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I am forever indebted to Professor Maria José Menezes Lourega Belli from the Federal University in Curitiba for all the assistance, company, and support she provided me from the very first day I arrived in Curitiba several years ago. I also thank Maria José for introducing me to her university colleague, Professor Dennison de Oliveira, who shared his views on urban planning and referred me to another accomplished scholar, Professor Nelson Rosário de Souza. My gratitude goes also to Dr. Ana Evans de Carvalho, from the Universidade Nova Lisboa, Portugal, for her warm-hearted friendship and empathy, and for her valuable intellectual insights, which have enhanced the theoretical and methodological scope of my research project.
This work also benefited enormously from Brazilian scholars and professionals working with the Institute of Research and Urban Planning of Curitiba (IPPUC), the Paraná Institute of Socioeconomic Development (IPARDES) and the São Paulo-based Center for Policy Studies in Municipal Administration (CEPAM). The anonymous employees of those institutions and the staff members at the Curitiba Public Library and the Central Library of the Federal University of Paraná facilitated my access to archives and to a variety of publications, and I thank them for that support. I also acknowledge here the assistance provided by Jorge Samek; by João Pedro Amorin, former Curitiba City Hall Press Secretary, and Ms. Duda Camargo, former assistant to the Governor of the State of Paraná, during my stays in Curitiba.
A warm thanks to Nesta de Vizia and Lea Menezes Lourega—Curitiba residents—whose affection and hospitality I will never forget.