Enrique Peñalosa: Why buses represent democracy in action

Translator: Jone Aliri Lazcano Reviewer: Maider Lizoain

Mobility in developing world cities

Garapenerako bidean dauden hirietan

is a very peculiar challenge,

mugikortasuna erronka berezia da,

because different from health

osasunarekin, hezkuntzarekin edo etxebizitzarekin gertatzen ez den bezala

or education or housing,

it tends to get worse as societies become richer.

hau okertzen baitoa gizartea aberasten doan heinean.

Clearly, a unsustainable model.

Argi eta garbi, jasangarria ez den eredu bat.

Mobility, as most other developing country problems,

Garapenerako bidean dauden herrialdeetako

arazoetako asko bezala, mugikortasuna

more than a matter of money or technology,

diruari edo teknologiari lotutako gauza bat baino,

is a matter of equality, equity.

berdintasunari, ekitasunari lotutako gauza bat da.

The great inequality in developing countries

Garapen bidean dauden herrialdeetako desberdintasunek

makes it difficult to see, for example,

zaildu egiten dute hainbat gauza ikustea, esaterako

that in terms of transport,

garraioari dagokionez

an advanced city is not one

hiri aurreratu bat ez dela aurreratua

where even the poor use cars,

txiroek ere autoak dituztelako,

but rather one where even the rich

baizik eta aberatsek ere

use public transport.

garraio publikoa erabiltzen dutelako.

Or bicycles: For example, in Amsterdam,

Edo bizikletak: Amsterdamen esaterako

more than 30 percent of the population

hiritarren %30ak baino gehiagok

uses bicycles,

bizikleta erabiltzen du,

despite the fact that the Netherlands has

nahiz eta Holandak Estatu Batuek baino

a higher income per capita than the United States.

renta per capita handiagoa izan.

There is a conflict in developing world cities

Garapen bidean dauden herrialdeetan, diruak,

for money, for government investment.

gobernuak egiten duen inbertsioak gatazka eragiten du.

If more money is invested in highways,

Autobidean diru gehiago inbertitzen bada,

of course there is less money for housing,

etxebizitzetarako, ospitaleetarako, eskoletarako

for schools, for hospitals,

diru gutxiago geratzen da, eta gainera

and also there is a conflict for space.

lekuarengatik ere gatazka egon ohi da.

There is a conflict for space between

Lekuagatik lehia egon ohi da,

those with cars and those without them.

autoa dutenen eta ez dutenen artean.

Most of us accept today

Gutako askok onartzen dugu egun

that private property and a market economy

propietate pribatua eta merkatu ekonomia dela

is the best way to manage most of society's resources.

errekurtso sozialak kudeatzeko modurik onena.

However, there is a problem with that,

Baina arazo bat dago:

that market economy needs

merkatu ekonomiak diru-sarreren desberdintasuna

inequality of income in order to work.

behar du funtzionatu ahal izateko.

Some people must make more money,

Batzuek diru gehiago egin behar dute,

some others less.

eta beste batzuek gutxiago.

Some companies succeed. Others fail.

Enpresa batzuek arrakasta izan behar dute, beste batzuek hondoa jo.

Then what kind of equality

Eta orduan, zer nolako berdintasuna

can we hope for today

espero dezakegu

with a market economy?

merkatuko ekonomia batean?

I would propose two kinds

Nik bi proposatuko nituzke,

which both have much to do with cities.

hiriekin zerikusi handia duten bi.

The first one is equality of quality of life,

Lehendabizikoa, bizi kalitatearen berdintasuna litzateke,

especially for children,

bereziki haurrengan,

that all children should have,

haur guztiek izan beharko luketena,

beyond the obvious health and education,

ebidenteak diren osasuna eta hezkuntzaz gain,

access to green spaces, to sports facilities,

gune berdeetarako, kirol-guneetarako,

to swimming pools, to music lessons.

igerilekuetarako, musika eskoletarako sarbidea.

