A Beautiful - and Fantastical - Future Bogotá

A hiking trail through Bogotá's Eastern Hills.

Last year, the Museo de Bogotá (located on Carrera 4 and Calle 10, in La Candelaria) put on this exhibit about Bogotá's fantastical future - clearly a vision of the administration of current Mayor Enrique Peñalosa. And it's a nice visition, with a fully developed multi-modal transit system (subway, expanded TransMilenio, cable cars to hillside neighborhoods, and bike lanes), green corridors, high-density neighborhoods and other wonders.

Inside the Museo de Bogotá.

It's a beautiful vision for a city with lots of problems with chaotic development, lack of green space, danger for cyclists and walkers, terrible traffic jams and pollution, and on and on. Naturally, the vision fits technocrat Peñalosa's ideas about low-cost bus rapid transit and the democratizing effects of pleasant public spaces.

'The capital of the bicycle.'

What could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately, human nature. Will the city actually fund such projects, or will the money be stolen by corrupt functionaries or designated for projects which are more populist but have dubious urban impacts, such as highways or sports stadiums. And, while Bogotá debates such projects thru succeeding mayors, with varying priorities, the city will continue growing, legally and illegally, individual residents paying little attention to the mayors' visions. Meanwhile, the number of cars will continue exploding, gridlocking the city's avenues, poisoning its air and increasing pressure to pave over even more land.

A clean, green, sustainable city? A nice fantasy, tragically.

Walking on a map of Bogotá.

Checking out a city map.

A historical map of Bogotá.

Environmental corridors.

The city's 'environmental corridors.'

'Revoke Peñalosa'

Inside the Museo de Bogotá.

Map of the first line of Bogotá's subway.

A bicyclist pedals past the Museo de Bogotá.

Transmicable.

The network of TransMilenio routes.

Transmilenio.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

Cheating Children of their Green Space

'We need green areas to breathe!'

'We want more recreation.' 'We want to breathe.'

 Recently, schoolchildren marched thru the gritty Santa Fe neighborhood calling for more green areas and recreational spaces - which are in short supply in the poor, industrial area. The neighborhood also has some of Bogotá's poorest air quality.

Yet, ironically - and infuriatingly - just a few blocks away there ARE large green spaces - which are -incomprehensibly - fenced off from the neighbors' use.

A fenced off green space along Calle 26,
across from the INPEC.

When the city built the TransMilenio line along Calle 26 to the airport in 2011, for no apparent reason they demolished houses and businesses long both sides of the avenue. Since then, the land has sat empty and unused, fenced off with barbed wire and with dogs and guards to keep out anybody who dares to walk their dog or play ball on the grass.

When tourists ask me why this is, I just shake my shoulders and confess that city bureacrats, who are obviously much more intelligent than I am, must have very good reasons to spend our tax money  to deny Bogotanos access to public green space.

Jaime Garzon, the martyred comedian, scowls down at the off-limits green area.

Don't dare walk your dog in this green area along 26th Street.

Don't you dare walk on the grass!

No approaching this mural.

A grassy area, once part of the Central Cemetery, could be turned into a large park, rather than fenced off.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

The New Parque La Concordia

The new Parque La Concordia.

Parque La Concordia is one of Bogotá's tiny parks which residents of other neighborhoods have never heard of, but which probably provide more recreation per square meter than do Bogotá's famed parks: Simon Bolivar and el Parque Nacional.

The park under construction, which seemed endless.

So, it was a real blow to the neighborhood when the park was closed early last year for renovation,
and particularly when the work stretched on from the planned 5 months to almost a year. (Did the contractor milk it for profit?) That was especially true since the park was already perfectly useful.

But, out of the long wait and 2.4-billion pesos spent, at least we did get an improved park: The football/basketball pitch was resurfaced, a new futbolito pitch was added, as was a small skate park and even a workout area for bodybuilders.

There is no special section for pot smokers, another traditionally popular activity in the park, but they will make it for themselves.

Boys on BMX bikes enjoy the skatepark.

BMX biking down stairs.

Skating, too.

A nice place for dogs.

How long will the exercise machines last?

Future soccer stars at work.

Reading in the park.

That's one way to descend the stairs.

Swingin' fun.

Not just for kids. Adults on the exercise machines.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours

A New Landmark Rises - for Better or Worse

The Torre Bacatá dominates the skyline in this view from La Candelaria.

Calle 19, in front of the Bacatá,
is already congested and chaotic.

The new Torre Bacatá, in downtown, adds a new landmark - and new problems, which the city appears not to have prepared for. Generally, it's good to build downtown, which limits urban sprawl and its compounding traffic troubles. But the 260-meter tall Bacatá, which will be the tallest building in Colombia and the second-tallest in South America, will cause huge troubles in its neighborhood.

The adjoining streets are already chaotic and congested, and this new mini-city will compound that. The Bacatá will contain offices, luxury apartments, a hotel and a shopping mall. And there's little open space, and no green space nearby. How about the quality of life for the residents of this new superstructure and those living nearby?

20th Street, behind the Bacatá:
narrow and already busy.

If I were the unfortunate person in charge of this city, I'd have said: 'Sure, go ahead and build, but you also have to help fund light rail lines on Calle 19 and Carrera Septima, as well as a public park nearby.' Fortunately for me, I'm not in charge.

Carrera 5, on the tower's eastern side, is narrow and pepetually traffic-jammed.

What will cars and trucks entering and leaving this garage on 19th do to traffic?

The only nearby public area is Las Nieves Plaza, the haunt of prostitutes, alcoholics and drug addicts.

Bogotá's skyline, and the Bacatá, seen from near the Central Cemetery on 26th St.

Bacatá, with dramatic architecture.

In a nod toward public space, the Bacatá provided this wide sidewalk on Calle 19.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours