Urban Acupuncture

Description

Description: A visionary of sustainable urbanism reflects on the innovative projects that uplift cities in this meditative journey through vibrant communities around the world. During his three terms as mayor of Curitiba, Brazil in the 1970s and '80s, architect and urbanist Jaime Lerner transformed his city into a global model of the sustainable and liveable community. Through his pioneering work, Lerner has learned that changes to a community don't need to be large-scale and expensive to have a transformative impact, in fact, one street, park, or a single person can have an outsized effect on life in the surrounding city. In Urban Acupuncture, his first work published in English, Lerner celebrates these "pinpricks" of urbanism, projects, people, and initiatives from around the world that ripple through their communities to uplift city life. With meditative and descriptive prose, Lerner brings readers around the world to streets and neighbourhoods where urban acupuncture has been practiced best, from the bustling La Boqueria market in Barcelona to the revitalisation of the Cheonggyecheon River in Seoul, South Korea. Through this journey, Lerner invites us to re-examine the true building blocks of vibrant communities, the tree-lined avenues, night vendors, and songs and traditions that connect us to our cities and to one another.

Review: "Jaime follows in the tradition of Jane Jacobs, William Whyte, and many other visionaries who have illuminated the world s thinking on cities. "Urban Acupuncture" is a work of fierce love for real, living, people-filled cities and cities for people."--From the preface by Carol Coletta "VP/Community and National Initiatives, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation ""

Author Biography: Jaime Lerner is a renowned architect and urban planner who served three terms as mayor of the city of Curitiba, Brazil and two terms as governor of the State of Parana. During his time in office, Lerner led initiatives to improve sustainability, transportation, and quality of life that made Curitiba a model of urbanism. He has won numerous international awards, including the United Nations Environmental Award (1990), and was nominated as one of Time magazine's 25 most influential thinkers in the world in 2010. Lerner is Founder of the consulting firm Jaime Lerner Associated Architects, served as President of the International Union of Architects (2002-2005), and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the World Resources Institute.