And the second kind of equality

Eta bigarren berdintasun mota,

is one which we could call "democratic equality."

"berdinatsun demokratikoa" deitu dezakegu.

The first article in every constitution states

Konstituzio guztietako lehen artikuluak zera dio

that all citizens are equal before the law.

hiritar guztiak berdinak direla legearen aurrean.

That is not just poetry.

Hori ez da poesia hutsa.

It's a very powerful principle.

Oso printzipio indartsua da.

For example, if that is true,

Esaterako hori egia bada,

a bus with 80 passengers

80 bidaiari dituen autobus batek

has a right to 80 times more road space

bidaiari bakarra duen auto batek baino

than a car with one.

80 aldiz leku gehiagotarako eskubidea du errepidean.

We have been so used to inequality, sometimes,

Desberdintasunera hainbeste ohitu gara, zenbaitetan

that it's before our noses and we do not see it.

gure aurrean egon arren ez dugula ikusten.

Less than 100 years ago,

Duela ehun urte baino gutxiago,

women could not vote,

emakumezkoek ezin zuten botua eman

and it seemed normal,

eta horrek normala zirudien,

in the same way that it seems normal today

era berean egun normala iruditzen zaigu

to see a bus in traffic.

autobus bat trafikoaren erdian ikustea.

In fact, when I became mayor,

Izatez, alkate izan nintzenean,

applying that democratic principle

ongizate publikoa interes pribatuaren gainetik

that public good prevails over private interest,

dagoela dioen printzipio demokratiko hori aplikatuz,

that a bus with 100 people

eta ehun pertsona dituen autobus batek

has a right to 100 times more road space than a car,

auto batek baino ehun aldiz leku gehiagorako eskubidea duela kontuan hartuz,

we implemented a mass transit system

autobusentzat soilik ziren errepide batzuk zituen sistema bat aplikatu genuen.

based on buses in exclusive lanes.

We called it TransMilenio, in order to make buses sexier.

TransMilenio deitu genion sexy-agoa bihurtzeko.

And one thing is that it is also a very beautiful democratic symbol, because as buses zoom by,

Eta sinbolo demokratiko polit bat da,

autobusak abiada bizian pasatzen diren bitartean

expensive cars stuck in traffic,

autoak trafikoaren erdian ez aurrera eta ez atzera geratzen direlako.

it clearly is almost a picture of democracy at work.

Ia ia funtzionamentuan dagoen demokrazia baten marrazkia da.

In fact, it's not just a matter of equity.

Izatez ez da ekitate kontua soilik.

It doesn't take Ph.D.'s.

Ez da doktoratu bat behar.

A committee of 12-year-old children

12 urteko haurren komite batek

would find out in 20 minutes

20 minutuan asmatuko luke

that the most efficient way to use scarce road space

errepideetako lekua erabiltzeko modurik efizienteena

is with exclusive lanes for buses.

autobusentzat soilik diren errailak direla.

In fact, buses are not sexy,

Errealitatean, autobusak ez dira sexy-ak,

but they are the only possible means

baina jende asko leku guztietara eraman ahal izateko modu bakarra dira

to bring mass transit to all areas

of fast growing developing cities.

azkar handiagotzen ari diren garapen bidean dauden hirietan.

They also have great capacity.

Kapazitate handia dute.

For example, this system in Guangzhou

Adibidez, sistema honek Guangzhou-n

is moving more passengers our direction

Txinako metroko linea guztiak baino bidaiari gehiago mugitzen ditu,

than all subway lines in China,

except for one line in Beijing,

Pekin-eko bat kenduta,

at a fraction of the cost.

kostuaren zati batekin.

We fought not just for space for buses,

Gure borroka ez da izan autobusentzat lekua lortzeko soilik,

but we fought for space for people,

pertsonentzako lekuagatik ere borrokatu gara,

and that was even more difficult.

eta hori are zailagoa izan da.

Hiriak giza habitat-a dira,

Cities are human habitats,

and we humans are pedestrians.

eta gizakiak oinezkoak gara.

