LERNER, JAIME

LERNER, JAIME (1937– ), Brazilian architect, urban planner, and politician. Born in Curitiba, capital city of the State of Paraná, Brazil, to a family originating in Germany, he graduated from the Escola de Arquitectura da Universidade Federal do Paraná (Architecture School of the Federal University of Paraná) in 1964. In 1965 he participated in the creation of the Instituto de Pesquisa e Planejamento Urbano de Curitiba (Institute   of Urban Planning and Research of Curitiba) and participated in the design of the Curitiba Master Plan. Lerner was elected mayor of Curitiba for three terms: 1971–75, 1979–84, and 1989–92. In 1994 he was elected governor of the State of Paraná and was reelected in 1998, serving until 2002. During his first term as mayor of Curitiba, he consolidated the urban transformation of the city and implemented the Integrated Mass Transportation System acknowledged worldwide for its efficiency, quality, and low cost. He also intensified social measures that improved dramatically the quality of life in the city. As governor he promoted a great economic and social transformation in the state through a program encompassing land use, transport, sanitation, health, education, recreation, and culture. Lerner was professor of urban and regional planning at the Federal University of Paraná. He was a United Nations consultant on urban planning and winner of many awards and distinctions, among them the United Nations Environment Award, in 1990; the 1996 UNICEF Children and Peace Award; the Netherlands Prince Claus Award for Culture and Development in 2000; and the World Technology Award from the National Museum of Science and Industry (London) in 2001. He was also president of the International Union of Architects in 2002–5. (Efraim Zadoff (2nd ed.)