How we move When it comes to urban transportation, ingenuity is
the key to cleaner, greener, and smarter cities. Until recently,
Bogota, like many other cities around the world, was choking on
its own growth. Fostered in part by inadequate urban and
transportation planning, its streets were crowded and polluted,
illegal settlements and uncontrolled sprawl were rampant, and
community-oriented urban space, like public parks and walking
paths, were disappearing fast. Reinforcing Bogotá’s other well-
known problems, this chaotic environment helped perpetuate a
vicious cycle of urban decay, social and economic inequality,
and environmental degradation in the city. Almost immediately,
air and noise pollution began to ebb, traffic accidents became
less common, and people started spending fewer hours stuck
behind the wheel and more time enjoying the city’s new green
spaces. Even crime, a previously constant scourge in the
capital, responded to the reforms, falling 35 percent.
Considering the magnitude of these changes