Just as fish need to swim or birds need to fly

Arrainek igeri, eta txoriek hegan edo oreinek korrika

or deer need to run, we need to walk.

egin behar duten bezala, guk ibili beharra dugu.

There is a really enormous conflict,

Benetan gatazka handi bat dago

when we are talking about developing country cities,

garapenerako bidean dauden hirietaz ari garenean,

between pedestrians and cars.

oinezkoen eta autoen artean.

Here, what you see is a picture that shows

Hemen ikusten duzuen hau, nahikoa ez den

insufficient democracy.

demokrazia bat islatzen duen irudi bat da.

What this shows is that people who walk

Bertan oinez dabiltzan pertsonak hirugarren mailako

are third-class citizens

hiritarrak direla ikusten da,

while those who go in cars

autoz doanak lehen mailako

are first-class citizens.

hiritarrak diren bitartean.

In terms of transport infrastructure,

Garraio azpiegiturako terminoetan,

what really makes a difference

hiri aurreratu eta atzeratuen artean

between advanced and backward cities

benetako desberdinatsuna sortzen duena

is not highways or subways

ez dira autobideak edo metroak,

but quality sidewalks.

kalitatezko espaloiak baizik.

Here they made a flyover, probably very useless,

Hemen ziurrenik nahiko alferrikako goi-pasabide bat egin zuten,

and they forgot to make a sidewalk.

eta espaloi bat egitea ahaztu zitzaien.

This is prevailing all over the world.

Hau mundu guztian gailentzen da.

Not even schoolchildren are more important than cars.

Eskolara doazen haurrek ere ez dute autoek baino garrantzi handiagorik.

In my city of Bogotá,

Nire hirian, Bogotan

we fought a very difficult battle

borroka gogorra izan genuen

in order to take space from cars,

espaloietan hamarkadak aparkatuta zeramatzaten

which had been parking on sidewalks for decades,

autoei lekua kendu eta pertsonentzat eta bizikletentzat

in order to make space for people that should reflect

babestutako errailak eta lekuak egiteko.

dignity of human beings,

Horrek gizakien duintasuna islatu beharko luke.

and to make space for protected bikeways.

First of all, I had black hair before that.

Lehendabizi, guzti honen aurretik ez neukan ile zuririk.

(Laughter)

(Barreak)

And I was almost impeached in the process.

Eta ia ia prozesuan nire izena belztu zuten.

It is a very difficult battle.

Oso borroka zaila da.

However, it was possible, finally,

Baina, azkenean posible izan da,

after very difficult battles, to make a city

oso borroka latzen ostean, gizakion duintasunagatik

that would reflect some respect for human dignity,

errespetua islatzen zuen, eta oinez dabiltzanak

that would show that those who walk are equally

autoa dutenak bezain garrantzitsuak direla erakusten duen hiri bat sortzea.

important to those who have cars.

Indeed, a very important ideological and political issue anywhere

Izatez, guzti honetan bada gai ideologiko eta politiko garrantzitsu bat,

is how to distribute that most valuable resource

hiri bateko errekurtso garrantzitsuena,

of a city, which is road space.

errepideetako lekua banatzea bezala baita.

A city could find oil or diamonds underground

Hiri batek lurrazpian petrolioa edo diamanteak aurki ditzake

and it would not be so valuable as road space.

eta hala ere ez da errepideetako lekua bezain garrantzitsua.

How to distribute it between pedestrians,

Nola banatu oinezko, bizikleta, garraio publiko

bicycles, public transport and cars?

eta autoen artean?

This is not a technological issue,

Ez da teknologiari lotutako kontu bat,

and we should remember that in no constitution

eta banaketa hori egitean, kontuan izan behar dugu

parking is a constitutional right

inolako konstituzioetan ez dela agertzen

when we make that distribution.

aparkatzeko eskubide konstituzionalik.

