FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT EMAIL CONTACT EMAIL
Jaime Jennings, 202-232-7933 x44/ jjennings@islandpress.org Katharine Sucher, 202-232-7933 x43/ ksucher@islandpress.org
PRESS RELEASE
Urban Acupuncture By Jaime Lerner
"[Readers] will come away from this read with their heads overflowing with ideas, inspired to do something themselves in the belief that a better world really is possible." -New York Journal of Books Washington, DC (February 2, 2016) – The Guardian has called him “revolutionary” and The New York Times has deemed him a “visionary.” Renowned urban designer and architect Jaime Lerner has had a profound impact on the way architects, designers, and policymakers think about cities and the way citizens experience them. His unique perspective on cities and how they should be shaped and reshaped is a practice he calls “urban acupuncture.” In Urban Acupuncture (Publication Date: February 2, 2016), now available in paperback, Lerner describes the approach as “a spark that sets off a current that begins to spread.” It starts with what makes cities thrive and feel like home: familiar sounds and smells, gathering places, people, and vital infrastructure. It is when those things are missing or need resuscitation that urban acupuncture steps in to make small but fundamental changes that alter city life for the better. Urban Acupuncture takes readers around the world from Barcelona and San Francisco to Seoul and Paris, showcasing the best examples of these pinpricks of change. From streams and canals that are incorporated in the fabric of cities and 24-hour shopkeepers that keep places alive to neighbors who share their passions with each other and forge unbreakable connections, Lerner demonstrates how these vital elements reveal a city’s soul. These small characteristics of urban places are the lifeblood of cities, keeping the heart of urban life beating. ISLAND PRESS | PRESS RELEASE | 1
A compelling example of urban acupuncture is Lerner’s success in creating one of the first bus rapid transit systems while he was mayor of Curitiba, Brazil. It required effective navigation of politics and people, and its success led him to envision and enact other urban acupuncture projects that included turning floodplains around the city into parks and creating an innovative recycling program in which residents could exchange trash for currency in the form of tickets for buses, shows, or sports. These small changes were critical for making Curitiba more livable and were just the beginning of his new approach to city design. Lerner has a deep respect for cities, the people who inhabit them and the myriad ways design and infrastructure facilitate city life. This has driven him to develop innovative ideas to improve cities with small but meaningful initiatives. Lerner proves that small interventions like revitalizing a park, removing a freeway, or simply not standing in the way of citizen creativity can repair past planning mistakes and create vibrant, lively cities that encourage people to gather and engage with each other. Urban Acupuncture is an ode to city life, reflecting on what makes cities wonderful and sharing wisdom from decades of experience navigating the politics of transforming cities. Jaime Lerner is a renowned architect and planner who served three terms as mayor of Curitiba, Brazil and two terms as governor of the state of Paraná. He has won numerous international awards, including the United Nations Environmental Award in 1990, and was nominated as one of Time magazine’s twenty-five most influential thinkers in the world in 2010. Lerner is founder of Jaime Lerner Associated Architects, served as President of the International Union of Architects from 2002-2005, and is currently a member of the board of directors of the World Resources Institute. Urban Acupuncture By Jaime Lerner Paperback Publication Date: February 2, 2016 160 pages | Price: $18.00 ISBN: 978-1-61091-727-8 Founded in 1984, Island Press works to stimulate, shape, and communicate the information that is essential for solving environmental problems. Today, with more than 800 titles in print and some 40 new releases each year, it is the nation’s leading publisher of books on environmental issues. But Island Press does more than publish books. It advances environmental science by nurturing the exchange of ideas across disciplines and sectors, and by helping to create a multidisciplinary literature on environmental problems and solutions. The knowledge created is spread far beyond the range of a limited marketplace through sophisticated communications initiatives that reach journalists, academics, policymakers, practitioners and the general public. Through these efforts, Island Press is driving change by moving ideas from the printed page to public discourse and practice. Island Press’s emphasis is, and will continue to be, on transforming objective information into understanding and action. For more information and further updates be sure to visit www.islandpress.org. ### ISLAND PRESS | PRESS RELEASE | 2
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT EMAIL CONTACT EMAIL
Jaime Jennings, 202-232-7933 x44/ jjennings@islandpress.org Katharine Sucher, 202-232-7933 x43/ ksucher@islandpress.org
BIOGRAPHY Jaime Lerner Jaime Lerner is an architect and urban planner, founder of the Instituto Jaime Lerner and chairman of Jaime Lerner Arquitetos Associados (JLAA). He is the former president of the UIA International Union of Architects and served as three-time mayor of Curitiba, Brazil where he led the urban revolution that made the city renowned for urban planning, public transportation, environmental social programs and urban projects. He served as governor of Parana State twice and conducted an economic and social transformation both in the urban and rural areas. His international awards include the highest United Nations Environmental Award (1990), Child and Peace Award from UNICEF (1996), the 2001 World Technology Award for Transportation, and the 2002 Sir Robert Mathew Prize for the Improvement of Quality of Human Settlements. Lerner has been deemed a “visionary” by The New York Times and “revolutionary” by The Guardian and in 2010, he was named among the 25 most influential thinkers in the world by Time. He received the Leadership in Transport Award, granted by the International Transport Forum in 2011 in recognition for his leadership, vision and contribution in the field of sustainable urban mobility. At JLAA, he develops projects for the public and private sectors for cities in Brazil and abroad, such as Porto Alegre, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Florianópolis, Recife, Luanda (Angola), David (Panama), Durango, Oaxaca, Mazatlán (Mexico) and Santiago de Los Caballeros (Dominican Republic). His first English language book, Urban Acupuncture, was published by Island Press in 2014 and is newly available in paperback.
ISLAND PRESS | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | 1