Bogota Colombia: Transformation of abandoned buildings

theguardian reported My Bogotá: booming metropolis, dangerous labyrinth, chaotic megacity. Its smoggy industrialism may shock those expecting to sip piña coladas in flowered button-downs; this absence of little cocktail umbrellas is made even more noticeable by the pervasive presence of life-size umbrellas, to combat the Colombian capital’s endless rainfall.

For more than eight years, Bogotá has had a bad batch of local mayors. Following the successful and regenerative reigns of Enrique Peñalosa and Antanas Mockus, the local administration became so steeped in corruption that one of our mayors, Samuel Moreno, was actually arrested during his term of office. All that was achieved during the administrations of Peñalosa and Mockus – the creation of bike paths, new schools, the recuperation of public space for citizens – were thwarted by what followed. And while the current mayor, Gustavo Petro, came to power promising to transform the city by ridding it of corruption, the Bogotá air is still full of mistrust, insecurity and negativity. Read Article