Enrique Peñalosa Proposes Urban Vision for Brazilian Cities

Posted: 23 Jul 2009

Related to: São Paulo Bicycle Planning, Planning & Advocacy for Cycling & Walking, Brazil
Contributed by: Jonas Hagen, ITDP Brazil


In Rio de Janeiro, Mayor Eduardo Paes (left), Enrique Peñalosa (center), and State Transport Secretary Julio Lopes (right) inaugurate shared-use lanes in Tijuca National Park. Photo Credit: Beth Santos/Municipality of Rio de Janeiro

Shiny buses transporting thousands of people, rich and poor alike, efficiently and comfortably; protected bike lanes with adolescents rushing to a soccer game or businesspeople on their way to work; retirees and children milling around sculptures in attractive public plazas – that is the vision that Enrique Peñalosa, the former mayor of Bogotá, offered decisionmakers last week when he visited Brazil’s three largest metropolitan regions. Peñalosa signed cooperation agreements in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Belo Horizonte, giving a boost to ongoing ITDP efforts in promoting Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), bicycling, and people-friendly cities in Brazil.

The trip began in Rio de Janeiro, where Peñalosa participated alongside Mayor Eduardo Paes on a bike ride inaugurating shared-use lanes in the city’s iconic Tijuca National Park. The ride, which snaked through the lush urban rainforest to the Mayor’s official residence where a cooperation agreement between Peñalosa and him was signed, also included top decision makers from the municipal and state governments of Rio de Janeiro. ITDP is supporting the expansion of Rio’s 140 km bicycle-network (the largest in Brazil), its pilot public bicycle system as well as BRT projects. 

Following an intense schedule of field visits, work sessions and meetings with officials in Rio de Janeiro, Peñalosa proceeded to São Paulo, where he signed an agreement with the City’s Transportation Secretary, Alexandre de Moraes, and met with local officials about city center revitalization and promoting bike lanes.

After speaking at an event that showcased BRT for cities preparing for the 2014 FIFA World Cup to be held in Brazil, Peñalosa continued on to Belo Horizonte, where he participated in an event on urban mobility with Mayor Marcio Lacerda, and visited the BRT corridors currently being implemented.

While Mayor of Bogotá, Peñalosa implemented a bus-based mass transit system called Transmilenio. The concept for this “surface subway” originated in the 1970’s in Curitiba, Brazil, and Peñalosa referred to the origins of Bus Rapid Transit throughout his visit. “In Bogotá, we did not invent anything new, we took the BRT from Curitiba and adapted it to Bogotá. We even used Brazilian experts to create the system,” he said.

Twenty percent of Brazil’s population, or 40 million people, live in the metropolitan regions of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Belo Horizonte. The potential to improve people’s quality of life and reduce carbon emissions from urban transport are enormous.