Buildings in eclectic architecture, neoclassical, colonial, Byzantine, oriental, and styles inspired by the land of immigrants confirm the diversity and cultural richness of Curitiba. It is possible to find places that still keep lambrequins (short ornaments, typical of some European places in the past, on top of roofs or windows), palaces in the urban area, buildings made between the nature, and even the first rotating building in the world, who are harmoniously distributed in the city.
Also, buildings that are integrate with nature is a tendency in the 21st century and reflect an important style of Curitiba, as one can see in some famous places of the city.
Because it is a planned city, the administration uses a rigid plan for growth, aiming to facilitate the use of public transport. The idea was to organize the city along transport corridors. The buildings are close to major bus lines. The rule is simple: buildings with more than eight floors can only be built in the first block, near the corridor. Buildings with less than eight floors, in the second block, and in other, smaller buildings and houses. This encourages the system bus, that is widely used, reducing the number of cars.
In 2007, there were 1,797,408 people living in the city of Curitiba. In 2000, Curitiba was the seventh biggest city in Brazil. It is the biggest city in the southern part of the country, as big as second and third largest cities in the south together. In the same year, the city was the leader in longevity, with the life expectancy at birth at 71.6 years of age.
In 2007, there were 3,230,000 people living in the urban areas around Curitiba. The population density was 4.159,4 inh./km². The census showed the numbers: 2,503,250 White people (77.4%), 584,000 Pardo people (18.2%), 93,000 Black people (2.9%), 45,000 Asian or Amerindian people (1.4%).
Curitiba is the economic center of the southern Brazil and is among the four largest GDP of the country. The city concentrates the largest portion of the structure of government and public services of the Paraná state and hosts major companies in the sectors of trade, services and financial things. The city has the strongest economy of the south of the country, because the work of export of more than 900 factories just in the "Cidade Industrial" neighborhood and major automobile industries which are in the Greater Curitiba.
The city was elected several times as "The Best Brazilian City for Business", according to rankings done by the "Exame" magazine, in partnership with the consultancy Simonsen & Associates.
In July 2001, Curitiba has become the first city in the country to receive the prize "Pole of Information Technology", granted by "InfoExame" magazine, because the performance of their companies of technology. According to the magazine, the number of companies of "Technology and Information Technology" based in Curitiba submitted in 2001 a turnover of US $1.2 billion, representing a growth of 21% over the previous year. According to a study done by the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA), Curitiba is the sixth Brazilian city with the largest number of international events.
In 2007, the respected "Veja" magazine indicates Curitiba as the best destination for business in Brazil. Ninety-four experts, chosen by the magazine, show the capital as the best Brazilian city for investment. The city is becoming one of the largest and most important centers of technology, attracting giants of the sector of information technology in the areas of software and hardware, becoming the national pole.
Analyzing the GDP of Curitiba, it appears that in the period from 1995 to 2000, the economy grew about 3% a year.
About the GDP per capita, in 2000, the city had an income 37% higher than Brazil. In the same year, the economic sector that compose most of GDP in Curitiba was the service sector with 38.8%, followed by the industrial sector with 36%.
Approximately 40% of GDP comes from the industry and the rest of activities related to the tertiary sector.
In the 1990s, the city started a project called "Faróis de Saber" ("Lighthouses of Knowledge"). These Lighthouses are free educational centers which include libraries, Internet access, and other cultural resources. This community libraries works with municipal schools, have a collection of approximately 5000 books, and be cultural reference and leisure for the community, and are designed to diversify the opportunities of access to knowledge, expanding the area of formal education.
In each quarter of the city, these "Lighthouses of Knowledge" have been implanted containing library and room of computer science, to public use, mainly by students; job training, social welfare and educational programs are coordinated, and often supply labor to improve the city's amenities or services, as well as education and income.
Among the Brazilian capitals, Curitiba has the lowest rate of illiteracy, and also number 1 in education between the Brazilian capitals.
Curitiba has many universities, being "Universidade Federal do Paraná" ("Federal University of Paraná") the most important of the region, and the oldest of Brazil.
Portuguese is the official national language, and is the primary language used in schools. But English and Spanish are part of the official high school curriculum.
Every year, tourism grows in Curitiba. To attend this demand, the "Linha Turismo" ("Tourism Line") started in 1994. It is a special city tour that visits the principal tourist attractions in Curitiba, featuring comfortable white buses with big windows and a shape similar to that of streetcars. The vehicles have a sound system that plays recorded messages describing sites in three different languages: Portuguese, English and Spanish. It is possible to visit the parks, squares and the rest of the city's tourist attractions. Considered one of the best in the country, the "Linha Turismo" is available every thirty minutes and has a two and a half-hour tour, which travels around forty-four kilometers. To go on the tour you must buy a ticket with five tickets that give you the right to get on and off bus four times. Users can therefore choose the touristic point where they want to stay longer. Then, they can embark again to complete the remaining part of the itinerary. Today the line goes to 25 key reference points in Curitiba, completing 44 km in 2 and ½ hours.
According to a study done by the International Congress & Convention Association (ICCA), Curitiba is the sixth Brazilian city with the largest number of international events and, according to the FIPE, is the third city to receive foreign tourists for business. In 2006, the city placed 6th among the best Brazilian cities to hold events and tourism business; in the same year, the flow of tourists outnumbered the number of inhabitants. Out of about the 2 million visitors, approximately half landed the business. To attend the growing demand, the number of hotels in the city has developed and is now considered the fourth largest in the country. Curitiba and its Metropolitan Area have a modern hotel infrastructure, with 150 hotels and service flats totaling 18 thousand beds (as per May 2005). The good restaurants and customized services are approved by 92.4% of those who leave the city, according the Secretariat of State for Tourism of Paraná. In 2007, Curitiba was elected as one of the 4 best Brazilian cities for travel and tourism, according to a major Brazilian magazine about tourism. In 2008 another important magazine said that Curitiba is the best cultural destination and better cost-benefit to tourism in the South region of Brazil.