Whether you've realized it yet or not, soccer is a big deal in this gloabalizing world. And every four years it's a huge deal for one country: the host of the FIFA World Cup. All eyes are on the host country for the 32-team tournament, which is the most-watched sporting event in the world. And though showtime is just one month long, the host spends years vying, preparing and investing for the tournament. It has major potential to spur broad countrywide improvements and economic development. So when the U.S. made news recently by offering forth 70 stadia as possible host sites for either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup (along with a reputation booster from President Barack Obama), I had to filter out my national pride. Sure, the U.S. would make a good and clearly able host for the event, but it seems that the potential of the World Cup could be better directed towards a country that really needs large-scale civic improvement and investment.
Brazil
Highways Devastating the Amazon
The greatest threat to Brazil's Amazon Rain Forest is not just farming or logging, but the road construction that makes both possible, writes Stephanie Brault.
Council on Hemispheric Affairs
Brazilian Billboard Ban Under Pressure
The ban on billboard advertising in Sao Paulo, Brazil, is showing pressure cracks, as continued opposition to the citywide policy has some lawmakers considering a repeal.
The Independent
Real Work to Begin on Rio's Olympic Plans
Rio de Janeiro has been named the host of the 2016 Summer Olympics. Now, the city has to start making its Olympic promises come true.
USA Today
Why Rio Won the 2016 Olympics
Rio de Janeiro has been selected as the host of the 2016 Summer Olympics. This analysis from NPR looks at why the Brazilian city was the obvious choice.
NPR
South American Olympics Overdue or Undercooked?
As the International Olympic Committee prepares to announced the host of the 2016 Summer Olympics this week, South Americans are hoping it's finally their time. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is one of four finalists, but some say the city isn't ready.
Time
Room for Improvement in Prospective Olympic Host Cities
A new report from the International Olympic Committee has evaluated the four host candidates for the 2016 Summer Olympics and found many places for improvement ahead of its October 2 decision.
The Chicago Tribune
REVIEW: Contemporary Urbanism in Brazil: Beyond Brasilia
Susanna Diaz reviews a new book covering the history and thought of urban planning in Brazil, edited by Profs. Vicente del Rio and William Siembieda of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
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Park Built On Top of Contaminated Site
New public space has opened in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in an unlikely place. The new park sits a few feet above the contaminated grounds of a deactivated municipal incinerator.
Metropolis
The Planetizen News Brief - 7/30/09
4:40 minutes (4.34 MB)
Concerns over the Supreme Court nominee's eminent domain leanings, Chicago's expensive Olympic bid, and Brazil's even more expensive World Cup -- all on this week's Planetizen News Brief, airing weekly on the nationally-syndicated radio show "Smart City". Read, listen or download.
Brazil's $42 Billion World Cup Investment
It's going to cost Brazil more than $42 billion in infrastructure costs to host the 2014 soccer World Cup, according to a recent report.
Associated Press
Squatters to Gain Legal Land Rights in the Amazon
The Brazilian government has just approved a measure that would grants legal land rights to squatters in the Amazon.
Guardian
Sunning in the Slums
Taking a hint from heightened interest in Brazil's favelas, a German developer plans to build 10 villas in a Rio de Janeiro slum, which he'll market as the new tourist hotspot.
International Herald Tribune
Brazil Looks to Land Titles to Protect Amazon
A new plan is taking form in Brazil to regularize titles to rainforest land -- an effort the government hopes will fight deforestation.
The Economist
Landscape Architect of the Tropical
Landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, featured in a new exhibition in Rio de Janeiro, used the principles of cubism and abstraction to create modern landscapes using native tropical plants.
The New York Times
Helping is Hurting
Thu, 01/08/2009 - 13:48
Protecting the poor and protecting the environment are two areas we haven’t quite figured out yet. Put them together, and we’re really up a creek. And we are, because these two silos are actually linked very closely. The relationship between poverty and environmental degradation is incredibly complex, but you wouldn’t guess it by looking at some recent policies gathering support out there in the world. Solutions, it would seem, are incredibly simple. But most of these ideas, though well-intentioned, address only one side of the poverty-environment relationship -- and really hurt the other.
Amazon Dam Project Moves Ahead
As construction begins on two large dams in the Amazon, thousands of indigenous people grapple with the prospect of the coming flood and the loss of their land, while environmentalists continue to oppose the construction.
The Washington Post
Ancient Cities Found in the Amazon
Anthropologists have discovered traces of highly organized and gridded cities in the Amazon rainforest dating back to the 1200s.
National Geographic
Seizing Cattle to Fight Deforestation
As part of a new strategy to prevent deforestation in the Amazon, government officials in Brazil have begun seizing livestock that graze on illegal ranches.
The New York Times
The Legacy of Brasilia
The Atlantic Monthly reviews a new book on architect Oscar Niemeyer and his work that- like the infamous city of Brasilia- "continues to enchant and appall students of architecture and urban planning."
The Atlantic Monthly
