# Latin American Cities Deal With Traffic Problems



## Sniper (Jan 28, 2003)

^^ It's real, unfortunately. There's a video of it, I don't remember where it's posted.


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## crawford (Dec 9, 2003)

Aecio said:


> Yeah, but still Mexico city launched the sub- urban train that moves around 300,000 passengers daily i read in the news... .


There's no way the Tren Suburbano moves anything close to 300.000 people. It only has seven stations, and is too expensive for lower class workers. Furthermore, it doesn't even go to the central part of Mexico City.


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## crawford (Dec 9, 2003)

hkskyline said:


> For the older Latin American cities, are they building new financial centres / downtowns outside the historic core, hence traffic patterns no longer involve everyone moving into the old city? I guess for a large city it's hard to connect everyone on the grid to such a new zone. We see this problem in Beijing now.


At least in Mexico City, there's a HUGE disconnect between jobs and homes. Most people in Mexico City live north or east of the city, but most jobs are south or west of the city.

To make matters worse, almost none of the Metro serves these growing job centers to the south and west (excepting Insurgentes Sur, I guess). Areas like Santa Fe, Interlomas, etc. are nowhere near Metro lines, and they will never have service, because they are in rich areas. Santa Fe is the famous skyline you always see for Mexico City, but it's very far from the city center and Metro lines.

Except for Polanco and parts of Insurgentes Sur, rich neighborhoods in Mexico City don't have nor want Metro service. Most of the new jobs are being created in these richer neighborhoods, but prices are extremely high, so most workers commute huge distances from the north and east. Most workers don't even live in Mexico City anymore. They live in Estado Mexico (the suburbs).

The government has been trying to improve the situation by recentralizing Mexico City around the center. The historic center and Zona Rosa areas had gotten quite shabby in recent years. In response, the government encouraged a big building boom of skyscrapers along the main avenue (Reforma). Unfortunately, the economy is poor right now (same as everywhere else), so there's lots of half-empty luxury condo towers.


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## Ecocacm (Jan 24, 2006)

[/QUOTE]

Because almost all the cars are white, black and gray, that rare.


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## bayviews (Mar 3, 2006)

crawford said:


> At least in Mexico City, there's a HUGE disconnect between jobs and homes. Most people in Mexico City live north or east of the city, but most jobs are south or west of the city.
> 
> To make matters worse, almost none of the Metro serves these growing job centers to the south and west (excepting Insurgentes Sur, I guess). Areas like Santa Fe, Interlomas, etc. are nowhere near Metro lines, and they will never have service, because they are in rich areas. Santa Fe is the famous skyline you always see for Mexico City, but it's very far from the city center and Metro lines.
> 
> ...


Even as Los Angeles has become more like Mexico City, sad to hear that Mexico City seems to becoming more like Los Angeles.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*New bus lines as climate weapons *
11 July 2009
International Herald Tribune

BOGOTA-- Like many thoroughfares in booming cities of the developing world, Bogotá's Seventh Avenue resembles a noisy, exhaust-coated parking lot - a gluey tangle of cars and the rickety, smoke-puffing private minibuses that have long provided transportation for the masses.

But a few blocks away, sleek red vehicles full of commuters speed down the four center lanes of Avenida de las Américas. The long, segmented, low-emission buses are part of a novel public transportation system called bus rapid transit, or B.R.T. It is more like an aboveground subway than a collection of bus routes, with seven intersecting lines, enclosed stations entered through turnstiles with the swipe of a fare card and coaches that feel like trams inside.

Versions of these systems are being planned or built in dozens of developing cities around the world - Mexico City; Cape Town; Jakarta; and Ahmedabad, India, to name a few. Such public transportation networks improve traffic flow and reduce smog at a fraction of the cost of building subways.

But the rapid transit systems have another benefit: They may hold a key to combating climate change.

Emissions from cars, trucks, buses and other vehicles in the booming cities of Asia, Africa and Latin America account for a rapidly growing component of heat-trapping gases linked to global warming. While emissions from industry are decreasing, those related to transportation are expected to rise more than 50 percent by 2030 in industrialized and poorer nations. And 80 percent of that growth will be in the developing world, according to data presented in May at an international conference in Bellagio, Italy, sponsored by the Asian Development Bank and the Clean Air Institute.

