Brasília turns 60: how the utopia became a monument to inequality

Founded on April 21, 1960, the capital city of Brasília was planned and built from scratch, following the principles of modernist urban design. In its landscape and scale, visiting Brasília is a unique experience. A monument to Brazilian euphoria and hope for the future straight out of the 1950s, the city is also planned to within an inch of its life. But in many aspects, the modernist utopia — which believed that every dimension of urban life could be organized — has failed.

Many have called its monumental distances “inhuman” and “suffocating.” And it is one of the least pedestrian-friendly cities in the world, an aspect of the capital that is now being put on trial.

When Brasília was planned and built, the auto industry was a state-of-the-art symbol of modernity. And naturally, the city was designed to prioritize transit by car. Currently, its estimated 3 million people own 1.7 million vehicles — and the capital faces an imminent collapse in urban mobility. Still, governor after governor insists in building...