Bogota City, ColombiaLatin America

Piter BiswasImage Analyst

Urban Expansion Observatorypiterbiswas11@gmail.com

Some addresses from different Mayors of Bogota:Alejandro Rodríguez• “We have a problem with social sustainability.”• “As the stratification system stigmatizes people and urban districts in

the lower strata. Only people in the middle section of the strata will have a chance to move.”

Antanas Mockus"Your home will increase in value if there is a better road, so you are investing in the area.“Enrique Peñalosa“Rush hour and license plate reducing that’s all for the Country we Want.“Gustavo Petro“Great national accord to end Colombia's war.“

Introduction:

During the second half of the twentieth century, Colombian society underwent a number of deep transformations in its population distribution, economy, and social behaviour. World events (war and economic movements) that had taken place during the previous decades made it necessary to introduce policies involving industrialisation, based on import substitution, an approach which was officially adopted into Colombian policies under the orientation and sponsorship of the Colombian Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL).

Location:Colombia is situated on the north-western corner of South America. Colombia covers both the northern as well as the southern hemispheres. The capital city of Colombia is Bogota. The latitude and longitude of Bogota, the capital city of Colombia is the 04º 38' N, 74º 05' W.

Content

1. History2. Geography3. Climate4. Demography5. Economy6. Urban Layout7. Surrounding Cities 8. Government9. Infrastructure 10. Transport11. Tramway 12. Airports 13. Bicycle Infrastructure 14. Parks and Recreation15. City Expansion16. Bibliography

COLOMBIA

BOGOTA

CITY

1. History:

• The area of modern Bogotá was first populated by groups of indigenous people who migrated from Mesoamerica.

• Among these groups were the Muiscas, who settled mainly in the regions that we know today as the Departments of Cundinamarca and Boyacá.

• With the arrival of the Spanish colonizers, the area became a major settlement, founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada and later capital of the Spanish provinces and the seat of the Viceroyalty of New Granada.

• With independence, Bogotá became capital of the Gran Colombia and later the capital of the Republic of Colombia.

2. Geography:

• Bogotá is located on the west of the Savannah of Bogotá, 2640 metres above Mean Sea Level (MSL).

• Although it is located in a high plateau in the Andes mountains.• Tributary rivers form valleys with flourishing villages, whose economy is

based on agriculture, livestock raising and artisanal production.• The Sabana is bordered to the east by the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes

mountain range.• Surrounding hills, which limit city growth, run from south to north,

parallel to the Guadalupe and Monserrate mountains.• The western city limit is the Bogotá River.• The Sumapaz Paramo borders the south and to the north Bogotá extends

over the plateau up to the towns of Chía and Sopó.

3. Climate:

• Bogotá has a subtropical highland climate.• The average temperature is 14.5 °C (58 °F), and it varies from 6 to 19 °C

(43 to 66 °F) in fair skies days, to 10 to 18 °C (50 to 64 °F) in heavy rain days.

• Dry and rainy seasons alternate throughout the year.• The driest months are December, January, July and August.• The warmest month is March, bringing a maximum of 19.7 °C (67.5 °F).

The coolest month occur in January, with an average of 7.6 °C (45.7 °F) in the city.

• The official highest temperature recorded within the city limits is 30.0 °C (86 °F), and the lowest temperature recorded is −7.1 °C (19 °F).

4. Demography:

• The largest and most populous city in Colombia, Bogotá had 6,778,691 inhabitants within the city's limits (2005 census), with a population density of approximately 4,310 inhabitants per square kilometer.

• Only 15,810 people are located in rural areas of Capital District.

• 47.5% of thepopulation are maleand 52.5% women.

Source: Geografía Urbana with data from the Secretary of Urban Planning of Bogota (2011).

5. Economy:

• Bogotá is the main economic and industrial centre of Colombia.• The Colombian government fosters the import of capital goods, Bogotá

being one of the main destinations of these imports.• In 2008, the World Cities Study Group and Network (GaWC) from the

United Kingdom ranked Bogotá as a beta level city, a medium ranking.• Beta level cities are important world cities that are instrumental in

linking their region or state into the world economy.

6. Urban Layout:

• Bogotá has 20 localities, or districts, forming an extensive network of neighbourhoods.

• Areas of higher economic status tend to be located to the north and northeast, close to the foothills of the Eastern Cordillera.

• Poorer neighbourhoods are located to the south and southeast, many of them squatter areas.

• The middle classes usually inhabit the central, western and north-western sections of the city.

• The urban layout in the centre of the city is based on the focal point of a square or plaza, typical of Spanish-founded settlements, but the layout gradually becomes more modern in outlying neighbourhoods.

7. Surrounding Cities:

8. Government:

• Bogotá is the capital of the Republic of Colombia, and houses the Congress, Supreme Court of Justice and the centre of the executive administration as well as the residence of the President (Casa de Nariño).

• These buildings, along with the Principal Mayor's office, the Lievano Palace (Palacio de Liévano), are located within a few meters from each other on the Bolívar Square (Plaza de Bolívar).

• The Principal Mayor and District Council – both elected by popular vote – are responsible for city administration.

