Jaime Lerner

There is no place in a city that can't be better. There is no toad that can't be a princess, no frog that can't become a prince.

Curitiba is not a paradise. We have all the problems that most Latin American cities have. We have slums. We have the same difficulties, but the big difference is the respect given by people due to the quality of the services which are provided.

If you provide good alternatives for public transport, you won't have traffic problems.

Every city has to deal with the problem of cars and public transport.

I have realized after all these years that a city that has a good quality of life attracts jobs. People don't want to invest in places if there is no quality of life.

A car is like a mother-in-law - if you let it, it will rule your life.

After working in cities for nearly 40 years, I am telling you that every city can improve its quality of life in less than three years, no matter the scale or the financial conditions.

A city grows like an organism. It is a structure of living and working together a mix of functions.

Many cities end up putting off things because they want to understand everything. They don't understand that innovating is about starting. Taking care of a city is a process that you start, and then give the population space to respond.

There are three major issues now that are becoming important, not only for cities, but for all mankind: Mobility, sustainability - which is linked to mobility - and social diversity.

A lot of people assume that the expensive ideas are the most effective ones, but that is simply not true.

A city is like a family portrait - you don't tear it up if you don't like your uncle's nose.