During his three terms as mayor of Curitiba, Brazil in the 1970s and '80s, architect and urbanist Jaime Lerner transformed his city into a global model of the sustainable and livable community. From the pioneering Bus Rapid Transit system to parks designed to catch runoff and reduce flooding, and the creation of pedestrian-only zones, Lerner has been the driving force behind a host of innovative urban projects. In more than forty years of work in cities around the globe, Lerner has found that changes to a community don't need to be large-scale and expensive to have a transformative impact'in fact, one block, park, or a single person can have an outsized effect on life in the surrounding city.
In Urban Acupuncture, Lerner celebrates these pinpricksa of urbanism'projects, people, and initiatives from around the world that ripple through their communities to uplift city life. With meditative and descriptive prose, Lerner brings readers around the world to streets and neighborhoods where urban acupuncture has been practiced best, from the bustling La Boqueria market in Barcelona to the revitalization of the Cheonggyecheon River in Seoul, South Korea. Through this journey, Lerner invites us to re-examine the true building blocks of vibrant communities'the tree-lined avenues, night vendors, and songs and traditions that connect us to our cities and to one another.
Urban Acupuncture is the first of Jaime Lerner's visionary work to be published in English. It is a love letter to the elements that make a street hum with life or a neighborhood feel like home, penned by one of the world's most successful advocates for sustainable and livable urbanism.
Preface \ Carol Coletta, Knight Foundation Foreword \ Jan Gehl Introduction Chapter 1. 24-Hour Shopkeepers in New York City Chapter 2. The Old Cinema Novo Chapter 3. Rescuing a River Chapter 4. The Forbidden City Chapter 5. Cali Chapter 6. Do Nothing! Urgently Chapter 7. Around the Clock, or The 24-Hour City Chapter 8. Urban Kindness Chapter 9. Musical Acupuncture Chapter 10. Continuity is Life Chapter 11. Street Sounds, Colors, and Scents Chapter 12. Good Recycling Chapter 13. People in the Streets Chapter 14. Smart Car, Smart Bus Chapter 15. Commitment to Solidarity Chapter 16. Draw Your City Chapter 17. Instructions for Performing Urban Acupuncture Chapter 18. Creative Leisure vs. Industrious Mediocrity Chapter 19. Self-Esteem Is Good Acupuncture Chapter 20. Light Is Good Acupuncture Chapter 21. Aqua-puncture Chapter 22. The Mobility Card Chapter 23. Eco-clock Chapter 24. Arborescence Chapter 25. Produced Memory Chapter 26. Of Parks, Squares, and Monuments Chapter 27. The One-Page Guide Chapter 28. Urban Cholesterol Chapter 29. Buildings with Dignity Chapter 30. Acupuncture of Silence Chapter 31. Ramblas and Galleries Chapter 32. A Pinprick Doesn't Hurt Chapter 33. Trompe L'oeil Chapter 34. A Letter to Fellini Chapter 35. How to Find Someone in a City Chapter 36. The Presence of Genius Chapter 37. Markets and Street Fairs Chapter 38. The Bar Counter Chapter 39. Love for the City
"Jaime follows in the tradition of Jane Jacobs, William Whyte, and many other visionaries who have illuminated the world’s thinking on cities. Urban Acupuncture is a work of fierce love for real, living, people-filled cities and cities for people."
