Jumping into a cab outside Ezeiza International Airport, the mythical Buenos Aires of my imagination - a city of European sophistication somehow juxtaposed on the Pampas - started coming into focus as an excitingly different reality. As we neared town, I was struck by the immensity of this place, watched endless rows of tall, weathered apartment blocks passing by, and felt an odd nostalgia for eastern Europe. This could have been a road into Warsaw or Moscow, or some other large city in the east. I had left Latin America!
A bus stop and flower kiosk on the tree-lined Avenida Santa Fe in the Palermo district of Bs. As. The sophistication, I discovered, was not missing. Some areas in the center really do resemble Madrid, Barcelona or Paris. These central areas were built on a European-inspired design during Argentina's era of relative wealth (even in 1965 Argentina had a higher per capita income than Japan or Spain) and the pretensions are impossible to miss in the city's grandiose monuments, soaring civic architecture, broad boulevards, and lovely parks. I was struck by the excellent underlying design that, despite rough edges, makes Buenos Aires an extremely livable and likable city.
As an urban greening (and livability) advocate, certain things stood out: the canopy of trees over almost every street; the wide, green balconies; the excellent urban transport system; and a street design that fosters a lively street culture.
As an urban greening (and livability) advocate, certain things stood out: the canopy of trees over almost every street; the wide, green balconies; the excellent urban transport system; and a street design that fosters a lively street culture.
The wide canopy of trees on so many streets provides wonderful shade on hot summer days. Coming from Bogotá, in many ways a very green city, I quickly noticed the difference decades of street tree planting and care can make. Buenos Aires has a mature canopy of street trees, mostly European species such as plane trees and lindens, and they add great beauty to the whole city. On a hot mid-summer day, with a strong sun beating down, the difference this tree canopy makes for pedestrians is incredible. Not only is UV radiation greatly reduced, but temperatures can be as much as 5°C degrees cooler than in areas with no tree cover. Trees also filter the air (intercepting dangerous airborne particles and removing polluting gases such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen dioxide), absorb carbon dioxide, help manage rainwater runoff, and provide shelter for birds and other animals.
Despite all the financial nightmares that this country and city have been through, the trees are maintained, and I noted a lot of new tree planting, as well.
Despite all the financial nightmares that this country and city have been through, the trees are maintained, and I noted a lot of new tree planting, as well.
Some green balconies on a street near where we rented an apartment in Palermo. Buenos Aires is a city of apartments, often in tall buildings, and the vast majority of these have wide balconies. In some of the older areas of the city, balconies have striking details, such as ornate ironwork and carved stone. People seem to use these spaces much more than they do in Bogotá or New York (where balconies are a relative rarity), evidenced by the number of plants, furniture and activity I witnessed on them. In combination with the trees on the street, the vegetation adds a calm and softness to the environment.
I've noticed a trend in many cities (Bogotá, for one) to exclude balconies from new buildings, presumably to maximize indoor floor space. This trend doesn't seem to have caught on in Buenos Aires. Even the newest apartment towers I saw include broad balconies.
I've noticed a trend in many cities (Bogotá, for one) to exclude balconies from new buildings, presumably to maximize indoor floor space. This trend doesn't seem to have caught on in Buenos Aires. Even the newest apartment towers I saw include broad balconies.
Plaza Italia station on the D line, which runs through some of the wealthiest neighborhoods of the city. A car is definitely not needed to reach any part of this city. There are six underground metro lines, various commuter rail lines, and one of the best bus systems I've seen anywhere. I've tried all the various options. Of all the metro systems on which I've ridden, the Buenos Aires 'Subte' reminds me most of the subway in New York, both in general design and general state of disrepair. But like the New York subway, it functions. The commuter rail lines take you to neighborhoods in the city not covered by the Subte and to the suburbs. I took one of these lines far out into the hinterland, for more than an hour, past industrial zones, beautiful suburbs (and small shantytowns) and even pastures with cows - all for under 50 US cents. But my favorite form of transport in Buenos Aires is the buses. I remember years ago, Paris had beautiful buses of an older design with many nice details (like chrome trim) on them (nothing like the standardized, modern buses of today). Buenos Aires has buses somewhat like this, made in Argentina, of a design that I think hasn't changed much in a while. There are literally hundreds of bus lines crisscrossing the city, with extremely frequent schedules, and a very low cost. Once you figure the system out (there is a very useful guide available, the 'Guia T'), they becomes a natural part of city life.
We used the 152 line, which runs 24 hours a day, many times, as it ran on Avenida Santa Fe, near our rented apartment. The buses were always clean and we never had to wait long.
Finally, I have to mention the excellent street layout, zoning, and block design, which together make for very lively, livable city spaces, generating an invigorating city life. Streets in Buenos Aires generally have short blocks, meaning access between streets and neighborhoods is easy. People are not hemmed in. Most streets have businesses of some sort on them, whether it's fruit and vegetable stores, cafés or travel agencies. There are not many empty facades. The streets are busy with life. Jane Jacobs must have loved Buenos Aires, if she'd ever visited. A great innovation, which is lacking in most cities in the New World, is the virtual elimination of protruding, 90-degree corners of buildings. Generally, the corners of buildings in Buenos Aires are squared off, as you see in the pictures below, providing an inviting space at most corners for cafés and restaurants, and just more space for pedestrians.
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Marshy area along the Rio de la Plata, at low tide. In closing, an odd thing about this river city is that the river itself is hardly noticed. There are few clues that you are directly next to one of the widest rivers and biggest estuaries in the world, unless you go stubbornly in pursuit of it. The vast Rio de la Plata runs all along the northern and eastern parts of the city, but the bulk of shoreline is private, so finding a place to see it is tough. The newly developed harbor area, called Puerto Madero, doesn't seem to offer much of a river view. The river is so wide that it looks like the sea, with the exception of its muddy brown color, We walked for hours and through all sorts of marginal and industrial areas to find, rather accidentally, a beautiful park on the banks of the river commemorating victims of state terrorism, a must-see in Buenos Aires, although it seems to be in none of the guidebooks.
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