Brazilian City Where There Are No Traditional Intersections or Corners

Written by Bruno Teles

Published on 01/04/2025 at 12:53

Brasília: cidade brasileira onde não há cruzamentos tradicionais nem esquinas

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Brasília Is The Only Planned Brazilian City Designed To Eliminate Traditional Intersections In Most Of Its Territory. Designed By Lúcio Costa, With A Layout Inspired By An Airplane, It Was Recognized By UNESCO And Remains A Global Reference In Modern Urbanism.

Have you ever imagined driving through a Brazilian city without intersections, without having to stop at every corner or compete for right of way in the middle of traffic? It seems out of this world, but this city exists — and it is the capital of Brazil. In Brasília, the road system was designed to avoid traditional intersections, replacing them with roundabouts, tunnels, and expressways that ensure fluidity, safety, and a lifestyle quite different from the rest of the country.

This model, which may seem strange to first-time visitors, was meticulously planned back in the 1950s. And to this day, it impresses architects, urban planners, and tourists from all over the world.

Brasília: The Brazilian City That Was Born From Paper

Inaugurated on April 21, 1960, Brasília was designed by Lúcio Costa and built with a strong influence from the modernist architecture of Oscar Niemeyer. The Pilot Plan, shaped like an airplane seen from above, was designed to ensure that different functions of the city — housing, work, leisure, government — were separated into specific sectors and connected by fast ways, without interruptions by intersections.

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Superblocks: The Heart Of A City Without Intersections

The concept of superblock is another point that differentiates Brasília. They are residential blocks designed with:

Large green areas
Public schools
Local commerce easily accessible
Low-speed internal streets

Each superblock functions like a miniature neighborhood, and the goal is for residents to find everything within a short walk from home. With this, the Brazilian city tries to reduce the need for long travels and prioritizes collective well-being.

And Mobility?

Although it is efficient for cars, Brasília today faces criticism regarding public transport and active mobility. With large distances between sectors, it is difficult to get around on foot or by bicycle. And since the city was designed for private cars, the bus and metro system needs improvements to meet current demand.

Even so, the model is still considered a global reference in urban planning. So much so that Brasília was declared a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO in 1987, thanks to the boldness of its layout and the integration between architecture, landscaping, and mobility.

Curiosities About The Most Planned Capital In Brazil

The Monumental Axis is the widest road in the world, at 250 meters wide
The Pilot Plan was chosen through a public contest and beat more than 50 proposals
There are no traditional traffic lights on the central axis
The airport is aligned with the “cockpit” of the airplane imagined by Lúcio Costa
The National Congress, Palácio do Planalto, and Supreme Court are located side by side, in the same sector

Brazilian City Where There Are No Traditional Intersections or Corners

Brasília Is The Only Planned Brazilian City Designed To Eliminate Traditional Intersections In Most Of Its Territory. Designed By Lúcio Costa, With A Layout Inspired By An Airplane, It Was Recognized By UNESCO And Remains A Global Reference In Modern Urbanism.

Brasília: The Brazilian City That Was Born From Paper

Superblocks: The Heart Of A City Without Intersections

And Mobility?

Curiosities About The Most Planned Capital In Brazil

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Brazilian City Where There Are No Traditional Intersections or Corners

Brasília Is The Only Planned Brazilian City Designed To Eliminate Traditional Intersections In Most Of Its Territory. Designed By Lúcio Costa, With A Layout Inspired By An Airplane, It Was Recognized By UNESCO And Remains A Global Reference In Modern Urbanism.

Brasília: The Brazilian City That Was Born From Paper

Superblocks: The Heart Of A City Without Intersections

And Mobility?

Curiosities About The Most Planned Capital In Brazil

A village with 115 inhabitants wants new residents: it offers a house, a job, up to 44 thousand euros in benefits, almost free rent, an annual grant of 8 thousand euros for 3 years, and a 20 thousand euro incentive for businesses in the mountains of Italy.

Goodbye traditional washing machine: Xiaomi surprises and launches an ultra-slim version with 27 programs, 3D water flow, steam sterilization, app control, enlarged drum, and a silent system with double suspension

NASA is offering US$ 750,000 to people from anywhere in the world who solve a problem that could decide survival on Mars: creating food for astronauts without relying on resupply from Earth.

With an 88-meter wingspan, a capacity of 250 tons, six engines, and 32 wheels, the Ukrainian giant became the greatest symbol of extreme air transport and one of the most impressive machines in aviation history.

Toyota ends the Diesel era: new Hilux with up to 380 km of urban range brings 196 hp, 59.2 kWh battery, 4×4 traction and 715 kg of load capacity

After 16 years and almost 600 prototypes, a Chinese inventor unveils the world’s smallest and cheapest manned jet, at just 3.80 meters long and costing US$7.2 thousand in materials.

Magalu has a clearance sale on JBL Boombox 4 with 210W of power, 34-hour battery, and 3-way system.

In Niger, mud buildings have stood for ten generations while the world spends billions on concrete and steel, now African architects are proving at the Venice Biennale and in real projects that red earth can be the smartest and most sustainable building material of the 21st century.

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An expedition drilled the bottom of the North Atlantic to a depth of nearly 400 meters and found freshwater hidden beneath the salty ocean; the giant aquifer stretches from New Jersey to Maine.

Starting Monday, 1.3 billion Chinese can enter Brazil without a visa, and Brazilians also no longer need a visa to go to China. The reciprocal exemption was agreed upon between Lula and Xi Jinping and is already valid for tourism, business, and exchange.

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