It comes as no surprise that the land issue in Brazil is a highly complex topic. As Ermínia Maricato defines it, the “knot of land” lies at the center of various conflicts—whether regarding the productive occupation of rural lands or at the core of questions surrounding the right to the city, housing, and infrastructure in urban centers. Yet, what is rarely discussed in the fields of urban planning and public policy are the cause-and-effect relationships of this land conflict on the current management of public areas, particularly concerning the organization of municipal assets and, more importantly, its practical effects on city design and urban dynamics.

The 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report left many of us wondering whether the world can indeed keep global warming below 1.5°C, the threshold scientists consider safe to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change. New research from WRI and Climate Analytics shows that G20 countries, which account for about 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions, can steer the world toward this goal – if they significantly increase their ambition.

Walls are one of the main problems in our cities. The ultimate physical manifestation of division, they strip away the sense of community on our streets, turning a walk down the sidewalk into an empty, monotonous, and insecure experience. "Eyes on the street" are essential for urban life, particularly in a society as violent as Brazil's.

Why do our cities have so many walls? The real estate sector is usually blamed—the perpetual villain for those who confuse cause and effect. In reality, however, even older homes rely on them.

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Videos

Detroit, Berlin, Seoul, Los Angeles, Sarajevo, New York, and Brasília. We have selected documentaries that showcase the history and development of each of these cities, allowing you to explore the world through cinema without leaving home. Check out our list: 

To get to know the architects, projects, and stories behind landmark Portuguese architecture, Sara Nunes, of the architectural film production company Building Pictures, launched the podcast No País dos Arquitectos, in which she talks with leading names in contemporary Portuguese architecture.

In this week's episode, Sara talks with architects Cristina Guedes and Francisco Vieira de Campos, of the firm Menos é Mais Arquitectos, about the Arquipélago - Contemporary Arts Center in the Azores. Catch up on past interviews from the No País dos Arquitectos podcast and read the transcript of the interview below:

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There are countless ways to approach children's environments in architecture: from designing at a scale different from the standard adult dimension to more playful endeavors like designing toys and playthings. The architectural perspective on childhood focuses on creating a spatial quality that not only provides safer environments from an urban standpoint but also represents an investment in the future of society, given that architecture can play a vital role in childhood development.

After a difficult period of isolation, we are finally returning to public spaces. In the search for safe outdoor activities, parks and open-air destinations have become even more prominent. Although São Paulo is famous for being a "concrete jungle" defined by its modern architecture, the city also offers an abundance of green spaces.

One of the most important theorists of the twentieth century, Brazilian educator Paulo Freire would have turned 100 on September 19, 2021, had he not passed away in 1997. A month later, Brazil celebrates Teachers' Day on October 15, even as public education faces massive federal budget cuts, continuing a long-standing process of systemic decline in the country's educational system. Against this backdrop, Freire has become one of the world's most widely read and cited theorists in the humanities. Despite this global recognition, his theory has yet to be fully integrated into the literature of architecture and urbanism. Here, we propose a brief reflection on how architectural practices can engage with Paulo Freire's theory.

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Videos

Concurso como Prática: A Presença da Arquitetura Paranaense is the title of the documentary featured in the eponymous exhibition on view at the Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON) until December 12th. Available on YouTube, the feature-length film produced and directed by architects Isabela Maria Fiori and Luiz Gustavo Singeski, in collaboration with Felipe Santos Gomes, presents a comprehensive overview of the participation and awards won by teams from Paraná in architectural competitions.

The search for more efficient and sustainable modes of transportation in urban centers has been gaining ground in several cities worldwide. With the pandemic, the benefits of cycling have been proven, and many municipalities have invested in bike lanes and incentives to keep people pedaling, even after the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.

The use of public transit, another alternative that is more sustainable than private vehicles, becomes safer as vaccination efforts progress. In Barcelona, to further encourage people to abandon their cars—especially older ones—the city administration is offering a free three-year transit pass to residents who get rid of their old vehicles.

The organization Climate Central has developed a series of images and videos simulating how various cities around the world could be affected by rising sea levels if the world fails to meet emissions reduction targets. 

Climate Central scientists analyzed where populations are most vulnerable over the next 200 to 2,000 years under different warming scenarios. The findings are alarming:

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Residential swimming pools have become a staple in housing developments and private homes, particularly in regions where warm weather prevails for most of the year. Sun, shade, and cool water call for a landscape design that fosters harmony in these spaces.

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The original house is where we return in times of crisis. It is a mobile fiction, almost like an inverted utopia—the perfect mirror of an unattainable future, not because it belongs to the past, but because it is a starting point created to give meaning to that very utopian future. The original house can be many things: the womb, the cave, the cabin, clothing, the tent, the earth. But above all, it is the story we tell ourselves to feel less lost after being cast out of this first site of identity. Thrown into the world, we remain in a constant search for a place that makes sense—a home. 

