Dirty Transport1 BModule English Toolkit 1 - Social Sciences Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, is a planned city.. It is a clear example of a city designed according to modernist urban th
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1 BModule
English Toolkit 1 - Social Sciences
Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, is a planned city It
is a clear example of a city designed according to
modernist urban theories of architects and urban
planners It was built in record time –three years,
from 1957 to 1960– and planned in relation to
Brazil’s need to conquer physically, culturally and
economically its own continent-sized country
However, its population is growing at a much
higher rate than predicted
Today, Brasilia is surrounded by many satellite
cities, some of them planned and others
developed over the years according to needs
This unanticipated change has important
consequences for traffic flow Originally, people
would take thoroughfares to cover long distances
and loops to get to specific places Consequently,
there was no need for traffic lights Nowadays, the
system of thoroughfares and loops is still in use
but there are traffic jams and not enough parking
Modernist Urban Theories
places Traffic lights are now present as well
Distances are great and people use cars and taxis
to commute daily from one place to another
There are other options in relation to means of transport As regards buses, Inter-State buses originally stopped at the Central Station At present, there is a Central Bus Station for urban buses and Inter-State buses stop at Estação Rodoferroviária (Bus and Railroad Station) This division is necessary due to the growth of the city There is also a subway system –which has
a station within the bus station– and it is very fast and clean It connects the largest satellite cities with the Pilot Plan But there are still many stations which are not operational
In 1987, UNESCO declared Brasilia a world heritage site While this situation helps preserve the place, it also poses problems for the need to adapt the modern plan to present demands
Did you know that Brasilia has the shape of an airplane? The wings are formed
by the residential areas and the cockpit is occupied by the political centre
a Brasilia (remains the same / does not remain the same) as in the ‘60s
b There (are / are not) unplanned satellite cities
c There (are / are not) enough parking places
d People (only use / do not only use) cars to move from one place to another.
e (Some / All) subway stations are now working.
Activities
1 Read the text and choose the correct option.
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English Toolkit 1 - Social Sciences
3 What do the words in bold refer to?
2 Lucio Costa was the main urban planner of Brasilia Complete his
ideas using the verbs in brackets ( ) in the Simple Future.
4 Complete this form about your city.
a I (design) Brasilia according to modernist theories
b With this plan, people (not get) stuck in traffic
c We (build) the city in five years
d There (be) thoroughfares and loops to regulate traffic.
e There (not be) traffic lights.
a Brasilia is a planned city, its population is growing at a much higher rate than
predicted
b Today, Brasilia is surrounded by many satellite cities; some of them are planned
c …planned in relation to Brazil’s need to conquer physically, culturally and
economically its own continent-sized country
d There is also a subway system —which has a station within the bus station—
and it is very fast and clean
e But there are still many stations which are not operational
5 Use the information in activity 4 to write a
report about your city.
Name:
Province:
Country:
Founder:
Date:
Present population:
Important monuments:
Important people born / living there:
Characteristics:
It has got
a village cinema Yes No
a shopping centre Yes No
a pedestrian precinct Yes No
My City