BRAZIL // Urbanists still use Brasília as an example when discussing the possibilities and pitfalls of purpose-built cities. Because unlike Rio or São Paulo, Brasília did not develop slowly over time. It was designed and erected in just a few years in the late 1950s to serve as Brazil's new capital. The result is an odd but fascinating metropolis with none of the colourful hustle-bustle of its coastal cousins. Massive modernist buildings like something out of The Jetsons are planted along imposingly wide roads more fit for jet cars than pedestrians. Grab your camera for an architectural tour of such structures as the Cathedral of Brasília, designed by starchitect Oscar Niemeyer and resembling a crown for a space emperor. Gawk at the superquadras: huge residential blocks with shared shopping, education and recreational facilities. Dated-looking now, they were envisioned as a new kind of utopian living space. Though many Brazilians dismiss the city as dull, it's got a lauded food scene, excellent museums and no end of peaceful green spaces.