Mexico City Climate Goals

Mexico City’s Climate Action plan calls for reductions in four sectors:

• Energy-sector emissions savings of 430,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalents a year will come from solar heating for water and commercial and residential buildings, as well as an energy efficient housing program.
• Emissions savings of 553,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalents a year to come from the water sector, notably a cleanup of the major polluter – mud emissions from a biological water treatment plant.
• Transportation emissions reductions of 1,880,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalents a year will be achieved through a subway and bus rapid transit expansion, a mandatory school transportation system and updated taxi fleet. (I only wish Toronto had as many lines and stops on our Subway system in comparison to Mexico City: taking diesel buses and taxis, that just drive around all day looking for passengers, would definitely improve the situation here too).
• Emissions reductions from the waste sector key on closure of the Bordo Poniente Stage 4 landfill. Of the 1.57 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions that will be eliminated from the waste sector each year, closing the landfill will cut 1.4 million tonnes.

Source: Mexico City Secretary of Environment

Mexico City

Well, I arrived in Mexico City 6 days ago, and haven’t been able to conjure up any words to describe it.

Its definitely not as crowded as I thought a city with the second highest population in the world would be, I guess reiterating the fact that the population is spread out over quite a wide area.  Making transportation an issue, as well as services.  The Metro does seem to make the city incredibly serviced.  It is the place where you do begin to feel the crunch of population, with 12 cars arriving at a station, and each one being filled with people, with all day feeling like rush hour.  There are also countless diesel buses that service the city, the same routes as the Metro probably at a lesser rate, and the neighbourhoods around the metro stations.  Like any vehicle that uses the road, and burns fossil fuels, it only adds to the congestion and the air pollution.  It seems as though no matter what kind of Public Transportation options they create, people will still opt to just drive their own vehicles if they can afford it.

[Oh, they also have a rapid bus line that I kept coming across, seems as though Curitiba, Brazil seems to be influencing cities throughout Latin America.]

I think there’s also been a push from city officials to start promoting the use of the bicycle.  Which would be great, but with a city that has so many people on the roads, it seems impossible for its use to become more widespread without serious reconsideration of the street.  They had one bicycle lane that I could see in the Central Historical District, and it has both directions of travel on the same side of the road, how do you even get your bicycle over there without invading space that should only be entered by pedestrians?

It just doesn’t work.

SO from my Mexico City travels:

- public transportation that doesn’t rely on more or larger roads would not add to already mounting congestion and, if run on renewable sources, would ultimately reduce air pollution

- local transportation from primary routes is important too.  How do you get people to their door steps, or within walking distance to them?

- Large corridors with multiple lanes of vehicle traffic, and then perhaps the above-grade metro line or Rapid Bus, is an issue for connectivity and cohesiveness in a city, reducing these divisions wherever possible would increase the likelihood of someone walking to their destination or using a bicycle.

- Metro stations can be points of economic activity.  The large metro stations had countless Food Stalls (hence the buttery air smell in the Zocalo station), retail shops and even cultural spaces.  Some impromptu, and most authorized, but all creating a life below grade.  It could also be possible to promote literacy in a metro station (in the form of a library), or even sports / recreation.

- Bicycles.  More has to be done than just providing a lane on a busy road.  Routes have to be thought of, as well as places for storage (I didn’t see many bicycles locked up around the city, and would have no idea where they would even lock them up) at the person’s destination but as well as their home.

- Green space is important.  Unfortunately this might mean preserving this space before a city begins to grow, setting ‘sacred’ land and now allowing development over hundreds of years, but it gives a place for families to go on weekends, and of course, cleans the air.

There’s probably still a lot more I have to think about.  I’m sure when I leave the city, and see Toronto again, more will come back to me.

