Jaime Lerner, One of the World's Most Influential Urbanists, Passes Away at the Age of 83

Prominent Brazilian urbanist Jaime Lerner passed away this Thursday, May 27, at the age of 83.

"In addition to his career linked to architecture and urban planning, Lerner was three times mayor of Curitiba and twice governor of Paraná (1995-1998 and 1999-2002). Lerner graduated in Architecture in 1964 from the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) and worked at the Curitiba Institute for Research and Urbanism (Ippuc) since its creation in 1965," reports Nicolás Valencia, who translates news originating from Portuguese-language news site G1.

"Jaime Lerner became widely known for implementing a highly innovative urban mobility system for the city of Curitiba, in the 70s. Later called BRT (Bus Rapid Transportation), the system consisted of articulated buses traveling on exclusive gutters, with tube-shaped prepayment-fare stations, which made the operation much faster," explains Valencia. "The solution has been replicated in many cities around the world, such as Bogotá and Rio de Janeiro."

In 2017, Lerner was chosen by the Planetizen audience as the second most influential urbanist of all time, trailing only Jane Jacobs. For more reading on the influence of Jaime Lerner on the field of planning and urban design, see also "The Road to Curitiba, written by Arthur Lubow for The New York Times Magazine in 2007.