regularly. From my Mexico City days I should have known. Once wet in the tropics always damp, cloying sweat, until you can get to a clothes dryer Everywhere people, people, people. And despite authoritative government and ubiquitous autos, pedestrian ambience prevails, urban design-wise.

Avenida 7 do Avril: Sao Paulo Br Comfortable life styles too are different. There are great disparities. It is evident at first glance. That, is the reason us North Americans feel insecure. A lot may be simple guilt. I suppose I could go on about how we, meaning I, should do something. Even the benign act of buying helps so long as it is not a Big Mac or, I dunno, something other than indigenous.

Transportation / Development corridor: Curitiba Br.

I had business to do and that is what I was thinquing until I left Curitiba.

Still, while dominated by looming, dense, ugly high rises ground level in all Latin cities, I have visited, are replete in tree-shaded squares connected by tessellated, storefronted, walking. Sao Paulo is no exception.

Sao Paulo vies with Mexico City DF as the world’s largest city. I dunno. I can only talk brief impressions. Reading the urban semiotics tells me huge, fascinating,

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Evidently, early on, the Spanish Colonial administration decreed public urban space a priority in city building: the law of the Indies. It survives . . .

With each component, classrooms, offices, separated on the exposed structure does not energy exchange evaporate into the atmosphere rather than be shared between enclosed spaces?

Curitiba is a four-hour bus ride from Sao Paulo over mountains and through jungle: rain hammered the bus roof most of the way. Once over the mountains the jungle gives way to agriculture. I am now in the state of Parana and Curitiba is its, apparently very wealthy, capital. Sugar cane and bananas seems to be staples.

Cardinal points: Curitiba Br. Sustainability has along way to go yet! I cannot comment on the economics of the city but it appears to be very prosperous: maybe as a center of agricultural administration: and of course government.

Director of the Environmental University: Curitiba Br.

Development is robust. High-densities are confined to the corridors. Although, planners tell me, the concept is under stress.

Helio Amaral, director of Curitiba’s Environmental University, told me Brasil (spelt with an “s” locally) is self-sufficient energy-wise for fifty years by virtue of distilled sugar cane: I wonder!

My week in Curitiba was a royal visit: thanqz to a letter of introduction from Mayor Gary Korpan of Nanaimo. Jaime spent two afternoons with me discussing the broad outline of a Nanaimo visit and his staff guided me on a tour.

His university is sited in a disused granite quarry. On the face it looks very sustainable; rough hued structural members, environmentally responsive and other natural, non-carbon based, materials.

His staff was very interested in Nanaimo. Currently they are working on a project in Tokyo. Over a downtown computer aerial photo we talked well into the night.

Somehow though, I cannot shake the sentimental image of Hollywood’s version of Tarzan’s tree house.

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I described the tropical deluge as having almost monsoon-like characteristics. Sao Paulo was struggling with inundation while I was there. I saw the effects on television. I wondered why! Deluge rain is a characteristic in the tropics. Why hasn’t Sao Paulo learnt by now?

City Memorial. Curitiba old quarter. Arquitecto Jaime Lerner

Environment University: Curitiba Br.

Curitiba has! One of Mayor Lerner’s achievements is flood catchments ponds centered in parks. I visited several but there are dozens. Rain comes down in such torrents the ground cannot absorb. Accordingly, run off is excessive. Ergo it is directed to the catchments ponds that absorb the worst.

Jaime Lerner was appointed Mayor in 1972. He, essentially, was the guiding light that made Curitiba into the world-renowned sustainable city it is today. His contribution was multi-facetted: two planning controls have, apparently, had a major impact: transportation / development corridors, and flood catchments. The corridors follow Cardinal points. Between corridors is low density, residential, mixed use and park/lake catchments. The beginning of Jamie’s tenure saw a population of some 400,000. Today it is 1,600,000.

El Ojo de Curitiba. The eye of Curitiba Museo Oscar Neimeyer. 2002 And of course during the bright dry periods picnic-ers bask in the Sun while boaters and fishers are enjoy the lakes. Old Quarter. Curitiba Br.

Air seems clear and smog free. Planners tell me though, while Curitiba exercises

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emissions control there is spillover, although not evident while I was there. Curitiba’s industry, auto assembly plants and food processing are under strict control. Surrounding industry is not.

Avenida 18 de Julio. Montevideo Uru. The route from Curitiba, sort of inter-modal, was daunting. But I made it.

Jaime Lerner and Roger Kemble Arquitecto Jaime Lerner’s office. Hopefully Nanaimo will host Governor Lerner this fall at the Official Community Plan Review. That was the purpose of my South America adventure. His insight will be informative, we will all learn, and his renown cannot help but shed a bright spot light on Nanaimo to advantage.

Palacio de Salvio Montevideo Uruguay Uru.

I wont forget Curitiba in a hurry!

Atlantic lll, a Buquebus twin hulled cat similar, but much larger, to Harbour Lynx took five hours to cross El Rio de la Plata.

