Post #1: The Capital of Hope

A Taiwanese friend sent me this screenshot this morning, and I thought maybe I would begin my postings about Brazil here at home in Brasilia. The first book I read about our new home was focused on Brasilia as well (The Capital of Hope) and its creation story as a man-made city, UNESCO world heritage site, and the social, political, and economic realities of birthing a capital in Brazil in the 1960s. If you are curious, it is worth a read. However, here are some of the highlights with some of my commentary:

• The city is located inland in the highlands (approximately 4,000 feet above sea level) with two distinct seasons: dry and wet. The climate is phenomenal right now with dry, sunny days in the 70s and low 80s and nighttime temperatures dipping into the 50s. We do not need to use air conditioning and leave our windows wide open night and day.
• The location was chosen to provide equal access to the entire country rather than concentrating power, wealth, and business on the coastal ports and cities of Rio and São Paulo. There was literally nothing here other than dust when President Kubitschek moved the capital from Rio in 1956. 
• The city was mostly built during President Kubitschek's term from 1956-1961 as he fulfilled a campaign promise. The city was built in 41 months and people moved here from all over Brazil to find jobs, many of these pioneers came from the impoverished northeastern states.
• There is fantastical architecture and landscaping that interrupts the wide skies by famous city planner Lúcio Costa, architect Oscar Neiemeyer, and landscaper Robert Burle Marx. The modernist style includes all kinds of funky-shaped buildings that were meant to illustrate the futuristic city's promise. 
• Brasilia is planned in the shape of an airplane with the wings serving as the axis of the city. Everything is very organized into blocks and sectors with certain areas set aside for certain kinds of services, shops, or activities. All of the embassies are located together in one sector, for example. 
• The physical area of the city is much bigger than pictures make it out to be. Getting around the city requires a car and distances from one area to another are longer than they look on a map. Roads were designed without stoplights to keep traffic flowing and there are no left turns in the city, so you are often looping around and back and through cloverleafs to get to your destination, especially if you are trying to move east-west across the airplane rather than up and down the wings.
• Brasilia was built for a population of around 500,000 but there are currently almost 3 million inhabitants here.
• As the seat of government, Brasilia is synonymous with the government. This lends to its difficult reputation within the country, much like Washington in the United States. Many Brazilians still do not consider it a real city with its own character. 

Take a look for yourself!