the re-making of bogota
[Someone sent me this out of the blue - don’t know anything else =
about this but it sounds interesting.]
http://www.earth-policy.org/Books/Seg/PB2ch11_ss7.htm
Cities for People
The world’s cities are in trouble. In Mexico City, Tehran, Bangkok, =
Shanghai, and hundreds of other cities, the quality of daily life is =
deteriorating. Breathing the air in some cities is equivalent to =
smoking two packs of cigarettes per day. In the U.S., the number of =
hours commuters spend sitting in traffic going nowhere climbs higher =
each year.
In response to these conditions, we are seeing the emergence of a new =
urbanism. One of the most remarkable modern urban transformations has =
occurred in Bogot=E1, Colombia, where Enrique Pe=F1alosa served as Mayor =
for three years, beginning in 1998. When he took office he did not =
ask how life could be improved for the 30% who owned cars; he wanted =
to know what could be done for the 70% — the majority — who did not =
own cars.
Pe=F1alosa realized that a city that is a pleasant environment for =
children and the elderly would work for everyone. In just a few =
years, he transformed the quality of urban life with his vision of a =
city designed for people. Under his leadership, the city banned the =
parking of cars on sidewalks, created or renovated 1,200 parks, =
introduced a highly successful bus- based rapid transit system, built =
hundreds of kilometers of bicycle paths and pedestrian streets, =
reduced rush hour traffic by 40%, planted 100,000 trees, and involved =
local citizens directly in the improvement of their neighborhoods. In =
doing this, he created a sense of civic pride among the city’s eight =
million residents, making the streets of Bogot=E1 in strife-torn =
Colombia safer than those in Washington, D.C.
Enrique Pe=F1alosa observes that “high quality public pedestrian space =
in general and parks in particular are evidence of a true democracy =
at work.” He further observes: “Parks and public space are also =
important to a democratic society because they are the only places =
where people meet as equals. In a city, parks are as essential to the =
physical and emotional health of a city as the water supply.” He =
notes this is not obvious from most city budgets, where parks are =
deemed a luxury. By contrast, “roads, the public space for cars, =
receive infinitely more resources and less budget cuts than parks, =
the public space for children. Why,” he asks, “are the public spaces =
for cars deemed more important than the public spaces for children?”
Now government planners everywhere are experimenting, seeking ways to =
design cities for people not cars. Cars promise mobility, and they =
provide it in a largely rural setting. But in an urbanizing world =
there is an inherent conflict between the automobile and the city. =
After a point, as their numbers multiply, automobiles provide not =
mobility but immobility. Congestion also takes a direct economic toll =
in rising costs in time and gasoline. And urban air pollution, often =
from automobiles, claims millions of lives