Colombia's capital city, the birthplace of the Ciclovía, is devoting public space to bikes during lockdown. To reduce traffic, the city plans to allocate even more public space to bike infrastructure and sustainable mobility moving forward.

The city of Bogotá has engaged in what Andrea Jaramillo describes as a "bike-lane building spree that could be a model in Latin America" in an effort to mitigate a resurgence of traffic congestion after lockdown. "Currently, almost 7% of overall trips in Bogotá are on bicycles, more than in any other city in Latin America. But the city is aiming much higher: The long-term goal is to have 50% of total trips made on bikes or other micromobility alternatives such as scooters," writes Jaramillo.
Jaramillo's article describes Colombia's capital city's tried relationship with congestion and public transportation. Without a subway system, about 40% of the nation's trips make use of the TransMilenio bus rapid transit system. The famously traffic-laden city is also known for its narrow streets, densely populated neighborhoods, air pollution.
Mayor Claudia López wants to change the city's car-reliant reputation and reality by continuing the work for former mayor Enrique Peñalosa to increase bike infrastructure and encourage more Borotanos to travel by bike. "While 65% of households don’t own a car, 85% of the city’s public space is currently used up by motorized vehicles, Nicolás Estupiñán, Bogotá’s secretary of mobility, said in a webcast in June," reports Jaramillo. One step in the bike direction: setting aside a fifth of parking for bike lanes during the pandemic.
FULL STORY: Bogotá Is Building its Future Around Bikes

Planning for Congestion Relief
The third and final installment of Planetizen's examination of the role of the planning profession in both perpetuating and solving traffic congestion.

Minneapolis Housing Plan a Success—Not for the Reason You Think
Housing advocates praise the city’s move to eliminate single-family zoning by legalizing triplexes on single-family lots, but that isn’t why housing construction is growing.

Car Noise Is Killing Us
It’s not just traffic collisions that kill—a new study from researcher at Rutgers finds that the loud noises emanating from cars has direct impact on heart health in Americans.

Affordable Housing Proposal Faces Backlash in Salt Lake City
A public hearing last week revealed widespread opposition to a plan to loosen density and height limits and reduce parking requirements to encourage more developers to build affordable housing.

Houston Bike Summit Makes In-Person Return
The event will focus on improving bike safety and continuing maintenance on the city's growing network of bike lanes and trails.

Austin’s Transit CEO Moving to D.C.
After overseeing a major system redesign and plans for its largest-ever expansion, the head of Capital Metro will take over Washington, D.C.’s transit agency.
City of Malibu
EMC Planning Group Inc.
Jefferson Parish
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Harvard GSD Executive Education
City of Rohnert Park
City of Hot Springs
City of Lakeway, Texas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Hand Drawing Master Plans
This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.