ABSTRACT
For a few decades between the end of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, electric tramways dominated public transportation in many parts of world. Cities where tramways have endured uninterruptedly as a main transportation mode, such as Toronto, Warsaw, and Amsterdam, confirm their exceptionalism. In technology studies, choosing failures as a topic is far from glamorous. The aura of technology is one of positive transformations, progress, and breakthrough innovation. In 1952, the last electric tram circulated on the streets of Curitiba. The population of the city was growing more slowly than the surrounding areas and, while the Green Line would absorb part of this demand, the North-South axis is still the main conduit to the city center from the peripheral cities. 3-D renderings were published in the main local newspapers and showed on television ads. The FIFA World Cup is past, and the project, with several versions to contour technical, financial, and political challenges, is still under study.
