I don’t normally watch tv but was glad I switched it on as background noise while making dinner last night. TVNZ7 screened this PBS series e2 design II episode, Bogotá: Building a Sustainable City.
It is nothing short of inspiring. My favourite bits are when then mayor of Bogotá, Enrique Peñalosa, declares that he won’t invest in motorways for the rich when he can empower people living on less than $1 a day by building bike lanes and footpaths in their neighbourhoods. And then he actually goes and builds them!
The full episode is available on Hulu but requires googling some workarounds. Alternatively, you could get your aunty overseas to tape it and send the VHS to you …
If you want more, e2′s transport series is a good place to start.
It's a great documentary. I like the bit where the motorways get closed to cars and opened up every Sunday for cyclists and pedestrains.