To be effective, a new international climate treaty that will be negotiated in Copenhagen in December must include ''a policy response to the CO2 emissions from transport in the developing world,'' the Bellagio conference statement concluded.

Bus rapid transit systems like the one in Bogotá, called TransMilenio, might hold an answer. Now used for an average of 1.6 million trips each day, TransMilenio has allowed the capital of Colombia to remove 7,000 small private buses from its roads, reducing the use of bus fuel and associated emissions by more than 59 percent since it opened its first line in 2001, according to city officials.

In recognition of this feat, last year TransMilenio became the only large transportation project approved by the United Nations to generate and sell carbon credits. Developed countries that exceed their emissions limits under the Kyoto Protocol, or that simply want to burnish a ''green'' image, can buy credits from TransMilenio to balance out their emissions budgets. The arrangement has brought Bogotá an estimated $100 million to $300 million so far, analysts say.

''Bogotá was huge and messy and poor, so people said, 'If Bogotá can do it, why can't we?' '' said Enrique Peñalosa, an economist and a former mayor of the city who took TransMilenio from a concept to its debut in 2001 and is now advising other cities.

But bus rapid transit systems are not the answer for every city. In the United States, where cost is less constraining, some cities, like Los Angeles, have built B.R.T.'s, but they tend to lack many of the components of comprehensive systems like TransMilenio, including fully enclosed stations, and they serve as an addition to existing rail networks.

In sprawling cities in India, where a tradition of scooter use may make bus rapid transit more difficult to create, researchers are working to develop a new model of tuk-tuk, or motorized cab, that is cheap and will run on alternative fuels or with a highly efficient engine.

''There are three million auto rickshaws in India alone, and the smoke is astonishing, so this could have a huge impact,'' said Stef van Dongen, director of Enviu, an environmental group in Rotterdam that is sponsoring the research.

Rapid transit systems have not always worked well in cities that have tried them. In New Delhi, for example, the experiment foundered in part because protecting bus lanes from traffic proved difficult. And a system that does not succeed in drawing passengers out of their cars simply adds buses to existing traffic, making emissions worse.

With its wide streets, dense population and tradition of bus travel, Bogotá had the ingredients for success. To create TransMilenio, the city commandeered two to four traffic lanes in the middle of major boulevards, isolating them with low walls to create the system's so-called tracks. On the center islands that divide many of Bogotá's two-way streets, the city built dozens of distinctive metal-and-glass stations.

Just as in a subway, the multiple doors on the buses slide open level with the platform, providing easy access for strollers and older riders. Hundreds of passengers can wait on the platforms, avoiding the delays that occur when passengers pay as they board.

Mr. Peñalosa noted that the negative stereotypes about bus travel had made some clever rebranding necessary. Now, he said, upscale condominiums advertise that they are near TransMilenio lines. ''People don't say, 'I'm taking the bus,' they say, 'I'm taking TransMilenio,''' he added as he rode at rush hour recently, chatting with other passengers.


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## Xpressway (Dec 2, 2006)

hkskyline said:


> Santiago unveiled a new public transport strategy in 2007 -- dubbed "Transantiago." Half of its 8,000 buses were taken out of circulation, routes changed and public transport use encouraged.
> 
> But the initiative failed -- with an impact significant enough to spark a government reshuffle and backtracking with the number of buses on the streets back up to 6,500.


It's been two years since the start of Transantiago, and the waiting time for a bus at the stop close to my home, increased from 20 to 40 minutes. I don't give a sh*t about what forumers and transport experts say in here, this new system is a disaster in my area. They should leave their desks and take a bus with me.


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## adrimm (Dec 17, 2006)

LtBk said:


> It seems that most Latin American cities aren't investing in mass transit like the US and Canada despite having denser cities.


Mixed uses, smart growth and transit are the best solution for South American cities.

Actually in many pre 1970s districts the density is so high that there are enough people to support amenities within walking distance - supermarkets, schools, doctors everything can be quite close by - people don't necessarily need to go far for most things (think central Paris, but not as pretty). Work is about the only thing that might be further away, and there are small armies of privately owned dirty-diesel buses that move people around.

