The "Model City" in debate: Sustainability, Inequalities, and the Right to the City in Curitiba

Durabilité, Inégalités et Droit à la Ville à Curitiba

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12957/rdc.2025.90705

Keywords:

Urban green areas, Curitiba, Solid waste management, Public Transportation System, Right to the city

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the urban reality of Curitiba by confronting the discourse of the "model city" with the dynamics of peripheralization and slum formation that shape the urban space. Method: The study is qualitative in nature, and to achieve the research objectives, the following data collection techniques were used: literature review, document analysis, and analysis of secondary data. Results: Although Curitiba is recognized for its innovative urban planning practices, such policies often serve economic and business interests, while vulnerable populations face mobility challenges, housing exclusion, and disproportionate environmental impacts. Public transportation benefits private concessionaires and limits equitable access to urban mobility. Solid waste management perpetuates environmental injustices by locating landfills in peripheral areas inhabited by socioeconomically vulnerable populations. Green areas, rather than promoting inclusion, frequently drive real estate appreciation and the displacement of specific segments of the population. Conclusion: Curitiba shares with other Latin American metropolises structural challenges related to the commodification of urban space, which fosters gentrification processes. Contribution: This study contributes to the debate on urban planning and helps demystify the narratives that position Curitiba as a model of sustainable urbanism by exposing its contradictions.

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Author Biographies

Brian Felipe da Silva, Universidade Positivo

 

Mestre em Gestão Ambiental pela Universidade Positivo (UP). Bacharel em Direito pela Universidade Positivo (UP), em Curitiba, Paraná. Bolsista do Centro de Pesquisa Jurídica e Social (CPJUS) da Universidade Positivo no ano de 2019. Pesquisador bolsista e voluntário do Programa de Iniciação Científica (PIC) desde 2018, integrando os projetos Governamento e crime: a questão criminal como estratégia de governo de condutas, sob orientação do Dr. Flávio Bortolozzi Jr., com fomento da Universidade Positivo; Transparência de gastos da Previdência Social do Brasil, sob orientação do Dr. Carlos Luiz Strapazzon, com fomento da Fundação Araucária; e Juiz de garantias em segunda instância, sob orientação do Dr. Ledo Paulo Guimarães Santos.

Doctor, Positivo University

PhD in Environment and Development, with a research focus on Environmental Epistemology - PPGMADE - UFPR (2018). Master’s degree in Development, with a concentration in Law, Citizenship, and Development from the Regional University of Northwestern Rio Grande do Sul - UNIJUÍ (2007). Law degree from UNIJUÍ (2003). Currently, he is a professor and Coordinator of the Undergraduate Law Program at the Santos Andrade Unit and a professor in the Stricto Sensu Graduate Program - Master's and Doctorate - in Environmental Management (PPGAMB) at Positivo University. Criminal Lawyer. He has experience in criminal law and studies on environment and development, focusing mainly on interdisciplinary projects related to socio-environmental justice. His current research project proposes interdisciplinary approaches to sustainable cities and the challenges of urban management in the Brazilian peripheral context, based on the premise that sustainable cities must be economically viable, socially just, and environmentally sound. He aligns these perspectives with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN’s 2030 Agenda, particularly SDG 11, which aims to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. His research engages with different fields of knowledge, fostering the participation of professionals from law, engineering, pedagogy, and applied social sciences, as well as public, private, and third-sector managers.

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Published

2026-01-24

How to Cite

da Silva, B. F., & Nicoletti Hedlund, A. (2026). The "Model City" in debate: Sustainability, Inequalities, and the Right to the City in Curitiba: Durabilité, Inégalités et Droit à la Ville à Curitiba. Revista De Direito Da Cidade, 17(2), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.12957/rdc.2025.90705

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 2 (2025): Revista de Direito da Cidade - Vol. 17, N°2

Section

Artigos/Articles/Artículos

License

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