• In 2011 Gustavo Petro was elected Mayor; his term runs from 2012 to 2015.

• The city is divided into 20 localities.

9. Infrastructure:

Energy and sewer bills are stratified based on the location of owner's residence and income, with the intended purpose that wealthier branches of society subsidize the energy and sewer bills of the poorer. Bogotá is divided into six socio-economic "estratos" (strata):• Estrato 1 (lowest)• Estrato 2 (low)• Estrato 3 (mid-low)• Estrato 4 (mid-high)• Estrato 5 (high)• Estrato 6 (highest)These group helps us to understand the categories of income level and life style of different types of people.

Source: Geografía Urbana with data from the Secretary of Urban Planning of Bogota (2011).

10. Transport:

• Bogotá's growth has placed a strain on its roads and highways, but since 1998 significant efforts to upgrade the infrastructure have been undertaken.

• Private car ownership forms a major part of the congestion, in addition to taxis, buses and commercial vehicles.

• Buses remain the main means of mass transit.• There are two bus systems: the traditional system and the TransMilenio.• Despite the city's chronic congestion, many of the ideas enacted during

the Peñalosa years are regarded worldwide.• It has almost 400kms of arterial roads (18m+ width).

Picture 1: Urban Bus from the integrated public transport systemPicture 2: A biarticulated TransMilenio busPicture 3: Ciclorruta near the Fucha River

11. Tramway:

• On 25 December 1884, the first tramway pulled by mules was inaugurated, and covered the route from Plaza de Bolívar to Chapinero.

• In 1892, the line linking Plaza de Bolívar and La Sabana Station started operating.

• The tramway ran over wood rails, though since it easily derailed, steel rails imported from England were installed.

• In 1894, a tramway car ran the Bogotá-Chapinero line every 20 minutes. The tramway provided services until 1948, and was then replaced by buses.

12. Airports:

• Bogotá's principal airport is El Dorado International Airport, west of the city's downtown.

• Due to its central location in Colombia and in Latin America, it is a hub for Colombia's Flagship Carrier Avianca, Copa Airlines Colombia.

• Currently the national airport has begun to take more responsibility due to the congestion at the international airport.

• In response to the high demand of approximately 27 Million passengers per year, a new airport, El Dorado II, is planned to be built by 2021, to help alleviate traffic at the main airport.

• A secondary airport, CATAM, serves as a base for Military and Police Aviation.

• Guaymaral Airport is another small airport located in the northern boundaries of Bogota which is used mainly for private aviation activities.

13. Bicycle Infrastructure:

• Bogotá is the Colombian city with the most extensive and comprehensive network of bike paths.

• Bogotá’s bike paths network or Ciclorutas de Bogotá in Spanish, designed and built during the administration of Mayors Antanas Mockus, Enrique Peñalosa and Samuel Moreno, is also one of the most extensive in the world.

• The network is integrated with the TransMilenio bus system which has bicycle parking facilities.

• Bogota City has the longest bicycle pathways in world.

14. Parks and Recreation:• There are many parks, many with facilities for concerts, plays, movies,

storytellers and other activities.• "Simón Bolívar Metropolitan Park" is a large park regularly used to stage

free concerts.• The public Parque Nacional (National Park) has many trees and green

spaces, ponds, games for children, foot and bicycle paths, and venues for entertainment such as public screenings of movies and concerts and events organized by the Council of Bogotá.

• The Bogotá Botanical Garden (Jardín Botánico de Bogotá).• "Parque de la 93" has day-time leisure activities and nightlife.• Mundo Aventura is an amusement park, with an entry charge and charges

for the different attractions. It has rides for adults and children, a petting zoo.

• Salitre Mágico is another amusement park with rides and attractions.

• The park is near the Simón Bolívar park, where concerts are held throughout the year.

• Parque del Chicó has trees, gardens, artificial creeks and ponds, and a colonial style house converted into a museum.

• To the north Parque Jaime Duque has rides, a giant map of Colombia, popular exhibits, a zoo, and a big hand holding the world symbolizing God.

• There is a reproduction of the Taj Mahal in the park with a collection of reproductions of famous paintings.

• Maloka is an interactive museum of sciences.• Tourist train is a sightseeing train, popular with Bogotá residents, which

runs to outlying towns Zipaquirá, Cajicá and Nemocón along the lines of the former Bogotá Savannah Railway on weekends.

Parks and Recreation

Simon Bolivar Park

Journalists' Park El Virrey Park Santander Park

93rd street Park

Source: Geografía Urbana with data from the Secretary of Urban Planning of Bogota (2011).

15: City expansion:• 35km2 in 1990-2000 AD• 50km2 in 2000-2010 AD

16. Bibliography> Rueda-García, Nicolás (2010), Bogotá D.C., Colombia> http://www.slideshare.net/kaamilahA/demographic-in-bogota-columbia-powerpoint

> Jane Dawson, Sarah (May, 2011), Bogotá: A Model of Urban Happiness> http://www.ifhp.org/ifhp-blog/colombia-social-stratification-law> wikipedia> wikivoyage

for your kind attention and valuable time