Bogota, Colombia’s vibrant capital, is a benchmark for smart cities. The metropolis prioritizes sustainable development, innovation, and smart planning as pillars of its growth.
By 2023, Bogota managed to integrate 1,485 electric buses into its public transport system. Additionally, thanks to public-private partnerships, the city has the largest bike-sharing system in Latin America. By 2022, this sustainable mobility system, led by Tembici, had a fleet of 1,500 mechanical and electric bicycles, 150 handcycles, 150 bikes with boxes, 300 stations, and 150 seats for transporting children.
New Science, Technology, and Innovation District
Alongside private sector stakeholders and the national government, the city is working to inaugurate the Science, Technology, and Innovation District. This ambitious project envisages the reuse of 247 hectares and the adaptation of this space for 5G laboratories, innovation projects and collaborative scenarios that foster science, technology, and innovation.
The Science, Technology, and Innovation District will offer a portfolio of dynamic and specialized services, including centers for understanding the environment, articulation of the entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem, knowledge and information transfer centers, coworking, and networking spaces, as well as auditoriums for the dissemination of initiatives that strengthen the innovation and technology ecosystems.
Progress in sustainable and quality infrastructure
In recent years, the city has made progress in infrastructure projects that guarantee not only sustainability, but also efficient mobility. Some of these projects include the Transmicable and the construction of the Bogota Metro, which will have all-electric cars on its first line.
Moreover, the city continues to advance in the bidding process for the construction of the second line of the Metro. All these public policy plans reaffirm the city’s commitment to efficient mobility and sustainability.
El Dorado International Airport
Bogota’s airport is a leader in cargo movement and is the busiest in South America. It is also the first airport in the Americas with 4 Skytrax stars for its biosafety protocols. As if this were not enough, in 2021, El Dorado was the first airport in the world to receive the highest Leed Platinum certification, a recognition awarded for meeting sustainability standards.
El Dorado also has a wastewater treatment plant. There, it transforms biodegradable matter and disinfects the water. This prevents polluting waste from flowing into the Bogota River.
Hosting Smart Cities 2023
It is for all these reasons that Bogota has been selected as the host city for one of the most important events in the field of smart cities: Smart City Expo. Promoted by Fira Barcelona International and promoted by Smart City Expo World Congress, in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of Bogota, this event will bring together experts from around the world to share knowledge, ideas, and strategies on how to turn cities into smart and sustainable environments.
Under the slogan “Cities that care, cities that innovate“, Smart City Expo Bogota seeks to highlight the role of cities as drivers of quality of life through public innovation.
This event is expected to be a wonderful platform for the exchange of ideas and the generation of business opportunities. It will be attended by approximately 4 thousand visitors, more than 70 expert speakers, and 60 companies and institutions. All of them will meet at Corferias.
Smart City Expo Bogota will cover topics such as smart technologies, urban mobility, infrastructure, economic development, public innovation, sustainable energy, the environment, sustainable territories, cybersecurity, open government, open data, digital citizenship, and safe cities.
It will also count on the participation of leading partner associations, such as UN-Habitat, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank. It also has strategic allies such as the Bogota Chamber of Commerce, which reaffirms the commitment of all city actors to development through innovation and public-private collaboration.
