I don’t know much about Brasilia. It is the capital of Brazil. It is, unlike the other major population centers in Brazil…inland. I’ve never been there.
It is an entirely designed city, and resembles an airplane from above, the curves of the city echoing the large lake beside (or in front of) it. It is a work still in progress, begun in 1957.
“Oscar Niemeyer, today one of the most famous world’s architects, combined straight and rounded shapes to create innovative architectural masterpieces. Lucio Costa, reknowned Brazilian urbanist, devised a lay-out combining beautiness, simplicity and functionality.”
It has cool buildings, some of which look bureaucratic/socialist and dated, some of which seem to transcend their time and place.
I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
Addition: The Atlantic Monthly has more on Brasilia, see: “A Vision In Concrete”
Brasilia is a great city, if you like decentralization and lack of culture! The planner based his entire strategy around the use of the car, disconnecting residential areas from commercial and making no allowance for walkability. He also provided no affordable housing, which forced many workers to set up favelas, or slums, outside the city.
The design of the buildings and landscapes is bare and void of the Brazilian history and culture. It lacks color, vibrancy, and community.
And the best part of all is that they clearcut thousands of acres of tropical forest to implement this chunk of sprawling, white-washed concrete!