Not Exactly the Lone Voice in the Wilderness

When I first started this blog, it felt like I was embarking on a great adventure through the intellectual wilderness of sustainable urban planning. I had recently moved to a new community, which seems to be locked in an inexorable urban crawl up the Fraser valley, in which traffic problems is something to be solved with more bridges and roads. "Green" language had crept into city planning documents, such as the oddly-named "Eco-Cluster" concept (think "cull-de-sac", but with better concept art) in the Silver Valley Development Plan; but a huge gulf still existed between what I perceived as the needs and what I saw as the slash-and-burn reality. My choice to move here was driven by a desire for a less car-dependent lifestyle, yet my new community was apparently rushing headlong in the opposite direction!

So, armed with an over-developed sense of civic duty, and an under-developed sense of time management, I figured that the only sensible response was to launch a full-fledged program of study, blogging, and political activism. In the process, just as Jane Jacobs revolutionized urban planning in the face of social injustice, I would do the same in the face of peak oil and climate change. Surely, I could get this all done during my 45-minute commute, right?

Now that I'm well into my new "hobby", my hopes of revolutionizing anything have pretty much vanished. It turns out that the field of sustainable urban planning is already well-established. There are conferences, lots of them, books and more books, television shows with podcasts, etc, etc. It's basically a rockin' party of sustainable development out there! Click on any of the links in this paragraph to find out. In fact, one could probably spend a lifetime just immersed in all of the incredible things going on right now. I know I could.

As fun as that sounds, it doesn't seem very productive, does it? So I'll focus on being a connector and communicator for these ideas. Feel free to join me! I'm going to head on over to the Transit Lab and sign a petition or two...

Later!

It's simply a matter of choosing to do so

Up until recently, my view of the Bogotá was shaped by the 1994 movie, "Clear and Present Danger", which was filled with scenes of decaying neighborhoods and narrow, dangerous streets.
In fact, this view was not entirely undeserved. In the early 90's, Bogotá was considered one of the most dangerous cities in Latin America.

This has all changed in recent years. In the 10 years between 1995 and 2005, the murder rate in Bogotá dropped 71%, and the atmosphere is much more relaxed. The Globe and Mail had a good article summarizing the situation:

“Twelve years ago, 80 per cent of us were completely pessimistic about our future. Now, it's the opposite. Most of us are optimistic.”
Bogota's urban happiness movement

A big part of Bogota's revival was the result of policies created by a series of progressive mayors; and this is the source of my urban optimism. I am inspired by the thought that such a radical urban transformation could be achieved in just a single decade with the leadership of a handful of mayors. Read what Mayor Enrique Peñalosa wrote to the World Bank in 2002:

Parks, plazas, pedestrian streets are essential for social justice. High quality sidewalks are the most basic element for a democratic city. It is frequent that images of high-rises and highways are used to portray a city advance. In fact, in urban terms a city is more civilized not when it has highways but when a child in a TRYCICLE be able to move about everywhere with easy and safety.
Urban Transport and Urban Development: A Different Model

Under his leadership, Bogota created an efficient bus rapid transit system, called TransMilenio, created one of the most extensive bicycle networks in the world, and started a city-wide annual "Car Free Day" event.

Stuart Ramsey, a B.C. transportation engineer, had this to say about Bogota:

"Bogota has demonstrated that it is possible to make dramatic change to how we move around in our cities in a very short time frame. It's simply a matter of choosing to do so."
The Mayor Who Wowed the World Urban Forum

I'll sign off with a short film about the "Ciclovia", which is a weekly event in Bogota, in which over 70 miles of roads are closed to cars every Sunday for what has the be the largest street party on the planet. I had no idea Bogota was so cool.