Despite being one of the country’s lesser known tourist destinations, Curitiba is considered by many to be Brazil´s most liveable city thanks in large part to its system of combined transport, the Ligeirinho, which has become a model both in Brazil and around the world. Located around 100km from the coast in the southern-Brazil state of Paraná, the city is built on a plateau at an altitude of 900-1000m and has a population of 1.8 million, 7th in Brazil, with 3.6 million in the metropolitan area.
For the 2014 World Cup Curitiba is one of the cities currently locked in a stand-off over the renovation project for the chosen host stadium, Arena da Baixada. The key issue involves the breakdown of financing for the project, given the facility is privately owned by the Atletico Paranaense football club, which is seeking to maximise the public funding provided for the upgrade.
Despite the impasse, the project is one of the simplest of the 2014 hosts thanks to the high standard of the existing facility, which was renovated in 1999 and is already close to 70% ready to host a Cup match, a fact that suggests the Arena will retain its place in the event once the financing issues are resolved.
The upgrade project will see capacity rise from just over 28,000 to 41,000 for the Cup, mainly through the addition of a new grandstand along the sideline of the southern side of the field, completing the existing U shaped stadium structure. The proposed project, developed by Sao Paulo architects Vigliecca Associados, should cost just R$184.5 million overall, with the Curitiba city government to provide R$51.6 million for the design work, commercial, hospitality and food preparation spaces around the stadium. Of the remaining R$138 million, R$25 million in financing is available through BNDES and R$113 million is the responsibility of the Atletico Paranaense football club, which, despite the ongoing negotiations, has said that it will cover with private investment and sponsors, including a new naming rights partner, potentially the state´s biggest company and main electricity provider Copel.
Approval for the project and financing structure are expected in the coming weeks, with a construction timeline likely to be decided soon after, although works may not begin until 2011 considering the relatively simple project would still be able to meet a December 2012 deadline. Apart from the new grandstand and certain improvements to the stadium itself, the surrounds will undergo significant transformation including the construction of a new commercial building of 10,000sqm to house sponsors, hospitality and administration.