Paranapiacaba, Brazil
This visionary conceptual plan for the village of Paranapiacaba, Brazil, is a collaborative effort between UrbanWorks and six other design firms volunteering for the Partners of the Americas, Illinois Chapter, Architecture and Urbanism Committee.
Located near Sao Paulo, the town of 1,200 residents was built in 1895 by a British railroad company to expedite the transportation of coffee from the country’s densely forested mountain regions to the sea. Steam driven funiculars were operated by workers who lived in the town—planned in a Victorian English style typical of the period.
The plan conserves many of the town’s original features, including Brazil’s first environmental preserve. The area is within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Atlantic Forest Southeast Reserves.