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Ciclovía at 50: Changing Street Cultures Across the World

Ciclovía at 50: Changing Street Cultures Across the World

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An online event that brought together organizers in different cities to talk about what the model of Ciclovía has meant for their street cultures.


A Mini-Symposium from UCLA Institute of Transportation Studies

Click to see the original webpage for this event.

December 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the ciclovía in Bogotá, Colombia, the original “open streets” event. Ciclovías close streets to cars and open them to people-powered mobility, creating what co-founder Jaime Ortíz Mariño calls the “world’s largest outdoor classroom.” The ciclovía covers over 75 miles every Sunday in Bogotá, and has spread to over 450 cities around the world. In this online event, we will hear from organizers in different cities about what the model has meant for their street cultures. Scholars will share their research on the event and its participants. Experts from the fields of public health and transportation will talk about the challenges and opportunities in funding non-infrastructure programming like this. Explore what cities around the globe have learned from the model, its role as a catalyst in changing street cultures in particular cities, and how ciclovías can help shift people to sustainable transportation.

Session 1: Ciclovía Legacies

In the first half of the mini-symposium, we’ll focus on telling the story. A moderated discussion with ciclovía creators will reflect on the goals of open streets models and how ciclovías have changed transportation culture in specific cities. Following this, there will be mini lectures from scholars who have studied ciclovías and similar events in different national contexts.

  • Worlding Bogotá’s Ciclovía (Sergio Montero): What have been the key dynamics and actors in the global mobilization or “worlding” of Bogotá’s ciclovía during the last 20 years?
  • Public Health Benefits of the Ciclovías Recreativas Program (Olga Sarmiento): What can we learn from quantitative analysis of the public health benefits of ciclovías around the world?
  • Assessing Women’s Participation in Ciclovía 50 Years On (Paola Castañeda Londoño): Sharing preliminary findings from a recently completed survey of over 500 people’s attitudes and patterns of use of ciclovía in Bogotá. The survey is meant to give us information about why women participate less than men.
Session 2: Case Study LA

This roundtable will explore Los Angeles’ CicLAvia as a ciclovía case study, exploring the skillsets, perspectives, and phases that build a successful event over time. Speakers will highlight the community, political, cultural, and planning components that have been part of LA’s experience.

Speakers

  • Romel Pascual (CicLAvia)
  • Frank Ching (LA Metro)
  • Tafarai Bayne (CicLAvia)
  • Jimmy Lizama (Re:Ciclos)

Session 3: Learning Together

The last portion of the mini-symposium will consist of a workshop where participants will choose breakout rooms and join a facilitated discussion.

Speakers

  • Jaime Ortiz Mariño (Cofounder, Ciclovía)
  • Aaron Paley (President, Community Arts Resources)
  • Paola Castañeda Londoño (Assistant Professor, Universidad de Los Andes)
  • Sergio Montero (Associate Professor, University of Toronto, Scarborough)
  • Frank Ching (Deputy Executive Officer)
  • Romel Pascual (Executive Director)
  • Tafarai Bayne (Chief Strategist)
  • Olga Sarmiento (Professor, Department of Public Health)
  • Jimmy Lizama (Founder)
  • Andres F. Ramirez (PhD candidate in Urban Planning)
  • Juan Matute (Deputy Director)
  • Adonia Lugo (Equity Research Manager)

Published: Wednesday, June 26, 2024