The Safest (and Most Dangerous) Neighborhoods in Curitiba According to a Dopesomely Lost Street Artist
i woke up this morning to the smell of rain and spray paint. yeah, spf was my alarm. i’m not mad. i’m a street artist in curitiba, so i roll with chaos. but even a graffiti butterfly can’t ignore the fact that some neighborhoods here are like, ‘stay home, please,’ while others are just your canvas waiting for a slap of color.
so here’s the tea. or maybe sludge. either way, numbers don’t lie. but let’s talk about it like we’re two guys in a bar, spitting half-truths over caipirinha.
first, data. smooth, raw data. curitiba’s crime rate in 2023? down 8% in the central neighborhoods-ribeirão, faipres-those places? safest. but don’t let the shiny bike paths fool you. i hit those lanes at 2am once. empty. i thought i’d found a new hideout for my stencils. turned out it was just a ghost town. literally. no cars. no people. just my dada-style pigeon sculpture and a sigh. that’s the vibe in safest zones: quiet enough to focus, but also quiet enough to accidentally draw on a church wall. which i did. and got banned from that spot. moral of the story? safety here is like a stolen kiss-feels good, but you’ll regret it later.
then there’s the red zones. avenidas da libeluz and mirada, for example. 2023 stats show double the thefts compared to ribeirão. why? because this is where the action is. street vendors, dollar stores, and that one kid who sells kabumbo (safe, legal weed) at 3am. i found him because i needed fuel for my spray can. he warned me, ‘don’t get lazy, artist. they’ll come for your brushes.’ guess what? i didn’t listen. last monday, my can was stolen. replaced it with a banana. it rolled down a hill. maybe still doing parkour in the rio curitiba. point is, you wanna play in the danger zone, you gotta have brass.
rent? now we’re talking my wallet. curitiba’s average rent? r$1,200 for a one-bed. but if you’re a street artist, you’re looking for studios. i found a place inPel équipements for r$800. it’s falling apart. leaks, rats, but also secret storage for my paints. landlord? a guy who thinks he’s pablo picasso. we argued in portuguese about colors. he won. i had to add a ‘pedro picasso’ stencil to his wall. now he’s smiling. live and let live, right?
next, the weather. subtropical means 24/7 humidity. today it’s raining like alpargatas are crying. my neighbors all seem happy. one is painting my drainage pipe with flowers. another is filming a weird video about ‘curtiba myths.’ they’re probably a tourist. or a scammer. can’t tell. but at least they’re not in my studio. yet.
overheard gossip? sure. last night i saw a lady warn a guy: ‘don’t park there at 2am. that’s where the ‘curitiba crew’ rolls in.’ she wasn’t wrong. the ‘crew’ is a neighborhood myth. maybe 3-4 dudes who change identities weekly. they take cars for joyrides and ‘art supplies.’ i gave them a stencil of their logo last week. they haven’t come back. strategic.
plastic vs. concrete. curitiba has that vibe. some areas are like a dream for artists-empty lots, old factories. i did a whole mural on a derelict lysine plant. it’s gorgeous. but the mayor called it ‘urban decay.’ i called it a kid’s party. got a warning from them too. but hey, i’ve got my Instagram followers now. safety’s subjective.
data table, for your weirdo brain:
| neighborhood | safety index | avg rent (brl) | vibe |
|---|---|---|---|
| ribeirão | 7.8/10 | 1,200 | safe but boring |
| aproveitei | 4.2/10 | 600 | chaotic joy |
| mariano | 5.5/10 | 900 | artists’ haven |
don’t forget context. that 7.8 in ribeirão? inflated because everyone who can leaves. the ‘hauntings’ here? 90% are just your auntie’s ghost telling you to stop taking selfies with garbage.
local tip: if you’re a digital nomad or student, look into ‘faipres.’ it’s cheap, has that underground art thing. but also, a 50% chance your electricity will cut out during showers. embrace it.
links for your curiosity:
- tripadvisor safe neighborhoods-review tip: ‘ask about the ‘curedavieiro’ zone.’
- yelp local cafes-levy’s coffee shop is a staple for sketching.
- reddit danger zone-user lolpins says ‘never trust a building with a neon sign.’
imagine walking past a high-rise at sunset. my photo from a labrerca photo shoot. it’s there. giant, greasy, but lit like a villain in a bad action movie. it’s curitiba. it’s real. and sometimes it’s dangerous. sometimes it’s just a backdrop for your next masterpiece.
p.s. if you see a dog groot vagabonding nearifier, don’t feed it. last week it stole my glue. i’m still airing it out in the sun.
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