[sustran] FW: World's Leading Urban Reformer Brings "Bogota Model" to Africa

[Paul Barter]

 -----Original Message-----
From: 	Paul Steely White [mailto:steely at igc.org] 
Sent:	Tuesday, 14 January 2003 3:28 PM
To:	ITDP
Subject:	World's Leading Urban Reformer Brings "Bogota Model" to Africa

PRESS RELEASE

For immediate release

Contact Paul Steely White or Lisa Peterson, 212-629-8001	

January 14, 2003

World's Leading Urban Reformer Shares New Way to Build Cities

- Former Mayor Enrique Peñalosa Brings "Bogotá Model" to Africa -

Within three years, former Bogotá Mayor Enrique Peñalosa 
transformed his city from a congested and dangerous mess, 
where many citizens did not have access to transportation, into 
the world's leading model for sustainable urban design.  

Now, on the Building a New City tour, Mr. Peñalosa will share this 
inspirational story and describe how Africa's leaders can follow 
"The Bogotá Model" for livable cities.

The two-week tour begins January 15 and will bring Peñalosa 
to four of Africa's leading cities: Dakar, Senegal; Cape Town 
and Pretoria, South Africa; and Accra, Ghana.  

Traffic congestion, inadequate public transportation, poverty and poor 
access to jobs and services are increasingly problematic in each 
city and local leaders have asked for help in replicating 
Bogotá's success.

"The people of Bogotá spent years hating their city," said Mr. 
Peñalosa, who is currently a Visiting Scholar at New York 
University and is writing a book on a new model of 
development for Third World cities.   

"Now, the people of Bogotá feel proud and have hope that 
their lives will continue to improve.  This is the story we are 
bringing to cities across the world."

Under Mr. Peñalosa's leadership from 1998-2000, innovative 
transportation strategies such as a successful busway, bicycle 
paths and restrictions on private car use were used to equalize 
all citizens' access to mobility and began to relieve the traffic 
congestion and air pollution that was choking Bogotá.  His 
administration also built parks, planted trees and promoted the 
use of public space. 

"In Bogotá, we chose to build a city for people, not for 
automobiles," said Mr. Peñalosa.  "Cities built for cars' 
mobility suffer from congestion and unsafe street conditions 
and leave many residents with poor access to jobs.  Instead of 
these problems, we gave our citizens enjoyable public spaces 
and unprecedented mobility."  

Bogotá now boasts:

* Latin America's largest network of bicycle ways, 
150 miles long (250 km)

* A world-class Bus Rapid Transit system of dedicated 
bus lanes called TransMilenio

* The world's longest pedestrian-only street, spanning 
10.2 miles (17 km); and hundreds of miles of 
sidewalks, many through the city's poorest 
neighborhoods

* The planet's biggest Car-Free Day, during which 
private vehicles are not allowed to enter the entire city 
of 135 square miles (35,000 hectares) 

- more -

"Typically, when we judge a city's success we talk about 
skyscrapers, superhighways and parking spaces," said Mr. 
Peñalosa.  "The experience of Bogotá shows that cities can 
prosper by focusing on a new model for success, one that is 
centered on the needs and contentment of all the city's residents 
- not just those that own a private car."

The Building a New City tour was organized by the Institute 
for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), an 
organization dedicated to improving mobility in developing 
nations and promoting sustainable transportation policies 
worldwide.  ITDP co-chairs the United Nations Transport 
Caucus and is based in New York City. 

The tour will help officials from Africa's leading cities build 
momentum for improving public transit and providing more 
bicycle and pedestrian corridors.  The tour will also enable Mr. 
Peñalosa to work with local planners and elected officials to 
devise strategies best suited to each unique urban area.

"Sustainable transport is something we must develop in 
Senegal," said Abdoulaye Wade, President of Senegal, who 
met with Mr. Peñalosa during a trip to New York City in 
September of 2002.  In addition to making transportation a 
high priority in his inaugural agenda, President Wade is 
responsible for implementation of the Transports, Energy and 
Environment sectors for the New Partnership for African 
Development, a coalition of African Heads of State.
 
"Accra's worsening traffic congestion is an issue of great 
concern to the Ghanaian government," said Solomon Darko, 
Mayor of Accra.  "We see the development of a bus system as 
a critical component of an overall sustainable transport strategy 
that would also include measures to restrain motor vehicle 
traffic and promote non-motorized transport."

Already, ITDP and its local partners in Africa have advanced 
the planning and construction of bus routes and bicycle 
networks, brought modern and affordable new bicycles to a 
wider market and organized transit workshops and bicycle 
events to improve access to jobs, schools and health care.

"In African cities, traffic congestion and poor alternatives to 
private motor vehicles preclude access to basic services," said 
Paul Steely White, Africa Regional Director for the Institute 
for Transportation and Development Policy.  "Peñalosa brings 
a Southern success story that resonates with African decision-
makers who are facing tough choices about the future of their 
cities."

Since the end of his mayoral term in December of 2000, Mr. 
Peñalosa has traveled to Mexico City; Panama City; Lima, 
Peru; Guangzhou and Hong Kong in China; Jakarta, 
Yogyakarta and Surabaya in Indonesia and New Delhi in India.  
Many of these cities are now pursuing Bogotá-type Bus Rapid 
Transit systems, bicycle and pedestrian paths and Car-Free 
Days.

The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy 
received financial support for the Building a New City tour, as 
well as its ongoing Livable Communities and Access Africa 
programs, from the United States Agency for International 
Development and a variety of private donations.  

Building a New City Tour Schedule
Jan. 17 - 21, Dakar, Senegal
Jan. 22 - 23, Cape Town, South Africa
Jan. 24, Pretoria, South Africa
Jan. 25 - 30, Accra, Ghana

- # # # -
    


Paul Steely White
Africa Regional Director


ITDP
115 W. 30th St. Suite 1205, 
New York, NY 10001
Tel +212 629 8001, Fax -8033, 
www.ITDP.org


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