~ Rachel

Bogota Days 2 & 3

Hello everyone again,

So after 1 update I got lazy, sorry about that.  Here’s a recap of my second and third days in Bogota:

Day 2:  In the morning of Day 2, following the nice email from Camilo, I was quite eager to get out and see what I could.  Especially trying out the TransMilenio and seeing some of the interventions Camilo had spoke about.  To be completely honest, it was a big bust.  I got on at the station nearest to us, was able to somehow get tickets.  Astonishing fact here, Bogota has an electronic payment system!  A card with a declining balance, we can’t even have that in Toronto!  Anyway, I digress, I was able to get on, transfer to the next line I was supposed to take (maybe, I might have been wrong), but then its not like a subway line, where every ‘train’ that goes on the line stops at every stop.  There were all these different buses, with strange schedules that I didn’t understand.  So needless to say I just guessed, and ended up taking the thing all the way to the end!  The wrong end, as the line split and some buses went to where I went (the wrong place) and some went to the Biblioteca, where I wanted to go.  Turns out Bogota is a giant, sprawling city.  Just taking the Blue line all the way to where I did felt like I had exited the city (there were hills with many favelas on them, a military base, and some farms).  With so many people on the near outskirts of the city, its hard to believe they have any connectivity at all, I guess the Transmilenio is the only way possible.

At that station at the ‘end’ of the line, I did notice some things.  If you live in a favela on the top of a hill you are at least able to somehow make it into the city to work or enjoy many of the recreation spaces in the city without requiring a vehicle.  Many of the underdeveloped areas are also serviced by buses, which then connect back to the main station.  I didn’t notice any bicycles in the far reaches of the city, at least in this place, although further in I did notice some of the cycle ways.  I guess if I had taken the correct bus, it would have brought me to where I was supposed to go.  These stations are also congregations of other uses, like supermarkets or places of employment.  The main lines of the TransMilenio are located between very busy roads, the buses will drive on two dedicated lanes, and then there will be up to 5 lanes of traffic on either side.  This creates huge spans, that require very elaborate pedestrian flyovers to reach the other side.  While it is good that these dedicated lanes exist, you would think it would create divisions between areas, and make it difficult or just plain annoying for people to move across the city.

The station design, with a ticket seller at the end, and then the sliding glass doors for access, are done fairly well.  They are able to handle large amounts of people entering and exiting, although I could imagine them getting quite full during rush hours.  Many are spread over 300 m or more, so there’s always space for people to move down, since many of the buses stop more than once at each station.  On the stations that are between the 5 lanes of traffic, the access to them can be very elaborate.  Many ramps and crossovers to get the individual in the station.  Having clear, direct access would make it easier for people to get to the station, and would definitely increase chances that they are used.  Grade access to these buses at least ensures that people with any level of mobility can get on the bus.

**Update: I observed a station during rush hour, we were traveling south into the center of the city, and these people were trying to travel north to the outskirts.  The line to get into the station was nearly 25 meters long, and the entire width of the station (which isn’t anymore than 4 m wide) were full of people.  It basically is a control for a giant queue, which bottlenecks at the one entrance to the city.

Next I traveled back to the city, really having at that moment no idea where I had gone or what I had done wrong.  I ended up walking the streets that had many markets in full swing on sidewalks, with many people out and about.  The roads were jam packed with cars.  I walked north along Carrera 7 to Parque Santander, Iglesia de Las Nieves (which was closed) and then to the Torres del Parque that Camilo had mentioned.  When I got up there, I stopped at the Bull Fighting ring to take a photo, and it started raining.  Which was fine.  I stood under a tree and waited for the rain to stop, it sort of did and I kept going.  I decided to go up the Mirador Torre Colpatria, to the 46th floor, to see the whole of the city.  I could see the three towers created by Rogelio Salmona, which seem quite interesting, as well as the huge amount of sprawl that heads out of the main city to the south-west.  The large transport corridors are quite wide as I mentioned and do create wide fissures through the city.  The ‘secondary’ roads, like Carrera 7, are slightly narrower, and are like deep canyons, with 4 - 6 storey buildings one either side.  Traffic is quite congested on these routes, and it was quite apparent from the height of the Mirador.

After this I walked south again, before visiting the Modern Art Museum (they need some work, although they did try), and headed back to the hostel.  Overall an interesting day I guess.

Day 3:

Sunday!  The Ciclovia!  I was quite excited to get up semi-early and head out into the streets to see everyone cycling and walking on the closed off streets.  The closed-off roads create a circuit that are frequented by fruit sellers, food sellers, and of course the famous BikeWatch (name inspired by Bay Watch, which is quite popular here).  There were people out from all walks of life, and I was excited to see that people really get out and use it, for recreation and exercise.

