Experts
Enrique Peñalosa
Former Mayor, Bogotá, Colombia
Recent Activity
Enrique Peñalosa explains why we must be radical in reshaping urban space. … Watch
August 17, 2009 | In Arts & Culture, Future, Politics & Policy
Enrique Peñalosa outlines the way to rid New York of automobiles. … Watch
August 17, 2009 | In Environment, Future
Making New York Bicycle Friendly
"Parking is not a constitutional right," says Enrique Peñalosa, and New York City should focus on creating bike lanes instead. … Watch
August 17, 2009 | In Arts & Culture, Environment, Politics & Policy
Protecting New York’s Public Space
Enrique Peñalosa discusses the legacy of public space in New York and how it can be improved in the future. … Watch
August 17, 2009 | In Arts & Culture, Politics & Policy
A Day in New York With Enrique Peñalosa
The former mayor of Bogotá and urban strategist describes his fondness for the East Village. … Watch
August 17, 2009 | In Arts & Culture
An accomplished public official, economist and administrator, Enrique Peñalosa completed his three-year term as Mayor of Bogotá, Colombia on December 31, 2000. While mayor, Peñalosa was responsible for numerous radical improvements to the city and its citizens. He promoted a city model giving priority to children and public spaces and restricting private car use, building hundreds of kilometers of sidewalks, bicycle paths, pedestrian streets, greenways, and parks. After organizing a Car-Free Day in 2000, he was awarded the Stockholm Challenge Award and rewarded by a referendum vote endorsing an annual car-free day and the elimination of all cars from streets during rush hours from 2015 onwards.
Thanks to his extensive efforts to make Bogota a greener, more livable city, Peñalosa now serves as an adviser and model to the Bloomberg administration, which in recent years has undertaken the serious work of greening New York City.
He currently works with Project for Public Spaces, a New York City-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people create and sustain public places that build communities.
While Mayor, Peñalosa also led efforts to improve Bogotá's marginal neighborhoods through citizen involvement; planted more than 100,000 trees; created a new, highly successful bus-based transit system; and turned a deteriorated downtown avenue into a dynamic pedestrian public space. He helped transform the city's attitude from one of negative hopelessness to one of pride and hope, developing a model for urban improvement based on the equal rights of all people to transportation, education, and public spaces.
