Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
million people and is the only one of Brazil's major metropolitan areas still growing
quickly. Brasília also has its own little state, the
Distrito Federal
(Federal District),
which includes its
cidades satélites
- poorer satellite cities that house Brasília's
low-income workers, who commute into town to serve the needs of the
government-employed elite.
Some visitors find Brasília alienating, and the central part of the city can certainly
seem that way, with its jumble of undistinguished skyscrapers, malls and massive
empty spaces - the absence of planned gardens and parks is the centre's major
design flaw. At night the centre is deserted and dead, even at weekends, thanks to
the city's rigid zoning laws, which have put all its hotels there. But Brasília's
reputation as a concrete jungle is derived from its centre; in fact, no other Brazilian
city has as many trees and parks, and the older residential areas are very pleasant to
walk in, with the trees so dense it often seems the housing blocks have been built in
the middle of a wood.
6
Brief history
The idea of a
Brazilian inland capital
goes back to colonial times but fulfilment of the
idea had to wait until 1956 when
Juscelino Kubitschek
became president, on the
promise he would build the city if he won the election. He had to get it finished by
the end of his term of of
ce, so work soon began in earnest.
The site was quickly selected by aerial surveys but the city then had to be planned,
financed and built at a site 125km from the nearest rail line, 190km from the nearest
airport, over 600km from the nearest paved road. Still, in
Oscar Niemeyer
, the city's
architect, Brasília had South America's most able student of Le Corbusier, who was
contracted to design the buildings, and alongside him,
Lúcio Costa
was hired for the
awesome task of Brasília's urban planning. His
city plan
is described variously as being
in the shape of a bow and arrow, a bird in flight or an aeroplane. The main public
buildings, government ministries, palace of justice and presidential palace are in the
“fuselage”, an 8km-long grass mall known as the
Eixo Monumental
(Monumental Axis).
Exactly three years, one month and five days after the master plan was unveiled,
150,000 people arrived in Brasília for the o
cial
inauguration
, in April 1960 (the
event is celebrated today as the
Festa da Cidade
on April 21 each year). There were
still years of work ahead, but in time, the city slowly grew.
Financial and environmental costs
On the face of it at least, Kubitschek lived up to his electoral campaign promise of
fifty years' progress in five. What he hadn't made clear before, though, was just how
much it would cost Brazil. With outstanding foreign loans of two billion dollars, the
city seemed an antisocial waste of resources to many, and it was certainly responsible
for letting loose inflation, a problem that would take a generation to resolve.
As it turned out, however, Brasília paid for itself many times over, and very quickly.
The rapid
development of the planalto
that followed transformed the entire region into
one of the most developed agricultural areas in the country, and the taxes, jobs and
production that were generated swiftly made the decision to build Brasília seem
BRASÍLIA'S CLIMATE
Brasília's
rainy season
(October to March) can be torrential. The best time to come is
immediately afterwards, from April to June, when the trees are in bloom and the climate is
pleasant and mild. July to September is the
dry season
, when the sun beats down hard,
everything dries out and hot winds blow fine red dust over everything. This time of year is
extraordinarily dry - humidity levels are comparable with the Sahara. If you do come during
this time, drink as much as you can and don't skimp on the sunscreen. Fortunately, night
always comes as a relief as temperatures drop and freshness returns.
