Los pasajes del BRT en Bogotá: los puentes peatonales del sistema “Transmilenio” como dispositivos que generan nueva urbanidad

Abstract

When the first expressways of the Transmilenio system were constructed in Bogota, pedestrian bridges became crucial elements that support the system by linking directly pedestrians and public transport stations. Pedestrian bridges acquired a new role, not only as connecting hubs of the system but also as originating spaces where a new urbanity is generated. Bridges are also devices that facilitate access from the stations to neighborhoods and to other means of transport; they allow access to new equipment, from commercial services to street vending. The object of this paper is to analyze the pedestrian bridges and the public space of the Transmilenio system in Bogotá, in order to understand its logic as a connector between borders and as devices that generate a double experience in people: they guarantee their access to public transport and therefore to the city, and at the same time its function as a new social space that integrates mobility, connections and activities at local level.