I pondered long the trip to Montevideo. It went something like this: taxi to airport, Vareg flight to Porto Alegre, changing flights for Buenos Aires. Taxi to Buquebus terminal on Buenos Aires waterfront to cross El Rio de la Plata. I planned to make it in one day, hopefully arriving Montevideo before dark.

Anything but boring, I conversed with a very beautiful and fascinating, apparently rich, Argentinean senora, con quatro ninos, who later emailed me. Carelessly, thinquing her note was Spam, I deleted: damn! !Asi es la vida: lo siento!

The trip came off successfully but not without a tinge of anxiety.

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Making the Buquebus was no small feat. Here I am, innocent tourist by this time, under the Southern Cross! I had no idea of the routine: line up at one wicker for ticket, another to pay, yet another wicket for reservation, then customs and immigration. Go figure! Had the boat left on time I would not have made it!

life-style manifesting in a sort of penis architecture. In my ambulatory peregrinations I explored the areas close to Zona Portuaria (the docks): much of it dilapidated. Extending from Ave. Sarandi, the pedestrian causeway, there is obviously little of interest to investors: yet!

Montevideo I found quite depressing. Maybe the weather had something to do with my impression.

Cautiously I wended my way through half deserted streets, with coveys of youth hanging around on corners.

Replete in early twentieth century architecture it has seen better days. My hotel, (I chose it on the web: never again), was Arte Nouveau, theoretically interesting.

Somewhat apprehensive I was thinquing, well they cannot do much to me but they can run off with my very expensive digital camera holding all my photos: the record of the trip.

Located on Ave 18 de Julio, the main street it gave me ambulatory access to sea front corniche leading to the inevitable pedestrian mall, across Plaza de la Independencia, to Ave. Sarandi.

No worries. Those youth were just innocents hanging together, drumming up the courage, to whistle at the girls across the street: except I didn’t see any girls! And no one bothered me!

Looming over Plaza de la Independencia is el Palacio Salvio.

El Rio de la Plata, erroneously translated by the Brits. as the river Plate, is pretty massive at the mouth.

My recollection of Montevideo is as the home of Fray Bentos beef. But that was along time ago. Except that it is now being revived as an antidote to job-loss globalization and was a hot topic during the election going on while I was there.

We must have sailed over the famous sunken wreck of the Graf Spee. This was 1942. Capt. Landesdorf had been tricked into believing he was facing a very strong Royal Navy fleet waiting for him when, according to international convention, at the time (emphasis “at the time”), he was obliged to leave the security of neural Montevideo and sally forth.

Modern garbage collection: Montevideo. Uru. Everywhere in Montevideo are domes perched on pinnacles. I cannot resist the sobriquet phallus city. I conjecture, in bygone days the gauchos must have had strong pride in their macho pampas rugged

La casa de la Rosita. Buenos Aires Ar.

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The “strong” Royal Navy force was a psycho myth. Anyway the humane captain scuttled his ship rather than allow his men to be needlessly slaughtered in a futile battle. Hence here I am thinquing, is this beautiful blonde blue eye’ed lady I‘m talking to the progeny of one of Capt. Landesdorf’s sailors. Indeed, contrary to common knowledge there are many blonde, blue eyes in South America and just about every European language is spoken except English.

Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires Ar.

Needless to say returning on Buquebus I reserved first class at the office on La Plaza Independencia.

Ubiquitous crowd control barricades prevail. Do they expect trouble? Not from me. I just enjoyed the sunshine, occasionally walked over to the restaurant on Ave. de Mayo that confirms Buenos Aires as the Paris of the Southern hemisphere. Oh yes the skies were clear and I did see the Southern Cross!

I was in Buenos Aires for a week. The weather was perfect. It’s summer in the Southern hemisphere: I didn’t need to be reminded.

I couldn’t resist taking a picture of this sumptuous Palm tree on Avenida General Belgrano: Buenos Aires Ar.

Lady vending her jewelery. Patio de Cabildo: Buenos Aires Ar.

My hotel was an hour’s walk from Plaza Mayo. Plaza Mayo is famous for Las madres de los desaparacitos vigil during the horror of Galtierri’s dictatorship in 1970

I bought goodies at a craft market across from the plaza: Patio de Cabildo. Shopping comes in many forms. I prefer the small craft markets. When I went looking for the center I was directed to the great Centro Abasta. Its architecture is reminiscent of the work of Hitler’s architect, Albert Speer. This contraption must be a throw back from the Peronista era!

The Argentine has had a rough go with dictators. For a long time, on and off, the Perons promised the world and delivered a quicksand. Eva (Evita) Peron used to give forth from the balcony of La casa de la Rosita situated on Plaza Mayo.

I was allowed to photo the interior of the old building.

Las madres are no longer present but police in orange flak jackets proliferate: there must be hundreds.

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But photo-ing the new, very intriguing, hightech addition of stainless steel, glass and tension wires was inexplicably a no-no. Too bad!

Construction in the old docklands is booming! Additions and detail-development st architecture, are expressed in a 21 century idiom. New interventions follow the footprint and envelope of the traditional. Yet, structure, exteriors finished in stainless steel and glass, are uncompromising: very refreshing: brave architecture!

