Green spaces and bike lanes in San Felipe, Bogotá, are encouraging locals to swap cars for cleaner and more active ways of getting around the neighborhood. Photo Credit: Carlos Felipe Pardo/Flickr
Environment ColombiaCity Turns Smog into a Clean-Air Comeback
High in the Andes, Colombia’s Bogotá is proving that better urban design and data can clear the air. Once choked by pollution, the city has already reduced fine particle levels by 13% in its pilot neighbourhood, demonstrating that small design shifts can deliver significant health benefits.
“Through science, community, and design, we’re transforming how people move and breathe in Bogotá,” said Beatriz Cárdenas, one of the project’s lead authors.
The city’s Barrios Vitales program replaced car lanes with bike paths, green corridors, and pedestrian zones, resulting in an 81% increase in public transport use and an 82% increase in cycling. Supported by NASA-based air-quality forecasting that predicts pollution spikes five days ahead, Bogotá plans to redesign 33 neighbourhoods by 2035 and has deployed nearly 1,500 electric buses, proving that cleaner, smarter cities are within reach.