But South America has also been moving forward with sophisticated BRT systems - the busiest BRT line in Bogota (one line) handles more people than the Victoria line in London. 

The problem is that people there are car-crazy. Instead of looking to Europe they are heavily influenced by the US auto-culture. There simply is not enough road space/pp for them to use cars. The other problem is that since the 1970s there has not been as much mixed use - residential districts are high density (highrise in the Park a la Corbusier), but located farther and farther away from services, shopping and amenities -forcing people to drive/bus, rather than walk. 

Mixed uses, smart growth and transit are the best solution for South American cities.


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## LtBk (Jul 27, 2004)

I should have meant not investing _much_ money like they should.


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## eklips (Mar 29, 2005)

The transmilenio system seems to be a good, cheap solution, although a metro seems to be the best urban solution on the long run. 

It is not mentioned in the article, but it is also important in latin american cities to have a stable public bus system, which makes a big difference.

Lima is a city of 8 million who not only does not have a metro or a "BRT" system, but also no formalized, coherent public (or private, but where the owner has a big enough monopoly to make the system coherent) bus system.

Instead, since people here do not have the means to all have cars, public transports is taken care of by small private companies (often it can one bus = one "company") who relate little to each other.
The buses are often old, very small, they do not respect bus stops and take any client who raises his hand on the street (also making you go down just when you ask), try to be as fast as possible, get in accidents all the time. They contribute greatly to make the city a big urban chaos.

There are generally two working people on the bus, the driver and the "cobrador", who is charged with opening the door for passagers, making them go down, making them pay, making them have a seat etc. There normally are formal fares, but "cobradores" get in fights with clients all the time on price reduction issues, and sometimes with drivers as well. 

This whole thing is both an urban disaster, a fascinating issue and the result of absolutely catastrophic policies on both a local and national scale. 

Here is a video I took inside of one of these buses a few weeks ago in a working class district of Lima. Although the focus was more on the street than on the dynamic within the bus itself, you can still see more or less how it goes. The "cobrador" is the lady shouting all the time.


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## Xpressway (Dec 2, 2006)

^^ Same as Santiago, Chile before the Transantiago (2007)!

Even as bad as it sounds, in my personal case, the old disastrous system worked better for me than the new crap Transantiago.


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## rajesh jagetia (Aug 1, 2009)

A big problem, not only in south america but all over in the world.


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## Aireos (Aug 21, 2007)

hkskyline said:


> *New bus lines as climate weapons *
> 11 July 2009
> International Herald Tribune


A recent video about TransMilenio by _The New York Times_:

*World: The Buses of Bogotá - nytimes.com/video*


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## gabrielbabb (Aug 11, 2006)

In Mexico City also exists a kind of Transmilenio and TransSantiago called MetroBus nd compared to the old system it's way better but sometimes it gets really difficult to get inside with so many people :S


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## isakres (May 13, 2009)

^^Yeap its right,....I try to take those metrobus lines in Insurgentes on my last visit to Mex City and dude...that was a challenge......

I hear they are opening more metrobus lines across the city to connect the east and the west....but definetly they have to expand both Subway and Metrobus lines to the south and to the West................


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## adrimm (Dec 17, 2006)

Double post. Please delete this one.


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## adrimm (Dec 17, 2006)

If the majority of newer developed areas in Latin America were more pedestrian friendly, and had been built with real mixed use, human-scaled streetscapes, etc, alot of transportation problems could have been avoided... instead many Latin American cities have been too influenced by Le Corbusian, highrise complexes, enormous gated residential townhouse subdivisions, linked by massive arterials. 

It is a shame becuase the residential densities are high enough to support an amazing mix of uses, downstairs, or within a 5 minute walk of many residences. And most cities definitely have a few well-maintained older mixed use neighborhoods are often highly valued (market reflects this)... but for some reason they have not considered this. 

It is a shame since the market expectation is for higher density(than say north america), that more mixed use has not been included. 

