Urban visionary visits Auckland

3 November 2003

One of the world’s leaders and innovators in sustainable development is visiting Auckland this week as part of a five-day visit to New Zealand.

Former mayor of Brazilian city Curitiba and Governor of the State of Parana, Mr Jaime Lerner is the President of the International Union of Architects, and is a consultant to the United Nations on urban planning and development.

During his visit (Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 November), he will meet with Auckland mayors, MP’s and business leaders to discuss ways of managing growth, and the importance of working together in order to bring about positive and long-term results. He will also meet with those directly involved with managing and implementing urban development and sustainable growth, and will speak at a public seminar.

Mr Lerner has been instrumental in the ongoing development and transformation of the city of Curitiba for over 30 years, including working with businesses to get support for transport, education, health and environmental activities and investment. Urban planning, integrated transport networks and sustainable development have been the focal points for Mr Lerner and other Curitiba leaders.

Jamie Lerner’s visit to Auckland is supported by the Auckland Regional Council (ARC) and the Committee for Auckland.

ARC Chairperson Gwen Bull says that as a diverse and rapidly growing region, Auckland has a lot to learn from both Curitiba and Mr Lerner. “The developments in Curitiba, and Mr Lerner’s leadership have shown that sustained and ongoing growth can be positive,” she says.

“Change and growth does not have to mean that a city, or in our case a large and diverse region, loses the things that make it unique.”

Councillor Bull says that Jaime Lerner has illustrated the success of fostering and building long-term partnerships in order to integrate region-wide services and initiatives.

Jaime Lerner has been invited to visit New Zealand by the Minister for the Environment and Minister of Urban Affairs; the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment; and the President of the New Zealand Institute of Architects.

While he is in New Zealand he will also visit Wellington and Christchurch, and will meet with regional mayors and the Brazilian Ambassador. In Auckland he will also take the time to meet with members of a study group, which in 2002 visited Curitiba. The study group included those involved with transportation and urban development from throughout New Zealand.

Ends

Meet Jaime Lerner

Jaime Lerner is an urban legend.
A strategist, a humanist and a man of action.

"You need to have a dream – a collective dream…"

"If you try to have all the answers first, you lose the opportunity to take risks… Making a start is important – you don’t have your whole lives to wait for a better idea!"

Jaime Lerner, architect and ex- Mayor, is recognised world-wide for his extraordinary, visionary leadership during the rapid growth of Curitiba (a 310 year-old city) from 500,000 people in 1965 to 1.6 million. Today Curitiba is a living example of imaginative, sustainable development in action.

Curitiba has shown that it's possible to meet the needs of a fast-growing population in tough political and economic conditions if many strands (health, education, transport, housing, waste and social needs) are brought together and treated as a whole, interconnected system.
As a result, people's desire to live in Curitiba has brought valuable human capital which, in turn, has attracted a strong flow of investment.

A Public Presentation by Jaime Lerner will be held on
Tuesday 4 November 2003
5.30 to 6.30pm
Hopetoun Alpha, 19 Beresford Square, Auckland.

This event is free of charge, and is open to everyone.

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