We also built, and this was 15 years ago,

Duela 15 urte, New York, Paris edo Londres-eko

before there were bikeways in New York

bizikletentzako erreilen aurretik

or in Paris or in London,

borroka gogor baten ostean

it was a very difficult battle as well,

350 km baino gehiagoko

more than 350 kilometers of protected bicycle ways.

bizikleta erreilak ere sortu genituen.

I don't think protected bicycle ways

Ez dut uste bizikletentzako erreilak

are a cute architectural feature.

elementu arkitektoniko ederrak direnik.

They are a right, just as sidewalks are,

Eskubide bat dira, espaloiak bezala,

unless we believe that only those

ez badugu uste behintzat,

with access to a motor vehicle

motordun ibilgailu bat dutenek soilik dutela

have a right to safe mobility,

hiltzeko arriskurik gabeko

without the risk of getting killed.

mugikortasun seguru bat izateko eskubidea.

And just as busways are,

Eta autobusen erreilen antzera

protected bikeways also are

bizikleten erreilak ere

a powerful symbol of democracy,

sinbolo demokratiko boteretsu bat dira,

because they show that a citizen on a $30 bicycle

30$ balio duen bizikleta bat duen hiritarra

is equally important

30000$ balio duen autoa duen

to one in a $30,000 car.

hitarra bezain garrantzitsua dela adierazten duelako.

And we are living in a unique moment in history.

Eta historian une berezia bizi dugu.

In the next 50 years, more than half of those cities

Datorren 50 urteetan 2060. urtean

which will exist in the year 2060 will be built.

egongo diren hirien erdiak eraikiko dira.

In many developing country cities,

Garapenerako bidean dauden hainbat herrialdeetan,

more than 80 and 90 percent

2060an izango diren hirien

of the city which will exist in 2060

%80 eta %90 baino gehiago

will be built over the next four or five decades.

datozen 4 edo 5 hamarkadetan sortuko dira.

But this is not just a matter for developing country cities.

Baina hau ez doa garapen bidean dauden herrialdeekin bakarrik.

In the United States, for example,

Estatu Batuetan esaterako,

more than 70 million new homes

70 milioi etxebizitza berri baino gehiago sortuko dira

must be built over the next 40 or 50 years.

datozen 40 edo 50 urteetan.

That's more than all the homes that today exist

Hauek egun Britainia Handian, Frantzian eta Kanadan dauden

in Britain, France and Canada put together.

etxebizitza guztiak baino gehiago dira.

And I believe that our cities today

Uste dut gure hiriek egun

have severe flaws,

akats larriak dituztela,

and that different, better ones could be built.

eta ezberdinak eta hobeak liratekeen batzuk sor daitezkeela.

What is wrong with our cities today?

Zein dira ba egungo hiriek dituzten akatsak?

Well, for example, if we tell any three-year-old child

Beno, esaterako, mintzatzen ikasten ari den 3 urteko haur bati

who is barely learning to speak

in any city in the world today,

munduko edozein hiritan,

"Watch out, a car,"

"kontuz! auto bat!" esaten badiogu,

the child will jump in fright,

haurrak beldurtuta erantzungo du

and with a very good reason, because there are

eta arrazoia izango du, urtero munduan

more than 10,000 children who are killed

10 mila haur baino gehiago hiltzen baitira

by cars every year in the world.

auto batek harrapatuta.

We have had cities for 8,000 years,

Hiriak izan ditugu 8 mila urtetan zehar

and children could walk out of home and play.

eta haurrak etxetik irten eta jolastu zezaketen.

In fact, only very recently,

Izatez orain gutxi arte,

towards 1900, there were no cars.

1900 urte ingururarte, ez zegoen autorik.

Cars have been here for really less than 100 years.

Berez autoek gurekin 100 urte baino gutxiago daramate.

They completely changed cities.

Eta hiriak erabat eraldatu dituzte.