Abasta Buenos Aires Ar. Centro Abasta didn’t impress. Its architecture is awesome. But inside it is mostly North American fast food and consumer junk.

Puenta de la mujeres, Buenos Aires Ar. Wasn’t the Argentine an IMF basket case five years ago? Something massive has happened to work such positive development change.

Dock warehouse restoration. Buenos Aire Ar. Which leaves me wondering, who will be frequenting those new exotic building? All over the world one-dimensional pretty cities, euphemistically named New Urbanism, are sprouting up. Is this really new? Or a throw back to the old days of colonialism!

Tourist retail is a little bit more interesting than Abasta: and it is right next-door. No, the big shop isn’t were Buenos Aires shopping is at! But Avenida Florida, typical of Latin urban ambience is thriving. It goes on for miles, always crowded.

Beautiful urban spaces surrounded handsome building are fine . . . but . . .

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The old docks are now yacht basins. And re-development is rampant.

La Boca. Buenos Aires Ar. Benito Quinquela Martin lived in La Boca.

Reflecting globalization the new developments are pretty one side: I couldn’t afford to live in those new docklands. I don’t know how that scans in Buenos Aries, or for that matter in Canada. But one has to wonder about the millions, like us, who are being left out of the equation!

That was in the 1930’s. At the time, being close to the docks and work, it was where Italian immigrants gravitated. Even today Italian is spoken as much as Spanish.

Avenida Florida. Buenos Aires Ar. Sin embargo, the place is alive. As an architect and urban designer I could easily live in Buenos Aires if I could afford . . . Of course Buenos Aires would not be Buenos Aires without La Boca: or for that matter San Telmo or Palermo Viejo.

Tango dancers, San Telmo. Plaza Dorrego, Buenos Aires Ar.

Caminito, translates as little walk, is the center of La Boca. It is of course aimed at the tourist. Tango dancers enticelingly do there thing on the street and one could easily get the fleeting impression we are part of the scenery.

Martin, being the inveterate artist, painted his house in bright abstract colours. His images caught on and today La Boca is a living gallery of abstract art.

I have a photo of me tango-ing but I’m not going to show it!

Of course it also claims to be the Tango Center of the world. But then so does every vicindad in Buenos Aires.

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And across the street from the private residence a wall mural.

Caminito. The center of La Boca: Buenos Aires Ar.

When in Buenos Aires thinq San Telmo.

Plaza Cortaza is central to Palermo Viejo. There are no tango dancers but there are lots of craftsmen.

San Telmo. Plaza Dorrego, Buenos Aires Ar A private residence in Palermo Viejo: Buenos Aires Ar.

Plaza Dorrego is central to San Telmo. It is on my walking-way to everywhere. Two very graceful Tango dancers occasionally grace the plaza.

San Telmo, though, is my favourite watering hole anywhere. Half way between Plaza Mayo and my hotel at Plaza del La Republica, along Avenida Defensa I would stop for a beer. I never drink beer. But in this place I probably drank more beer than in my whole life. Theoretically it is a thirst quencher. In practice it does nothing of the sort. But in the hot tropical Sun if I can find

Needless to say I am very gregarious. I talk to everyone when I am in the mood. So here is this blonde lady intently reading an official looking documents. She’s UN living in La Paz Bolivia. God knows what she’s doing sipping coffee in San Telmo: and I asked. Her response, was equivocal!

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a quiet place under shade trees a chilled beer is very, very welcome. Tango dancers add to the ambience.

Palermo Viejo. Buenos Aires Ar. An obvious question comes to mind after seeing such ambient social urbanity. Why can’t we create such beauty in our own back yard? We may be prosperous! We may be sophisticated and highly educated. But to answer . . . phew . . . that’s a toughie. Well I’ve left the best until the last. Actually it was a fleeting moment, about ten minutes. We were about six hours out of O’Hare. A Missouri U. class, traveling to Brasil to study agricultural methods, while awake, lots of fun, was asleep.

Plaza Cortaza, Palermo Viejo: Buenos Aires Ar. Even the tool shed gets the treatment: beats graffiti. There are many such vecindads and six days is not enough. With six days you get an inkling. But go stay there for a couple of years. Get the hang of the place. Next to San Telmo for social spaces is Palermo Viejo. It exudes congenial urban ambience. Palermo Viejo is well away from downtown’s centre and it’s a bit of a taxi ride. But taxis are ridiculously inexpensive.

La Boca, Buenos Aires Ar.

The craft displays are more interesting in Palermo Viejo. Even getting into a bit of good contemporary design. I bought a crazy little handbag: shiny white plastic on black handles and burnished buckle: my favourite piece.

The blinds were down. I could see a glimpse of sunlight as the day arose. So, being unrepentantly curious I looked out of the window. The clouds had conveniently cleared.

A good way to see any South American city is by cab: taxis en espanole. For something like 10 Brasilian reales or 10 pesos in Montevideo or Buenos Aires you can range the city.

We were over Manaus: half-way up this huge water-course. And there below was the vast expanse of the Amazon and its tributaries: very, very moving!

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