Urban Planning Research

Are you aware of the riots in Santiago de Chile over their similar Transantiago system?

http://www.ourwar.org/articles/tag/transantiago

I hope you continue to write about Bogota. It seems like such a useful case for many Latin American cities.

An effort to learn on these and other bus systems in developing cities can be checked at
http://go.worldbank.org/HBZWUBDN10
Most bus systems implemented brough important improvements to their cities, but they also share some planning, implementation and operational problems that is useful to look at to avoid repeating them elsewhere.

I've downloaded the World Bank report and its good reading material. Sure, there's a lot wrong when there is no planning and things are decided by dictators or the free market. But there is no certainty that well intentioned public intervention will work.
And even when they worked well, as in Curitiba, they are not without problems now.

Community Design, Access to Public Transportation, and Recreational Opportunites:
Associatons with Physical Activity and Quality of Life in Bogotá, Colombia
Background: In Bogotá chronic diseases and conditions such as heart attack, stroke, and high blood
pressure are the leading causes of death. A recent review estimates that 20.1% of the deaths due to
chronic diseases in the city may be attributable to physical inactivity. Despite the widely recognized
health benefits of physical activity, the majority of Bogotá adults are inactive (55.3%) and only 8.6 %
engage regularly in physical activity during leisure time.
In North American, Europe and Australia there is growing scientific evidence on how community
design (CD) can influence physical activity and quality of life , but studies exploring these associations
in developing countries are limited. In order to better understand these links in the context of Latin
American cities, an interdisciplinary group of researchers from the disciplines of health and urban
design conducted this study.
Over the last 15 years influential politicians and civic leaders in Bogotá, have promoted significant
policy and community design changes that have implications for physical activity and quality of life. In
this study objective measures of community design and transportation infrastructure are compared to
levels of walking, cycling and quality of life. A qualitative analysis explored opinion leaders’
rationales and methods of policy change as well as the public’s response to these changes .
Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 1315 adults from Bogotá, measured PA using a standarized
questionaire that was validated with accelerometers. Community design characteristics were obtained
from respondents’ perceptions of their environment and an objective Geographic Information System
measured density, diversity, design, and distance to public transportation. Hierarchical linear modeling
was used in the analysis.
Ciclovia/ Recreovia: On Sundays and Holidays, 118 Km of the city’s main streets are reserved for
recreational and sports activities from 7a.m. to 2 p.m. In addition, aerobics classes are provided at 19
different locations in the city.
Results
• Physical activity in leisure time: A perception of security and having parks in the neighborhoods
are associated with more leisure time physical activity, while steep terrain reduces participation in leisure
time physical activity.
• Ciclovia: Participation in Ciclovia is associated with social support and access to the roads used for
the Ciclovia. Adults that have a car in the household or live in a neighborhood with larger parks reported
less use of Ciclovia.
• Walking for transport: Walking for transport is associated with community design, including street
density, connectivity and distance to bus stops.
• Use of a bicycle as a means of transport. Neighborhood pedestrian accidents rates, steep terrain and
having a car in the household are negatively associated with bicycle use.
• Quality of life: A higher density of parks and a moderate diversity of land uses (residential and
commercial) are associated with better quality of life. Adults that participate in Ciclovia, engage in leisure
time PA and who bike for transport report higher quality of life.
• Women were less likely to participate in Ciclovia, bike for transport, and meet recommendations
for PA during leisure time.
Conclusions
To maintain and promote higher levels of physical activity, future community investments should
insure access to efficient public transit, parks and cycling paths.
Communities with highly connected street networks, and safe walking and cycling routes will
promote health enhancing physical activity.
To increase transportation related physical activity, policy actions should be taken to reduce traffic
accidents and improve public safety.
Communities with a mix of housing work, shopping and parks will increase quality of life.
The city should institute policies and actions to reduce the gender and environmental inequalities in
physical activity and quality of life.
Historical and qualitative policy analyses are in progress
Recovery of public spaces:
Reclaiming space lost to cars and
street vendors, redeveloping and
connecting public plazas,
sidewalks and parks for pedestrians
has been a priority.
Cicloruta: Network of 291
km. of dedicated bike paths,
designed to reduce vehicular
congestion and air pollution.
Transmilenio: Rapid transit
system consisting of a network
of buses that use dedicated
lanes and fixed stations.
*Partner institutions: Fundación FES Social, Universidad de los Andes, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
International Union for Health Promotion and Education, Pan American Health Organization, Corporación de Universidades del
Centro de la Ciudad, Departamento de Catastro de Bogotá.
*Research Team: Luis Fernando Gómez, Robert Cervero, Enrique Jacoby, Olga Sarmiento, Andrea Neiman, Janeth Mosquera,
Thomas Schmid, Michael Pratt, Mauricio Ardila, Diana Parra, José David Pinzón, Candance Rutt, John Duperly.