I was going to go rent a bicycle myself, but when I arrived at the bike shop, a tour was about to depart, so I joined it instead.  It was quite a lucky coincidence, because the tour guide was able to take us far into the north of the city following the closed off streets.  I got to weave in and out of children riding with training wheels, and people on roller skates, it was pretty amazing.  The route also connects to a lot of public open space throughout the city, like squares with dancing, or other large parks with aerobics.  Free aerobics put on by the city!

Following the Ciclovia route we ended up at a market in the north, sort of quaint with stalls that people could walk through, and neat little restaurants.  After this the Ciclovia was unfortunately over, so we rode on the road to the west to hit up some park space.  The first stop was at the Biblioteca Virgilio Barco, a library complex designed by Rogelio Salmona.  Adjacent to the Cycle Way, and lots of beautiful park space, it is definitely a destination for those moving in and out of the city using their bicycle.  Getting to the park did mean fighting through some of the disjointed Cycle Ways (at one point we went over grass and a ditch, and there were some rather unorthodox moves going against traffic).  At least the routes exist though, especially on the busier main road with the TransMilenio that has 5 lanes of traffic, being separated entirely does give better sense of safety.  While it did seem odd that the path system was so disjointed, our Tour Guide didn’t have any issues riding them.  Perhaps an indication that once you know your route, or potential routes, the system becomes easier.

** The Library could be coupled with other facilities as well, creating reasons for people to not only stay in their community but come out also, having it on a main transportation route like an LRT, rapid bus system, or bicycle route would make it easier and convenient for movement in and out of the settlement.

Next we drove to Simon Bolivar Park, just a little ways from the Biblioteca.  It is quite a large park, featuring theatre spaces, an artificial / real lake, and lots of walking / biking paths.  The park is well serviced, drawing many families on weekends and during the week for recreation.  It is also host to many cultural events, which can draw thousands of Bogotans.  This was the end of the tour, and we began our drive back to La Canderalia, far in the south.  We followed some very long cycle ways, but had to abandon them once we reached the more historical part of the city (as discussed earlier, there just isn’t enough room for a dedicated cycling lane).

This was quite an influential day for many reasons, and if you weren’t already bored at the beginning, I would appreciate some comments on these ideas.

1.  You can’t promote Public Transportation while still providing over 80% of the space to transportation (ie. roads) to private vehicles (taxis are “communal” in essence, but are still private vehicles and drive on these roads, I say this because it seems like the amount of taxis in the city was astronomical).  What is a good percentage of private vehicle / public transportation?  I want to say: 40% / 60%, and then continue to move to a 20% / 80% split.  Those incredibly wide roads, with 10 lanes of highway (in the middle of the city!) for cars was just too much.  These created huge fissures through the city, but also eliminated any sort of activity other than transportation happening directly on those routes.  Its just too loud and too busy.  While the TransMilenio (and even the highways) are trying to connect different parts of the city on a larger scale, these fissures separate the city at the most human level, between adjacent neighbourhoods.  A system that reduces the amount of hard surfaces for transportation, but perhaps increases the open or green space for commuting by bicycle, or recreation, would attempt to connect adjacent communities that happen to have these systems running through them, especially if it isn’t possible for time or money to have everything be put underground.  Which is part of the reason why the city of Bogota invested in a rapid bus system.

2.  A transportation connection between an isolated settlement or community is not sufficient, it has to have other nodes on them that will draw people in and out of their communities, but perhaps from other communities as well.  Dharavi is isolated by very wide roads, but also because the community does not have access to other facilities outside itself.  I don’t know if the actual program of this node is important, but that it provides some sort of need that is not met within the community, maybe its a library, theatre, or a hospital, or a combination of facilities.  Bringing people out, and giving them a place to mingle, while still maintaining the autonomy of their community.

3.  Having a transportation route that directly connects to the community is important in giving a sense of permanence and respect to the community.  In Bogota, despite not having paved roads, many communities will still have a bus route that connects to them.  This is also in the form of the Cycle Ways, it is often the place where the commute to the city begins, but it is also where recreation for children or community members can take place in the community.

