Bogota is regarded by international institutions – particularly the World Bank – as a pioneer in the development of green, low-cost, urban transportation networks, thanks to its innovative Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. However, rising transport prices regularly encourage street protests, with many Bogotanese demanding the construction of a rail network to properly meet the transportation needs of the capital.
Tag: Urbanism
Hiding Homelessness: Beyond Highway Walls and Uncomfortable Benches
After the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016, you might have seen an article or two pass by on the topic of the “wall of shame”, this strategically placed wall on the edge of Rio’s highway. It was meant to hide its slums and shanty-towns like Nova Holanda and Maré from the views of…
From guns and germs to ideal ecosystems: are cities the pinnacle of human organization?
In June 1975, travellers arriving to New York City were handed pamphlets by members of the police force. Their title, printed along a chilling illustration of a hooded skull, read “Welcome to Fear City”
“This city has been lost to China” Urbanism in Coastal Cambodia
In recent years, the once-dreamy beach town of Sihanoukville on the southern coast of Cambodia has become a casino-ridden hub for Chinese investment.
The colonial legacies of our cities: tackling the modern myth of Le Corbusier
We navigate the city as passive inhabitants, moving from one organization to the other, one order to the other, from brutalism to neoclassicism. Systematically we fail to critically engage with our surroundings. We walk by St Paul’s Cathedral, by the British Museum or the V&A. We see their grandeur, their overwhelming amount of detail….
Why a ‘Technical Fix’ can’t Solve Political Problems: The Case of Cape Town’s Water Crisis.
Cape Town’s water crisis serves as a case study to discuss how technological fixes fail to address pre-existing inequalities and power relations, and do so by distracting attention away from political solutions
Behind the shining scenes of Berlin: The costs of reunification
Berlin has been running alien reconstruction policies since the nineties. Now that the city’s arty lifestyle makes it increasingly attractive, it is struggling to balance the books while at the same time preserving its authenticity.
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