Curitba has pioneered in open storm water management systems.  Several of the cities quarries have been turned into parkland and lakes, that help contain peak loads when storms come.

Great public spaces don't need to be expensive. Games and obstacle courses attract children. Where children go so do their parents. Without a lot of effort or cost, a new gathering place is created.

Who says recycling bins need to be ugly? These Brazilian are colorful and fun, and they raise the prestige of recycling as something cool to do.

When Curitiba decided to have pedestrian streets, the truck unions organized a protest in which they were going to drive trucks down the pedestrian streets. Local government countered by inviting hundreds of school children to color on the street the day of the protest. Of course, the truck drivers had to cancel their protest drive and Curitiba has had pedestrian streets ever since.

In planning public spaces, cities can help small businesses and provide a service to the community..

For biofuels to be sustainable, they must not compete with food production. Research is constant to find non-food alternatives for biofuels, in Curitiba and all over Brazil.

Building heights vary depending on the proximity of the site in question to the Bus Rapid Transit corridor. The closer, the higher allowed, a curve diminishing in an asymptote towards the edges. In this way, the largest population is dense and well served by public transit.

< Even workers in tall commercial buildings can benefit from operable windows. Most people will tolerate greater temperature swings if they have can open and close windows. more

In some areas with delicate social fabrics, a library is the most positive meeting point a community can have. "Faros do conocimento", or "Lighthouses of knowledge" are the tallest building in the neighborhood and therefore charged with a symbolic status. They provide free access to computers as well as books. 

Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) originated in Curitiba as an inexpensive way to move people efficiently and inexpensively. It is being adapted by cities throughout the world, including Bogotá, Colombia and Mexico City. BRT uses dedicated bus lanes and has limited stops. Fees or tickets are collected prior to boarding and passenger platforms make for easy loading and unloading. The efficiency is that of a subway but at a fraction of the cost. BRT works best on long boulevards.

Cultural connections are important. These recycling bins are reminiscent of the bongo drums that are prevalent in Brazil. They have a connotation of fun, local and talented

Local farmers provide good food at reasonable costs, so the program "Food Exchange"contracts with them. The program trucks pick up this food and takes it to delicate neighborhoods, where its exchanged for "Garbage that is not Garbage". A considerable portion of the waste stream is compostable waste, if separated at source, it  is also collected and taken directly to the farmers, to use as natural fertilizer. This is a win, win , win solution.