The Thames, the Danube, the Seine, the Nile, the Hudson—all of these names immediately evoke specific cities. This is because discussing the history of urban planning inherently means exploring the relationship between the city and the river, as waterways are fundamental natural elements around which many cities were founded. This is primarily due to the utilitarian nature of water bodies, which, in addition to defining—and consequently protecting—cities, provided water supply and served to transport raw materials and goods. The river, therefore, functioned as an urban backbone, fostering activity along its banks and driving economic and social development.

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Playing with our imagination by dissolving the boundaries between sky and sea, infinity pools have become increasingly common in architectural projects. The optical illusion that attracts so many clients occurs when one or more of the pool's walls match the water level exactly, tricking the eye into believing there are no physical boundaries containing the volume. In this system, water literally overflows into a reservoir, from which it is pumped back into the pool.

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In this episode of the Perfil do Arquicast series, which reflects on the lives and works of established figures in architecture and urbanism, the team discusses a Brazilian architect who, in her own words, "invented a profession" in which she became a global reference. Through her courageous and engaged stance, she went far beyond her professional duties to make an invaluable contribution to elevating an entire class of architects dedicated to studying and shaping the Brazilian landscape. We are talking about the grand dame of Brazilian landscape architecture, architect and landscape architect Rosa Grena Kliass.

CAU Brazil has launched two public calls for institutional support aimed at selecting civil society organizations (CSOs) interested in carrying out two major initiatives to promote architecture and urbanism. Over R$ 1 million will be allocated to cultural projects and technical assistance for social interest housing (ATHIS).

Romano Guerra Editora has launched a presale campaign to support the publication of the book Arquitetura e escrita: relatos do ofício, a collection compiling 24 interviews with prominent Brazilian and international historians and critics spanning different generations and intellectual backgrounds. The book is edited by José Lira, Felipe Contier, João Sodré, Jonas Delecave, Paula Dedecca, Samira Chahin, and Victor Próspero.

Conducted by the editors or guest contributors, the interviews shed light on their formative paths, affiliations, and major works, as well as their methodological and interpretive approaches, and their dialogues with other authors and disciplines.

Transparent media allow light to pass through without dispersing it. Translucent materials, on the other hand, allow light to pass through in an irregular manner; because a portion of the light disperses, they prevent us from seeing through them with total clarity. Translucent surfaces act as veils, revealing without exposing, and literally blurring the boundary between interior and exterior. This effect is widely utilized in architectural design. From the signature facades of Steven Holl to the Moreira Salles Institute (IMS) in São Paulo, as well as many other examples in global architecture, this translucency can be achieved through specialty glass, acrylics, or other plastics. However, polycarbonate is a material that inherently delivers this effect, and it can be used in countless applications, from walls to skylights, and across highly diverse programs.

According to Gerard Peet in The Origin of the Skyscraper, the word "skyscraper" first acquired an architectural connotation in the early 1880s. It appeared in newspaper articles like the Chicago Daily, highlighting the growing construction of tall buildings in New York.

In her book on the history of skyscrapers, Judith Dupré refers to skyscrapers as "soaring divas," "city icons," "movie stars," and "symbols of power" that command the urban scene of our metropolises.

A manifesto invariably anticipates a work. It comes first, as a way of publishing it and disseminating it to a larger audience. Furthermore, a manifesto invariably "post-sees" another manifesto. It rereads a work so as to rewrite it, adapting it to its own theories. 

With the crisis of an entire ideology, the postwar period was highly fertile for architectural theory. Journals published a wide variety of manifestos with surprising frequency. Indeed, these texts illustrate architectural debates far more effectively than built projects from the same period. After all, as the name itself suggests, publications were primarily responsible for making ideas public, especially since actualizing them as projects was often impossible. It was these journals, therefore, that fostered the debates, enabling constant ideological shifts within the architectural field.

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Recycling materials in architecture is not just about pursuing sustainable solutions; it is also about engaging with the past by using discarded materials, defying the construction logic long taught in our discipline. Reusing elements allows historical and cultural contexts to resonate through the materiality and symbolism inherent in each piece, further elevating the project's overall concept.

Returning safely to the streets is beginning to emerge as a new reality for a society that reinvented itself in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic. But what should this renewed experience of public space look like? Are our cities truly prepared to welcome children, adults, women, families, and all social groups? Spurred by these questions, Gabriela Callejas, co-founder of Cidade Ativa, advocates for the “City of Yes”—an approach focused on all people that places the family, in its most diverse configurations, at the center of urban design decisions and municipal investments.

No País dos Arquitectos is a podcast created by Sara Nunes, who is also responsible for the architectural film production company Building Pictures. The podcast aims to get to know the professionals, projects, and stories behind landmark contemporary Portuguese architecture. With just over 10 million inhabitants, Portugal is a fascinating country when it comes to this professional field, and its architectural output punches far above its population or territorial scale.

In this episode, Sara talks with architects Carlos Azevedo, João Crisóstomo, and Luís Sobral from depA architects about the exhibition of the project In Conflict, the Portuguese official representation at the Venice Architecture Biennale. Listen to the interview and read the transcript of the conversation below:

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