I wish more New Urbanist, Traditional Design, and Planning publications were translated into available in Spanish (and some of those in Spanish translated to English - we can all learn from one another)

http://pedshed.net/?p=187#more-187

http://www.planetizen.com/

http://www.cnu.org/node/3030


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## Yuri S Andrade (Sep 29, 2008)

Ecocacm said:


> Because almost all the cars are white, black and gray, that rare.


A Brazilian thing! People only like black, silver and white cars. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*BRAZILIAN FLEET (2008 December)*
In the list are only *cars*, *pickups* and *SUVs*. Motorbikes, trucks and bus are *not* part of the list.

*Cities -- Fleet (Dec 2008)*
1.São Paulo -- 7.022.643
2.Rio de Janeiro -- 2.382.054
3.Belo Horizonte -- 1.349.520
4.Curitiba -- 1.258.293
5.Porto Alegre -- 1.201.670
6.Campinas -- 1.056.576
7.Brasília -- 1.004.629
8.Goiânia -- 607.952
9.Recife -- 555.934
10.Salvador -- 540.296
11.Fortaleza -- 490.614
12.São José dos Campos-Taubaté -- 440.148
13.Vitória -- 372.738
14.Santos-Guarujá -- 322.344
15.Florianópolis -- 316.775
16.Ribeirão Preto -- 309.012
17.Manaus -- 265.644
18.Sorocaba -- 262.993 
19.Londrina -- 241.982
20.Jundiaí -- 239.971 
21.Belém -- 223.333
22.Natal -- 221.987
23.Limeira-Rio Claro -- 220.648
24.Campo Grande -- 211.809 
25.Blumenau -- 203.597
26.São José do Rio Preto -- 202.686
27.Caxias do Sul -- 193.481
28.Maringá -- 191.156
29.Joinville -- 190.548 
30.Cuiabá -- 189.318
31.Piracicaba -- 167.412
32.João Pessoa -- 165.050
33.Uberlândia -- 153.487
34.Itajaí-B.Camboriú -- 150.795
35.São Luís -- 150.058
36.Aracaju -- 143.468 
37.Maceió -- 139.706
38.Teresina -- 137.007
39.Bauru -- 135.925
40.Juiz de Fora -- 124.366
41.Franca -- 118.361
42.Criciúma -- 116.695
43.Volta Redonda-Barra Mansa -- 110.585
44.Ipatinga -- 100.618
45.Cascavel -- 98.888
46.Presidente Prudente -- 95.143
47.Mogi Guaçu-Mogi Mirim -- 95.142 
48.Araçatuba-Birigüi -- 90.504
49.Ponta Grossa -- 90.457
50.São Carlos -- 89.479 
51.Cabo Frio-Araruama -- 88.955
52.Anápolis -- 86.352
53.Uberaba -- 84.733
54.Pelotas -- 83.761 
55.Araraquara -- 83.396
56.Itu-Salto -- 82.918
57.Foz do Iguaçu -- 81.746
58.Campos Goytacazes -- 81.227

*States -- Fleet (Dez 2008)*
1.São Paulo -- 13.361.148 
2.Minas Gerais -- 3.859.736
3.Rio de Janeiro -- 3.119.660
4.Paraná -- 3.093.921 
5.Rio Grande do Sul -- 2.970.097
6.Santa Catarina -- 1.931.632 
7.Goiás -- 1.181.562 
8.Bahia -- 1.088.560 
9.Distrito Federal -- 893.083 
10.Pernambuco -- 842.499 
11.Ceará -- 680.030
12.Espírito Santo -- 661.772 
13.Mato Grosso do Sul -- 469.055 
14.Mato Grosso -- 437.990 
15.Pará -- 352.936
16.Rio Grande do Norte -- 332.189 
17.Paraíba -- 309.363 
18.Amazonas -- 275.827
19.Maranhão -- 241.549 
20.Alagoas -- 207.286 
21.Sergipe -- 192.969
22.Piauí -- 186.682 
23.Rondônia -- 157.469 
24.Tocantins -- 131.737 
25.Acre -- 53.432
26.Amapá -- 51.834
27.Roraima -- 44.263

