Bogotá will host the 5th Summit of The Global Network of Cities, Local and Regional Governments (UCLG) from October 12 to 15. The event will gather 500 mayors and 1,000 local and regional leaders from 100 countries around the world to discuss modern urban challenges that can be resolved through local government policies and actions.
Running parallel to the summit, residents of the Colombian capital will have the opportunity to participate in conferences and panels that make up Agenda Bogotá 2050, a strategic plan to project the city into the future. These discussions are particularly relevant as an outline for the upcoming territorial ordinance plan, Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial (POT), the guideline by which zoning of the city will be determined over the next 12 years. “We will have the chance to discuss and learn from others, and show what we are planning to do,” said Bogotá Mayor Enrique Peñalosa during the official launch of the UCLG.
The mayor will showcase his administration’s program, that includes the construction of the first metro line for this capital city of 8 million; a longitudinal highway on the western fringe of Bogotá known as ALO (Avenida Longitudinal de Occidente); the recovery of the Río Bogotá, and intervention of the city’s eastern mountain ranges to create an ecological corridor.
The summit will take place in the Corferias exhibition grounds and host more than 116 events, half of which are open to the general public. Energy efficiency, migration, mobility, renovation, investment, garbage management, gender equality, public space administration, and housing are some of the main topics that will be addressed.
Some of the 300 international and national speakers invited to this unprecedented event include: Amanda Burden, planning secretary for the administration of former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Walter B. Hook, specialist in Bus Rapid Transit; Regina Monteiro, expert in public space and urban landscape; and Phillipp Rode of the London School of Economics.
The public can participate as national delegates and companions for $550,000 pesos (US$190) by subscribing the event registration page. The fee includes access to many of the workshops and conferences of the CGLU and the Agenda Bogotá 2050, inauguration and closing ceremonies and social and networking events.
Some 3,000 participants are expected to attend the event daily. “Hotel occupancy in Bogotá is full for those days,” warned Mayor Peñalosa.
“I am really exited to have people from all over the world coming to Bogotá. It’s a great city and I am excited people will get to know it,” explained Valentina Wieser, director of International Relations of the Bogotá Mayors Office. “We are offering an experience beyond the summit. Many people haven’t been to Bogotá so it’s also going to be an opportunity for people to get to know all aspects of the city,” she said.
Welcoming more than a 1,500 foreign visitors in four days is a challenge that has required a 24/7 commitment on behalf of the summit organizers.
For Edna Margarita González, manager of the Bogotá chapter of the summit. “Our first challenge was to organize an event of this magnitude, and a first for this country, in five months,” she said.
“The count down has started. And we are ready,” she continued. “The city is ready, from hotels, to transportation, to airport immigration, to security, to restaurant offering.”
Less from a month from today, Bogotá will have the chance to prove true the slogan with which it launched the summit, and chances are, “Bogotá will exceed your expectations.”
For more information visit: https://www.bogota2016.uclg.org/en