4.  Emphasis on “clean” transportation methods is important.  Although Bogota has the TransMilenio, the smaller buses that serve different neighbourhoods are diesel, and create an incredible amount of exhaust (there is always a trail of black exhaust when one accelerates from a full stop).  Bicycles, hybrid vehicles, or an LRT, are cleaner options, and would definitely take up less space.

I think this is basically what I got out of this trip.  I should create some diagrams (I have some rough diagrams in my sketchbook that I should elaborate on) and try to see what this might actually mean in the physical sense.

Is a specific site still important?  I’m not entirely sure.

Architect from Bogota

Thank you Camilo for your insight!  I will definitely try to see the places you have described below.  You have touched on a lot of my interests, including informal settlements, this is incredibly helpful.

Rachel

Hello Rachel, My name is Camilo. I am an architect, born in Bogotá and currently living in London, working for Rafael Viñoly´s office (www.rvapc.com). I have been following you on Tumblr for a while and I find your research very fun and interesting; congratulations on that. I was pleasantly surprised today when I saw you were actually in Bogotá! I don´t really know for how long you expect to be in my hometown or how you have planned your trip, but I thought I could give you a couple of tips to help you make the best out of it…you never know. It is very nice you chose La Candelaria as the place to stay. For me it is one of the most beautiful places in the city. Actually, my wife’s cousin lives there, in a building I love - an apartment block made from what used to be a monastery. If you are interested I could get you both in contact so he can show you around? Also, being in La Candelaria, you should have breakfast at “La Puerta Falsa” ( http://bogotaeats.blogspot.com/2009/09/get-your-tamal-at-la-puerta-falsa.html). Breakfast doesn´t get much more typical than that. I recommend eating a Tamal with chocolate and cheese. i’ve been longing for one of those for years! I truly recommend you go up to Monserrate on the cable car. From there you will get a spectacular view of the city and kind of grasp its real size…it seems as it is never ending. I like to sit down at the Mirador and simply listen to it roar from the distance… it’s alive. You should also take a walk around Torres del Parque… 3 brick towers designed by our best architect: Rogelio Salmona. They are absolutely amazing! And down to the topic of your interest…The urban interventions made by Enrique Peñalosa are absolutely great ( I don´t know if you know but he is setting up a new political party in Colombia accompanied by two other former mayors of Bogotá. I happen to be involved with them and hope we will talk more about this in the future). Sadly some years have gone by and the current mayor has not really lived up to the challenge of defending Transmilenio and the public space as he should have, so I guess you will find the city a little more chaotic than it was 5 years ago, when I left. I see your interest is centered to urban interventions,transportation, cycle paths, etc, so I´ll try to center my comments on this, and be brief. Bogotá is practically divided in 2. The northern/eastern part of the city is where the wealthy live, while the southern/western part is basically low income/illegally originated settlements that have been there for so long that have shaped the “formal” city as it is now. One of the biggest interventions by Peñalosa & Co was to bring basic services (water, gas and electricity) to these vast illegal areas in order to “legalize” them and at the same time improve their living conditions. The most important and highest impact interventions are, also, in the south, rather than in the north (obviously, as in all cities, the northern/richer part is “nicer”, safer, and better taken care of, but not necessarily more interesting). I would recommend, for your purpose, that you focus on going to the south. You should visit Alameda el Porvenir ( http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda_El_Porvenirwww.rvapc.com). I have been following you on Tumblr for a while and I find your research very fun and interesting; congratulations on that. I was pleasantly surprised today when I saw you were actually in Bogotá! I don´t really know for how long you expect to be in my hometown or how you have planned your trip, but I thought I could give you a couple of tips to help you make the best out of it…you never know. It is very nice you chose La Candelaria as the place to stay. For me it is one of the most beautiful places in the city. Actually, my wife’s cousin lives there, in a building I love - an apartment block made from what used to be a monastery. If you are interested I could get you both in contact so he can show you around? Also, being in La Candelaria, you should have breakfast at “La Puerta