*Regions -- Fleet(Dez 2008)*
BRASIL -- 37.128.281
1.Sudeste -- 21.002.316
2.Sul -- 7.995.650 
3.Nordeste -- 4.081.127
4.Centro-Oeste -- 2.981.690
5.Norte -- 1.067.498

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Cities -- People/Automobile -- People (2008)*
1.Blumenau -- 2,46 -- 500.334 
2.Caxias do Sul -- 2,58 -- 499.888 
3.Curitiba -- 2,59 -- 3.260.292
4.Campinas -- 2,60 -- 2.747.935 
5.Piracicaba -- 2,69 -- 449.522 
6.Florianópolis -- 2,72 -- 862.583 
7.Ribeirão Preto -- 2,72 -- 840.938
8.Jundiaí -- 2,77 -- 665.095 
9.São Paulo -- 2,79 -- 19.616.060 
10.São José do Rio Preto -- 2,86 -- 573.253
11.Limeira-Rio Claro -- 2,96 -- 652.276 
12.Bauru -- 2,97 -- 403.415 
13.Criciúma -- 3,01 -- 351.563 
14.Joinville -- 3,08 -- 586.546
15.Maringá -- 3,09 -- 591.150 
16.Sorocaba -- 3,09 -- 812.536 
17.Franca -- 3,11 -- 368.616 
18.Londrina -- 3,14 -- 759.033 
19.São José dos Campos-Taubaté -- 3,15 -- 1.387.255
20.Itajaí-B.Camboriú -- 3,42 -- 515.465 
21.Porto Alegre -- 3,44 -- 4.128.045
22.Goiânia -- 3,52 -- 2.141.731
23.Campo Grande -- 3,60 -- 762.141 
24.Brasília -- 3,65 -- 3.668.333
25.Belo Horizonte -- 3,74 -- 5.044.532 
26.Uberlândia -- 4,06 -- 622.441 
27.Cuiabá -- 4,31 -- 815.392
28.Juiz de Fora -- 4,37 -- 543.224 
29.Volta Redonda-Barra Mansa -- 4,41 -- 487.211 
30.Vitória -- 4,47 -- 1.664.328 
31.Ipatinga -- 4,62 -- 464.691 
32.Rio de Janeiro -- 5,01 -- 11.934.931 
*-- BRASIL -- 5,11 -- 189.552.814*
33.Santos-Guarujá -- 5,12 -- 1.651.906 
34.Natal -- 5,83 -- 1.294.899
35.Aracaju -- 6,03 -- 865.298 
36.João Pessoa -- 6,61 -- 1.090.770 
37.Manaus -- 6,75 -- 1.792.878 
38.Recife -- 6,95 -- 3.865.332 
39.Fortaleza -- 7,21 -- 3.535.397
40.Salvador -- 7,23 -- 3.907.734
41.Teresina -- 7,56 -- 1.035.320 
42.São Luís -- 8,47 -- 1.271.110
43.Maceió -- 8,57 -- 1.197.261 
44.Belém -- 10,07 -- 2.249.000 

*States -- People/Automobile -- People (2008)*
1.Distrito Federal -- 2,86 -- 2.557.158
2.São Paulo -- 3,07 -- 41.011.635
3.Santa Catarina -- 3,13 -- 6.052.587 
4.Paraná -- 3,42 -- 10.590.169
5.Rio Grande do Sul -- 3,65 -- 10.855.214 
6.Goiás -- 4,95 -- 5.844.996
7.Mato Grosso do Sul -- 4,98 -- 2.336.058
8.Rio de Janeiro -- 5,07 -- 15.812.362 
*-- BRASIL -- 5,11 -- 189.552.814*
9.Minas Gerais -- 5,14 -- 19.850.072
10.Espírito Santo -- 5,22 -- 3.453.648
11.Mato Grosso -- 6,75 -- 2.957.732
12.Roraima -- 9,33 -- 412.783
13.Rio Grande do Norte -- 9,35 -- 3.106.430
14.Rondônia -- 9,48 -- 1.493.566
15.Tocantins -- 9,72 -- 1.280.509
16.Sergipe -- 10,36 -- 1.999.374
17.Pernambuco -- 10,37 -- 8.734.194
18.Amapá -- 11,83 -- 613.164
19.Paraíba -- 12,10 -- 3.742.606
20.Amazonas -- 12,11 -- 3.341.096
21.Ceará -- 12,43 -- 8.450.527
22.Acre -- 12,73 -- 680.073
23.Bahia -- 13,32 -- 14.502.575
24.Alagoas -- 15,09 -- 3.127.557
25.Piauí -- 16,71 -- 3.119.697
26.Pará -- 20,74 -- 7.321.493
27.Maranhão -- 26,11 -- 6.305.539