In 1900, for example,

1900. urtean esaterako,

nobody was killed by cars in the United States.

ez zen inor hil auto batek harrapatuta Estatu Batuetan,

Only 20 years later,

20 urte geroago,

between 1920 and 1930,

1920 eta 1930 urte artean,

almost 200,000 people

ia 200 mila pertsona izan ziren

were killed by cars in the United States.

auto batek harrapatu eta hil zirenak Estatu Batuetan.

Only in 1925, almost 7,000 children

1935. urtean soilik, ia 7000 haur

were killed by cars in the United States.

hil ziren auto batek harrapatuta Estatu Batuetan.

So we could make different cities,

Beraz hiri ezberdinak eraiki genitzake,

cities that will give more priority to human beings

gizakiei autoei baino lehentasun

than to cars, that will give more public space

gehiago emango lioketen hiriak. Gizakiei autoei baino

to human beings than to cars,

esparru publiko gehiago emango lioketen hiriak,

cities which show great respect

ahulenak diren hiritarrei, haurrei eta zaharrei adibidez,

for those most vulnerable citizens,

errespetu handi bat erakutsiko lioketen

such as children or the elderly.

hiriak.

I will propose to you a couple of ingredients

Hiriak askoz hobeak egingo lituzketen,

which I think would make cities much better,

eta eraikitzen ari diren hirietan

and it would be very simple to implement them

aplikatzeko oso errazak diren

in the new cities which are only being created.

osagai pare bat proposatuko dizkizuet.

Hundreds of kilometers of greenways

Hiriak norabide guztietan zeharkatuko lituzketen

criss-crossing cities in all directions.

ehundaka kilometro gune berde.

Children will walk out of homes into safe spaces.

Haurrak etxetik gune seguruetara irtengo lirateke.

They could go for dozens of kilometers safely

Oinez dozenaka kilometrotan modu seguruan ibili ahalko lukete,

without any risk in wonderful greenways,

arriskurik gabe, gune berde ederretatik,

sort of bicycle highways,

bizikletentzako autobideak balira bezala,

and I would invite you to imagine the following:

eta hau imaginatzera gonbidatzen zaituztet:

a city in which every other street would be

autoentzako bi errepideren artean,

a street only for pedestrians and bicycles.

bat oinezko eta bizikletentzat bakarrik legokeen hiri bat.

In new cities which are going to be built,

Eraikitzeko dauden hiri berrietan hori ez litzateke

this would not be particularly difficult.

bereziki zaila.

When I was mayor of Bogotá,

Bogotako alkate izan nintzenean,

in only three years, we were able to create

3 urtetan soilik bizikletentzako horrelako autobideko

70 kilometers,

70 km

in one of the most dense cities in the world,

sortu ahal izan genituen,

of these bicycle highways.

munduko hiririk populatuenetako batean.

And this changes the way people live,

Eta honek jendeak duen bizitzeko modua,

move, enjoy the city.

mugitzeko modua eta hiriaz gozatzeko modua aldatzen du.

In this picture, you see in one of the very poor neighborhoods,

Irudi honetan ikus dezakezue auzo txiroenetariko batean

we have a luxury pedestrian bicycle street,

oinezkoentzan dugun luxuzko erraila, bizikletentzako dugun erraila, eta

and the cars still in the mud.

autoak oraindik lokatzetatik nola doazen.

Of course, I would love to pave this street for cars.

Argi dago auto hauentzat erraila asfaltatu nahiko nukeela,

But what do we do first?

baina zer egingo dugu lehenago?

Ninety-nine percent of the people in those neighborhoods don't have cars.

Auzo hauetan jendearen %99ak ez dauka autorik.

But you see, when a city is only being created,

Baina ikus dezakezue hiri bat sortzen hastean

it's very easy to incorporate

oso erraza dela

this kind of infrastructure.

modu honetako azpiegitura txertatzea.

Then the city grows around it.

Hiria bere inguruan hazten da.

And of course this is just a glimpse

Eta noski, hau

askoz hobea izan zitekeenaren zantzu bat besterik ez da,

of something which could be much better

if we just create it,

and it changes the way of life.

eta bizitzeko modua aldatzen du.

