Interview with Enrique Peñalosa, former Mayor of Bogotá By: Inger Jägerhorn
Q: What was it that caused you to embark on a program for sustainability in the first place? A: As a child I was obsessed with the economic development of my country and with equality issues. My father was leader of a land reform institute where big owners had to give some of their lands to smaller peasants. I was affected by that. I was put in a private school, where I was often beaten up. It gave me an early political consciousness. My family lived in US for a while and I went to college there. I learnt how to implement socialism. Communism was for me a failure, not useful at all. Another experience was when my father participated in a Habitat World Conference in Vancouver. I became more and more fascinated by cities, their structure, their economic growth and their social problems. I learnt that socialism did not produce equality. More important was how the cities were built, that was how we could get more inclusion. How are cities linked to equality and happiness? Q: What kind of plan did you make for Bogotá’s development? A: Plan? I believe in views, not in plans. Plans are good for buildings. Q: So how did you act to achieve a change towards sustainability? A: Sustainability was not my concern! My dream of a city is that cities can make people happy. And my main vision was that all citizens are equal. That is said in almost every constitution. But what does it mean in practice? Parking is not a constitutional right! It is completely mad that more space is allocated to cars that stand still than to people who walk. Attitudes can be changed. Less than a hundred years ago women had not the right to vote. Once it was normal to have slaves, too. You can change people’s attitudes. Q: Did you start by focusing on a specific sector? A: For me the bike was a powerful symbol. A bicycle costs 30 dollars, a car 30 000 dollars. And now the share of bikes used every day in the traffic has grown from practically zero to 7 per cent. It does not seem much. But Bogotá is a big city. Seven per cent is 400 000 people per day! Global Utmaning är en fristående tankesmedja. Vi är ett kvalificerat nätverk från samhälle, näringsliv och forskning som verkar för lösningar på de globala utmaningar som rör ekonomi, miljö och demokrati. Birger Jarlsgatan 27 ·∙ 111 45 Stockholm ·∙ 08-‐787 2150 ·∙ info@globalutmaning.se ·∙
www.globalutmaning.se
Today you would say that a city where you find many bicycles is a good city. But in those days there was not one single bike street in London, nor in Paris, nor in New York or Madrid. Look at Champs Elysées in Paris. It is a very broad and central street. The car traffic is enormous. But – the sidewalks are very broad, and there are lots of shops and restaurants along the street. It is nice to walk there. There was not one decent sidewalk in Bogotá. A wheelchair could not go from one quarter to another. Bicycles were almost non-‐existent. Now there are 350 kilometres of protected bikeways and 70 kilometre highways only for bikes. On the other hand, the poorest of the poor did not even have a bicycle. The city of Curitiba was an example for me. It took many measures to restrict the cars. 40 per cent – ten thousands of cars -‐ were taken out of traffic on certain weekdays, according to a tag number system. For violations there were big fines. Q: In a project like this many parties are affected – commercial interests, lobby groups, political parties etc. Who were the hardest opponents? A: Initially, companies were totally opposed. The most powerful people in Bogotá had cars. I was Public Enemy Number One. My daughter could not go to school in Bogotá anymore, I had to send her to Canada. Those were difficult times. Q: Where did you find the best supporters for your plan? A: I was acting on my own, without any support anywhere. All the time, I have been taking three steps forward and two steps backward. When I started 85 per cent had a negative image of me, only 15 per cent were positive. Now more and more people believe in my vision. At the end I had a higher image than any mayor ever. Q: So how did you succeed? A: The Mayor of Bogotá has a lot of power. He rules by decree. I arranged a referendum. If you get 33.3 per cent support of all votes in a referendum, the decision is legally mandatory. Nobody can change such a decision, not even the President or the Congress. But referenda are a risky business. People tend to agree to oppose – it is much more difficult to change the existing state of affairs. Global Utmaning är en fristående tankesmedja. Vi är ett kvalificerat nätverk från samhälle, näringsliv och forskning som verkar för lösningar på de globala utmaningar som rör ekonomi, miljö och demokrati. Birger Jarlsgatan 27 ·∙ 111 45 Stockholm ·∙ 08-‐787 2150 ·∙ info@globalutmaning.se ·∙
www.globalutmaning.se
This referendum was about car-‐free days in Bogotá. I gave two options: 1) no cars during peak hours after 2015 – every day. 2) no cars at all during one day in February each year. First business said that economy was going to collapse. But now they are on the track. My own choice, of course, was the first alternative. I almost succeeded. We were only a thousand votes short in the support for this alternative. But now we have one day without any cars in the city of Bogotá each year. And that day has become something of a festival day. People just walk around and enjoy themselves in the city. 7. What role has the civic society played? A: I believe in communication of souls. When I campaigned to be mayor, I walked all over the city. There was no organisation, only leaflets. I talked in all neighbourhoods. I had 150 000 followers on Twitter. More and more people believed in my vision. Q: So what has happened after you left your position as the Mayor of Bogotá? A: After us the development exploded, the ”TransMilenio system” was introduced. Buses got exclusive lanes. The buses were designed so that 50 persons could get out and 50 persons in to a bus in seconds. No tickets were sold in the bus. I am a bit worried, though. Now people start to dream about subways, even those who will never be able to afford to use it. I hate subways! The cost is 250 million dollars per kilometre. About 27 kilometres of subway cost as much as 400 kilometre wide road space. Q: How would you describe yourself as a leader? A: In three ways. I dream. I tell a story. I work very hard. Q: Your advice to other Mayors? A: Be honest. Be a good manager, one who makes things happen. Produce results. Go for a model that is sustainable and improves the quality of life. The most important asset a city has is the land. It is a one-‐time opportunity. If that is lost, it is lost forever. The political battle in a city is all about space.
Global Utmaning är en fristående tankesmedja. Vi är ett kvalificerat nätverk från samhälle, näringsliv och forskning som verkar för lösningar på de globala utmaningar som rör ekonomi, miljö och demokrati. Birger Jarlsgatan 27 ·∙ 111 45 Stockholm ·∙ 08-‐787 2150 ·∙ info@globalutmaning.se ·∙
www.globalutmaning.se