*Regions -- People/Automobile -- People (2008)*
1.Sul -- 3,44 -- 27.497.970 
2.Sudeste -- 3,82 -- 80.127.717
3.Centro-Oeste -- 4,59 -- 13.695.944
*-- BRASIL -- 5,11 -- 189.552.814*
4.Nordeste -- 13,01 -- 53.088.499 
5.Norte -- 14,19 -- 15.142.684 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*Cities -- Fleet Growth (Dec.2001-Dec.2008)*
Manaus -- 83,4%
Joinville -- 66,3%
Cuiabá -- 65,9%
Brasília -- 60,5%
Belo Horizonte -- 60,5%
Curitiba -- 58,6%
Belém -- 57,8%
Maringá -- 57,0%
Goiânia -- 55,0%
*-- BRASIL -- 51,2%*
Ribeirão Preto -- 48,4%
Campo Grande -- 48,3%
Londrina -- 47,2%
Caxias do Sul -- 46,9%
São Paulo -- 42,5%
Uberlândia -- 42,0%
Porto Alegre -- 39,0%
Bauru -- 35,8%
Rio de Janeiro -- 35,2%
Aracaju -- 28,5%

*States -- Fleet Growth (Dec.2001-Dec.2008)*
1.Tocantins -- 143,0%
2.Amapá -- 123,0%
3.Roraima -- 96,7%
4.Acre -- 96,1%
5.Rondônia -- 95,7%
6.Maranhão -- 83,8%
7.Amazonas -- 83,4%
8.Mato Grosso -- 81,2%
9.Rio Grande do Norte -- 80,4%
10.Pará -- 72,7%
11.Espírito Santo -- 72,2%
12.Piauí -- 69,4%
13.Goiás -- 67,9%
14.Bahia -- 65,8%
15.Santa Catarina -- 64,8%
16.Paraíba -- 62,9%
17.Paraná -- 58,3%
18.Sergipe -- 58,3%
19.Alagoas -- 57,6%
20.Mato Grosso do Sul -- 56,5%
21.Distrito Federal -- 55,1%
22.Ceará -- 53,8%
23.Minas Gerais -- 51,4%
*-- BRASIL -- 51,2%*
24.Pernambuco -- 47,7%
25.São Paulo -- 44,6%
26.Rio Grande do Sul -- 42,4%
27.Rio de Janeiro -- 38,9%

*Regions -- Fleet Growth (Dec.2001-Dec.2008)*
1.NORTE -- 89,8%
2.CENTRO-OESTE -- 63,8%
3.NORDESTE -- 60,8%
4.SUL -- 53,4% 
*-- BRASIL -- 51,2%*
5.SUDESTE -- 45,6%

_Source: DETRAN_

More details:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=899670


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## bayviews (Mar 3, 2006)

Interesting list. 

Seems that in Brazil, & perhaps the same is true across Latin America, most of the cities with the highest number of cars per capita are among the biggest cities, Sao Paulo is way up there. In the US, most of the largest cities, save LA & some of the other sunbelt ones, have lower car ownership rates. 

Interesting that Curitiba, the "Portland of Brazil", with its busways, etc. has one of the highest numbers of cars in Brazil per capita. 

Maybe just because its probably one of the most Brazilian cities?


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## Yuri S Andrade (Sep 29, 2008)

^^
Bay, in Brazil cars are quite expensive (about US$ 15,000.00 for the cheapest new models). In addition, we have to keep in mind that Brazil is a poor country. 

