Jaime Lerner, Hon. FAIA 1993, passed away Thursday 27 May at the age of 83. With a significant contribution to the urban environment in Brazil and in the world, he was one of the most recognized and influential urban planners of his time.
As mayor of Curitiba for three terms, he envisioned and implemented several innovative urban solutions since the 1970’s, such as the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), leading the urban revolution that made Curitiba known for urban planning, public transportation, environmental social programs and urban projects. He was also governor of the State of Paraná twice.
Former president of the UIA – International Union of Architects in the 2002/2005 term, he won several prizes in his career, such as the highest United Nations Environmental Award (1990), Child and Peace Award from UNICEF (1996), the 2001 World Technology Award for Transportation, and the 2002 Sir Robert Mathew Prize for the Improvement of Quality of Human Settlements. In 2010 Lerner was nominated among the 25 most influential thinkers in the world by the Time magazine and in 2011, in recognition for his leadership, vision and contribution in the field or sustainable urban mobility, he received the Leadership in Transport Award, granted by the International Transport Forum at the OECD. Lerner was chosen by the American magazine Planetizen as the second most influential urban planner of all time, behind only Jane Jacobs.
He is the founder of Jaime Lerner Arquitetos Associados (JLAA), which develops projects for the public and private sectors for cities in Brazil and abroad, such as Porto Alegre, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Florianópolis, Recife, Luanda (Angola), David (Panama), Durango, Oaxaca, Mazatlán (Mexico) and Santiago de Los Caballeros (Dominican Republic).
Gustavo Ribeiro
AIA IR Director, Unassigned Members
(Via G1, Archdaily and JLAA website: www.jaimelerner.com)