Falsa” ( http://bogotaeats.blogspot.com/2009/09/get-your-tamal-at-la-puerta-falsa.html). Breakfast doesn´t get much more typical than that. I recommend eating a Tamal with chocolate and cheese. i’ve been longing for one of those for years! I truly recommend you go up to Monserrate on the cable car. From there you will get a spectacular view of the city and kind of grasp its real size…it seems as it is never ending. I like to sit down at the Mirador and simply listen to it roar from the distance… it’s alive. You should also take a walk around Torres del Parque… 3 brick towers designed by our best architect: Rogelio Salmona. They are absolutely amazing! And down to the topic of your interest…The urban interventions made by Enrique Peñalosa are absolutely great ( I don´t know if you know but he is setting up a new political party in Colombia accompanied by two other former mayors of Bogotá. I happen to be involved with them and hope we will talk more about this in the future). Sadly some years have gone by and the current mayor has not really lived up to the challenge of defending Transmilenio and the public space as he should have, so I guess you will find the city a little more chaotic than it was 5 years ago, when I left. I see your interest is centered to urban interventions,transportation, cycle paths, etc, so I´ll try to center my comments on this, and be brief. Bogotá is practically divided in 2. The northern/eastern part of the city is where the wealthy live, while the southern/western part is basically low income/illegally originated settlements that have been there for so long that have shaped the “formal” city as it is now. One of the biggest interventions by Peñalosa & Co was to bring basic services (water, gas and electricity) to these vast illegal areas in order to “legalize” them and at the same time improve their living conditions. The most important and highest impact interventions are, also, in the south, rather than in the north (obviously, as in all cities, the northern/richer part is “nicer”, safer, and better taken care of, but not necessarily more interesting). I would recommend, for your purpose, that you focus on going to the south. You should visit Alameda el Porvenir ( http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alameda_El_Porvenir). It is the biggest cycle path in the city, built in a zone where it was much needed, and during the weekends it becomes the main interaction space of the zones it goes by. You could also visit the main libraries (“Biblioteca el Tintal” and “Biblioteca El Tunal” in the south and “Biblioteca Virgilio Barco” in the center-west of the city) and maybe, if you have time, Parque Simon Bolivar or Parque El Tunal (next to the libray). These are places that didn´t exist 10 years ago and have really changed the way people from Bogotá see their city. On Sunday remember to get up early and go out to the ciclovia. Several streets are closed from 8AM to 1PM for people to cycle-excercise-do whatever they want…and the energy of this is very cool. You could go through Carrera Septima (7th avenue) to Parque Nacional, where they hold several activities for people). If you can get hold of a bike or a pair of skates it would be even better. You should also visit Parque Tercer Milenio and Plaza San Victorino. They are very good examples of urban regeneration. If you are going to stay for long there, you may want to contact someone in the Faculty of Architceture in Universidad de Los Andes (let me know if you’re interested, I may be able to help you with that). The University sits next to la Candelaria (to the north). You get to the Faculty by climbing a lot of stairs (it is up in the mountain) and the campus is very very nice, so you may enjoy it. The teachers there have been a very active part in the redesign of the city. You can ask for Felipe Gonzalez Pacheco, designer of the Alameda el Porvenir, Stefano Anzellini or Rodrigo Rubio, who have done a lot of work on informal/illegal housing settlements, or Diana Wiesner, who has done the Landscaping for the biggest parks. The University is nearby and they may help you a lot (they are usually nice people, but some of them suffer from architect’s ego, so I can´t guarantee 100% success on you contacting them). I have a very close friend working there, whose name is Andres Pinzon…and I am sure he will be very very helpful, if you want to contact him. Just let me know. Sorry if this email is a little all over the place. just wrote down whatever came to my head. I hope you enjoy your stay in Bogota and I will be looking forward to seeing your posts these days. Let me know if I can help you. Remember to play safe…it can get a little rough once in a while around Bogotá. not terrble, but you never know… Best regards, Camilo Garavito t. +44 (0) 7530141947 camilogaravito.tumblr.com twitter.com/camilogaravito patadas-de-ahogado.blogspot.com/ Stephen Leacock - “I detest life-insurance agents: they always argue that I shall some day die, which is not so.”