It's not like in US where everybody can afford a car, and the acquisition is more a personal choice than an affordability issue. Here, if a family can afford a car, they will buy it. Brazil has huge regional differences, so the wealthiest parts of the country will have a smaller people/automobile rate:

*Regions -- People/Automobile -- People (2008)*
1.Sul -- 3,44 -- 27.497.970 
2.Sudeste -- 3,82 -- 80.127.717
3.Centro-Oeste -- 4,59 -- 13.695.944
*-- BRASIL -- 5,11 -- 189.552.814*
4.Nordeste -- 13,01 -- 53.088.499 
5.Norte -- 14,19 -- 15.142.684 

A little guide; the cities are in _italic_:

*Sul* - Paraná (_Curitiba, Londrina, Maringá_), Santa Catarina (_Florianópolis, Joinville, Blumenau_) and Rio Grande do Sul (_Porto Alegre, Caxias do Sul_) states;
*Sudeste* - São Paulo (_São Paulo, Campinas, Ribeirão Preto, São José do Rio Preto, São José dos Campos, Santos_), Minas Gerais (_Belo Horizonte, Uberlândia, Juiz de Fora_), Rio de Janeiro (_Rio de Janeiro, Volta Redonda_) and Espírito Santo (_Vitória_) states;
*Centro-Oeste* - Goiás (_Goiânia_), Distrito Federal (_Brasília_), Mato Grosso (_Cuiabá_) and Mato Grosso do Sul (_Campo Grande_) states;
*Nordeste* - Bahia (_Salvador_), Sergipe (_Aracaju_), Alagoas (_Maceió_), Pernambuco (_Recife_), Paraíba (_João Pessoa_), Rio Grande do Norte (_Natal_), Ceará (_Fortaleza_), Piauí (_Teresina_) and Maranhão (_São Luís_) states;
*Norte* - Pará (_Belém_), Amapá, Tocantins, Amazonas (_Manaus_), Roraima, Rondônia and Acre states.

P.S. Ah, I almost forgot it: the numbers are not for the cities/municipalities, but for the *Metro Areas*. So, Los Angeles could have a low ownership rate, but not the LA CSA. By the way, do you have figures for US states and metro areas?


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## LtBk (Jul 27, 2004)

adrimm said:


> If the majority of newer developed areas in Latin America were more pedestrian friendly, and had been built with real mixed use, human-scaled streetscapes, etc, alot of transportation problems could have been avoided... instead many Latin American cities have been too influenced by Le Corbusian, highrise complexes, enormous gated residential townhouse subdivisions, linked by massive arterials.
> 
> It is a shame becuase the residential densities are high enough to support an amazing mix of uses, downstairs, or within a 5 minute walk of many residences. And most cities definitely have a few well-maintained older mixed use neighborhoods are often highly valued (market reflects this)... but for some reason they have not considered this.
> 
> ...



Any Latin American cities following and building new urbanist or traditional urbanist developments?


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## adrimm (Dec 17, 2006)

*New Urbanism/Traditional urbanism in Latin America?*

LtBK, I did see this, but I have not found any photos on the internet of it - looks like it never happened (but it is *so* colonially inspired it looks a bit kitschy):
http://www.cnu.org/node/1238 

I suppose that one of the difficulties in New urbanism/traditional development, is that Latin America has a much longer history and distinct periods of development - So, a colonial/trad urban inspired development would look very different from a late 19th/early 20th century inspired trad urban development. 


The question is out there tho - are there New Urbanist developments/redevelopment in Latin America?


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## diegaxo (Aug 10, 2009)

adrimm said:


> The question is out there tho - are there New Urbanist developments/redevelopment in Latin America?


I believe Loreto, in Baja California Sur, Mexico is being developed as a New Urbanist community, but is more focused on tourism. I need to do more research on it. 

Here's a picture:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/loreto-bay/2124722995/sizes/l/


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## Occit (Jul 24, 2005)

*Traffic Jams in Caracas:*


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## PsychoBabble (Apr 4, 2008)

What happens when Gasoline is heavily subsidized at $0.25 USD per gallon.


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## Yuri S Andrade (Sep 29, 2008)

Yuri S Andrade said:


> A Brazilian thing! People only like black, silver and white cars.
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> ...


Someone has data for other Latin America countries, specially for Mexico, Argentina, Colombia and Venezuela?


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