The Transformation of Bogota, Colombia, 1995-2000: Investing in Citizenship and Urban Mobility

"Although the changes in Bogota are most evident in spatial terms, the transformation has affected every dimension of life in the city."

Following a period of deep economic crisis and violence in Colombia, the spatial, social, political, and economic structure of its capital city, Bogota, underwent significant changes. This article examines Bogota's transformation in the mid to late 1990s by exploring the administrations of two mayors. Mayor Antanas Mockus promoted a culture of citizenship, resulting in a focus on problems and programmes that inspired citizens to reflect on the importance of changing their attitude and behaviour in the urban setting. Mayor Enrique Penalosa's administration was characterised by a high rate of investment and the rapid completion of a number of infrastructure projects that challenged the traditional city model. Based on these experiences, the article offers considerations regarding the future of urban mobility, transport, and public space.

The transformation of the city is evident in some of these examples:

• Space: Despite the deep crisis in the construction sector, the following physical aspects of Bogota changed substantially: pedestrian zones, road infrastructure (especially the implementation of paths reserved exclusively for bicycles), the revitalisation of parks and sidewalks, and the implementation of the Transmilenio bus rapid transit system.
• Society: Bogota experienced social changes, including: Coverage of public domestic services (water, electricity, telephones, and gas) has increased, and efforts have been made to include the economically poorest neighbourhoods. The administration of Antanas Mockus (1995-1997) changed the mentality of the population and created a culture of citizenship, enabling the subsequent Penalosa administration to enforce measures like the obligatory use of seatbelts and restrictions on automobile usage.
• Economy: Revenues and public investment went up under mayors Mockus and Penalosa.
• Politics: Changes took place in the behaviour of both voters and elected officials. Voters showed their impatience with the traditional political class and bipartisan politics in municipal elections by casting votes for alternative candidates. Mayors Mockus and Penalosa came from non-traditional parties, and they had complete freedom when choosing members of their administrations. Their teams were made up of a high percentage of young academics and professionals, including many women, moving from a politically motivated, clientelistic scheme to a much more ethical and professional way of working. This change reduced corruption, increased staff efficiency, and improved the quality of contracts with the private sector.

The Mockus administration's Plan of District Development for 1995-1997, "Formar Ciudad" (Educate the City), emphasised the following: culture of citizenship; public space; environment; social progress; urban productivity; and institutional legitimacy. Mayor Mockus defined the culture of citizenship as "the sum of habits, behaviors, actions and minimum common rules that generate a sense of belonging, facilitate harmony among citizens, and lead to respect for shared property and heritage and the recognition of citizens' rights and duties." This theme was the main focus of Mayor Mockus' administration, which sought to bring about a new urban culture based on mutual respect between citizens through educational programmes.

These new programmes used symbolic, provocative, and humorous actions to teach citizens to reflect on the consequences of their behaviour in urban life. Mayor Mockus used educational group games as the main tool to establish a culture of "self-regulation", consideration, and urban citizenship. These included:

• Cards, red on one side and white on the other, distributed among citizens and used as in football (soccer) games to show approval or disapproval of actions - particularly of car drivers;
• Mimes in the streets that taught automobile drivers to respect pedestrian crossings, to use seatbelts, and to minimise the honking of horns;
• Actors dressed as monks encouraging people to reflect on noise pollution; and
• Mass initiatives to promote tourism and proper payment of taxes.

Residents of Bogota generally approved of these programmes, giving them a rating of 7 out of 10 points. Sixty-one percent considered citizen education to be the administration's most important initiative, and 96% said these programmes should continue.

Another innovation of Mayor Mockus' administration was the Observatory of Urban Culture. The mission of this body was to analyse and evaluate municipal institutions and programmes through a multi-disciplinary approach, such as developing polls and questionnaires to obtain citizen opinion about policies and actions of the administration, creating and managing a database, and establishing a centre of documentation.

Mayor Mockus resigned one year before the end of his term to run for President of Colombia. In 1997, Enrique Penalosa ran as an independent candidate and won. Mayor Penalosa's plan of District Development for 1998-2000, "Por la Bogota que Queremos" (For the Bogota We Want) prioritised the following: de-marginalisation (inclusion of low-income and informal workers and residents); social integration; city on a human scale; mobility; urbanism and services; security and harmony among citizens; and institutional efficiency.

Public space and transport were the main priorities of the Penalosa administration. Mayor Penalosa's notion of an egalitarian city where citizens enjoy high-quality public space seemed impossible even in 1999. Yet, for example, the Penalosa administration restored, improved, and maintained 1,034 parks, or 54% of the green space in the city. Another one of accomplishments was his Master Plan of Bicycle Paths. Approximately 270 kilometers were completed by January 2003; most of the 105 kilometers completed during Mayor Penalosa's administration were built on difficult terrain. To cite another example: Mayor Penalosa's popularity rose as his major public investment projects were implemented, and at the end of his term, a poll by the newspaper El Espectador reported that 40% of Bogota residents surveyed rated his administration as "excellent".

"The success in Bogota can be attributed in part to the synergy between the educational campaign of Mayor Mockus and the action of Mayor Penalosa. However, Mayor Penalosa almost entirely eliminated the programs of social education initiated by his predecessor, despite the desire of the population to maintain them - 91% according to one poll. The rupture between reflection and action was intense, and both administrations could be criticized in these respects: Mayor Mockus, for excessive reflection and too little action; and Mayor Penalosa for too little reflection on his many actions."

Looking to the future, in addition to the maintenance of the projects already implemented, the challenges for improving urban transport in Bogota are:

1. Support mobility for the majority of the population by giving preference to mass transit.
2. Consolidate a multimodal transport system for the metropolitan area and urbanised region.
3. Link transport planning to urban land-use planning.
4. Reform and strengthen the agencies responsible for transport, public space, and urban planning.
5. Stabilise or discourage automobile usage.
6. Create an integrated policy for automobile parking.
7. Create strategies for communication, participation, and involvement by citizens. "Citizen participation in programs and projects must go beyond presenting proposals. Programs must acquire information that facilitates a truly participatory and constructive dialogue leading to more effective and beneficial changes. Reinforcing civic organizations such as the Veeduria Distrital (District Supervisory) is one way to increase citizen participation."

In conclusion: "Antanas Mockus and Enrique Penalosa transformed Bogota, one of the most chaotic cities in the world, to a model of urban development and transport. Various agencies in the United Nations have recognized the vast improvements in infrastructure and administration and the reduction in violence. United States and Swedish international development organizations gave prestigious prizes to the public library system and the Transmilenio bus system, respectively. Residents feel a new sense of ownership, belonging, and pride in the city, and manifest this in events such as 'ciclo-vía nocturna' (night ciclo-vía), an evening in December 2002 when more than 3 million people celebrated in the streets."