And the second ingredient, which would solve mobility,

Mugikortasuna konponduko lukeen bigarren osagaia,

that very difficult challenge in developing countries,

garapenerako bidean dauden herrialdeetan dagoen erronka zail hori,

in a very low-cost and simple way,

modu sinple eta merkean konponduko lukeena,

would be to have hundreds of kilometers

ehundaka kilometro luzeko autobusentzako errailak lirateke;

of streets only for buses,

buses and bicycles and pedestrians.

autobusak, bizikletak eta oinezkoak.

This would be, again, a very low-cost solution

Berriz diot, konponbide merkea litzateke

if implemented from the start,

hasiera batetik aplikatuko bagenu.

low cost, pleasant transit

Kostu baxuko garraio eroso bat,

with natural sunlight.

eta argi naturalduna.

But unfortunately, reality is not as good

Baina zoritxarrez, errealitatea ez da nire ametsetan bezain ona.

as my dreams.

Because of private property of land

Lurraren pribatutasunagatik

and high land prices,

eta prezio altuagatik,

all developing country cities have a large problem of slums.

garapen bidean dauden herrailde guztiek arazo handi bat dute auzo txiroetan.

In my country of Colombia, almost half the homes

Nire herrialdean, Kolonbian, ia hirian dauden

in cities initially were illegal developments.

etxebizitzen erdiak legez kanpoko asentatzeak ziren hasieran.

And of course it's very difficult to have

Eta noski oso zaila da leku horietan garraio publikoa

mass transit or to use bicycles in such environments.

izatea edo bizikletak erabiltzea.

But even legal developments

Baina legez kanpoko asentatzeak ere

have also been located in the wrong places,

toki okerretan ipini dira,

very far from the city centers

hiriguneetatik urrun,

where it's impossible to provide

frekuentzia altuko eta koste baxuko

low-cost, high-frequency public transport.

garraio publikoa ipintzea posible ez den lekuan.

As a Latin American, and Latin America

Latinoamerikar bezala, eta latinoamerika da

was the most recently organized region in the world,

berrikien estruturatu den munduko lurraldea,

I would recommend, respectfully, passionately,

errespetu guztiz eta pasio handiz zera gomendatuko nieke

to those countries which are yet to urbanize --

oraindik urbanizatzeko dauden herrialdeei,

Latin America went from 40 percent urban in 1950

-Latinoamerika 1950an %40ko hiri-populazio batetik

to 80 percent urban in 2010 --

2010ean %80ra pasa zen-

I would recommend Asian and African countries

Asiako eta Afrikako oraindik urbanizatzeko dauden herrialdeei

which are yet to urbanize,

such as India which is only 33 percent urban now,

India bezalakoei, %33ko hiri populazioa duelarik,

gobernuek hirien inguruko lurraldea eskura dezatela.

that governments should acquire all land around cities.

In this way, their cities could grow in the right places

Modu honetan, hiriak leku egokietan haziko lirateke,

with the right spaces, with the parks,

leku egokiekin, parkeekin,

with the greenways, with the busways.

gune berdeekin, autobusentzako erreilekin.

The cities we are going to build

Datozen 50 urteetan

over the next 50 years

eraikiko ditugun herrialdeak

will determine quality of life and even happiness

etorkizuneko milaka milioika pertsonen

for billions of people towards the future.

bizi kalitatea eta zoriontasuna erabakiko dute.

What a fantastic opportunity for leaders

Hau bai aukera ederra

and many young leaders to come,

oraingo eta etorkizuneko

especially in the developing countries.

agintarientzat.

They can create a much happier life

Bizitza askoz zoriontsuago bat

for billions towards the future.

sortu dezakete milaka milioika pertsonentzako.

I am sure, I am optimistic,

Ziur nago, eta honetan optimista naiz,

that they will make cities better

geure amets onenetako hiriak baino

than our most ambitious dreams.

hobeak sortuko dituztela.

(Applause)

(Txaloak)