The current model of Bus Rapid Transit, emphasizing dedicated lanes, off-board fare collection, level boarding, signal priority, easily legible system map, and an attractive brand identity, emerged in Curitiba, Brazil, in the 1970s and spread throughout Latin America. Almost 200 cities around the globe now have some version of BRT, including over fifty in Latin America. The rise of BRT has coincided with evolving urbanization, particularly in secondary cities. How has BRT shaped this urbanization? Has it delivered affordable and reliable urban mobility to working-class residents of urban Latin America? This presentation will explore the expansion and influence of BRT in urban Latin America.
Bryan McCann, professor and chair of the Department of History, teaches courses on Colonial and Modern Latin America, particularly Brazil, as well as courses on Comparative and Global History. He has published works on a wide range of topics in Modern Brazilian and Urban History. His books investigate the history of favelas and their relationship to the broader city in Rio de Janeiro, the history of Brazilian radio and popular music, the transformation of Brazil since the 1980s, and the nature of the informal city in Latin America.
Robin King is an adjunct associate professor in the Landegger Program in International Business Diplomacy in the School of Foreign Service. This semester she is teaching "Political Economy of Cities: Latin America and Asia".
Kindly note that lunch will be served at 12PM. If you have any dietary restrictions or require special accommodation, please email clas@georgetown.edu. A good faith effort will be made to fulfill all requests.
