Learning from Bogotá: Pedagogical Urbanism and the Reshaping of Public Space

by Rachel Berney

Once known as a “drug capital” and associated with kidnappings, violence, and excess, Bogotá, Colombia, has undergone a transformation that some have termed “the miracle of Bogotá.” Beginning in the late 1980s, the city emerged from a long period of political and social instability to become an unexpected model of urban development through the redesign and revitalization of the public realm—parks, transportation, and derelict spaces—under the leadership of two “public space mayors,” Antanas Mockus and Enrique Peñalosa (the latter reelected in 2015). In Learning from Bogotá, Rachel Berney analyzes how these mayors worked to reconfigure the troubled city into a pedagogical one whose public spaces and urban policy have helped shape a more tolerant and aware citizenry.

Berney examines the contributions of Mockus and Peñalosa through the lenses of both spatial/urban design and the city’s history. She shows how, through the careful intertwining of new public space and transportation projects, the reclamation of privatized public space, and the refurbishment of dilapidated open spaces, the mayors enacted an ambitious urban vision for Bogotá without resorting to the failed method of the top-down city master plan. Illuminating the complex interplay between formal politics, urban planning, and improvised social strategies, as well as the negative consequences that accompanied Bogotá’s metamorphosis, Learning from Bogotá offers significant lessons about the possibility for positive and lasting change in cities around the world.

190 pages, Hardcover

Published January 17, 2017

Reviews

[Vipassana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rachel Berney provides an Urbanist history of Bogota replete with the politics and planning that lead to Bogota’s urban renewal. The book focuses on the mayoral administration of Antanas Mockus and Enrique Penolosa, making the case that synergistic efforts of both mayors played a major role in the success of their projects. Antanas Mockus championed the citizenship culture that made Bogotanos the center of his projects in the city, had mimes to encourage good citizen behavior, and invested in road safety infrastructure. Penolosa spearheaded the BRT and built parks among other things. There were also independent candidates and their political lack of affiliation allowed them to be seen as candidates who were not susceptible to corruption. The characteristic that made them both successful was their visionary leadership.Rachel Berney starts with an account of the history of Boyota’s Mayoral politics, in particular, Mockus’ and Penolosa’s administrations.

Berney gives snapshots of several public space projects. Talking about the size, timeline, and who they serve. She also writes about the intent behind the creation of these projects, how they are used, and how receptive the community is to the projects. With this effort, she is building a repository of knowledge that could enable other cities, in both the global south and the global north, to learn from what worked and what didn’t in Bogota.

What I loved seeing in this work is how the quality of life for citizens from the lower estratos (zones with poor infrastructure—a proxy for socioeconomic status) was improved by providing people with access to public resources like parks, libraries, and economic opportunities through the bike paths, pedestrian walkways, and the Bus Rapid Transit system called Transmilenio. There is an interesting example of the park Tencer Milenio which was built in the low income neighborhood of Cartucho by displacing people it was meant to serve. The park lies in disrepair and while Berney states that it may be a little premature to pass judgement on the park yet, she also several problems that arose due to this project and other similar ones. One of those is the conflict that arises when designing a local public space for global audiences.

In Bogota, we see an example where public space users were meant to be willing and receptive audience for everyday spectacle, to become actors populating tableaux rather than citizens using public space. This is more likely to occur where projects have a global, rather than local, focus (meaning they are not grounded in local priorities, social needs, and desires); where “cues for caring,” as described in chapter 4, overrule the free use of public space; and where representatives of the orderly city, including civic guides, police, and even vendors protecting their territory, reduce people’s free access to public space or even keep them from it entirely.

In the end, Berney makes the claim that the world has much to learn from Bogota's mostly successes. Highly recommend for any combination of Bogota or public space enthusiasts.

--
December 2018

[drakefan_6 Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jaime Castro Castro we are pouring honey on you

[Charles Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't think for a moment that "pedgogical urbanism" is solely an ivory tower endeavor. Rather, Berney weds comprehensive sociopolitical research with practical public space examples, and tells how Bogota evolved from dystopia to exemplary city. Her focus on the role of mayoral leadership throughout this evolution provides clear and invaluable lessons.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short and easy read places Bogota within a larger context nationally and regionally before exploring the nuances within the city itself. It showcases how interventions of new public infrastructure such as parks, libraries, and sidewalks under the administrations of Mockus and Peñalosa improved quality of life, safety, and culture in Bogota. The assessment of how politics and the built environment intersect is thorough and applicable to other settings. The author also presents a balanced perspective with an assessment of what did not work and why. Overall, a good case study on public policy and urban design.

[Francesca]

good job professor berney.
i read this in the context of being enrolled in a course that required me to read books that i had no interest in reading. however she did a very good job

[Mills College Library]

307.1216 B526 2017