Current Photos

Vision

Central Station Finds Its Cool
Central do Brasil
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Fábrica Arquitetura and Campo Arquitetura Urbanismo Design

Famous for its white sand beaches and mountain-side favelas, Brazil's informal housing settlements, Rio de Janeiro is also a dynamic metropolis of 11.8 million people. After a series of major roadways were completed in the 1950s, car use in Rio grew steadily, and the middle and upper classes moved from the city center to the newly-accessible suburbs. Although the crowds throng to the center during the week to work, many of the streets are empty on the weekends.

Despite this, Rio has one of the most extensive networks of bike lanes in Latin America, and biking along its magnificent coastline and lagoon is wildly popular. Rio's city center is experiencing the beginning of a rebirth, as the historic neighborhood called Lapa has become a nightlife destination. Further revitalizing the city center can provide a powerful antidote to growing sprawl and the increased car use that accompanies it. Improving the blighted area around Rio's old port and its historic Central Station is a logical next step.

The Art Deco Central do Brasil — the Central Station — was completed in 1943 in what was the business and cultural center of Brazil. Since then, the area declined, with the commuter rail reaching its lowest ridership in the 1980s. Though the area has rebounded somewhat, it still faces challenges. While hundreds of thousands of passengers pass through Central Station everyday, walking to and from there is difficult. Next to the station are abandoned industrial buildings and an old rock quarry, currently a bus parking lot. High above the rock quarry is the Morro da Providência, the city's oldest favela.

Here, Rio's Central Station becomes central once more as a major multi-modal transit center. A pedestrian path from the station links to a new elevator, traveling from the base of the rock quarry to the peak of Morro da Providência. Along the way, the elevator provides access to terraces of shops cut out of the rock wall. The massive, traffic-dominated Avenida Presidente Vargas is transformed into a boulevard with BRT services, bike paths and shade-providing trees. New buildings are added to fill in gaps in the urban fabric and bring vitality to the area. A canopy arches over the main pedestrian paths to the station, keeping people cool at Central Station.

« Previous City