@article{Padilla:2435,
      recid = {2435},
      author = {Padilla, Kimika},
      title = {Bird’s Eye View: Local Perspectives from a Case Study of  Aerial Cable Cars in Bogotá, Colombia},
      publisher = {University of Chicago},
      school = {B.A.},
      address = {2020-06},
      number = {THESIS},
      abstract = {The TransMiCable is an aerial cable car route that was  inaugurated in December 2018, in Bogotá, Colombia. This  paper examines the impacts of the TransMiCable on public  transit accessibility and mobility through an ethnographic  case study of two barrios in Ciudad Bolivar, a poor  peripheral locality of Bogotá where the aerial cable car  route was built. Although the aerial cable car is not a  common form of public transit in the United States, it is a  promising mode of transportation in regions like the  mountainous Andes of South America, where geography limits  the efficiency and feasibility of more traditional modes  like cars, buses, subways, and trains. The aerial cable car  is a relatively new mode of public transit, which gained  widespread interest from policy-makers and academics after  it was successfully implemented in Medellín, Colombia. My  research addresses two central questions: How do peripheral  residents in Ciudad Bolívar perceive the impact of the  TransMiCable aerial cable car route on their urban  mobility? And, how can city government policies and  investments in public transit, particularly aerial cable  cars, address historic inequality and improve public  transit accessibility? My case study of Paraíso and  Mirador, the two barrios at the end of the TransMiCable  route, included 13 interviews and 8 group observations,  mainly conducted with adult residents of Ciudad Bolívar.  Interview questions and observations were designed to  elicit participants’ subjective experiences with public  transit, and their perceptions of the TransMiCable’s  impact. This paper concludes that TransMiCable users’  commutes to the urban core are faster, safer, and more  comfortable than before. The TransMiCable inspires pride  and hope for some residents of Ciudad Bolívar. But  respondents also identified limitations which prevented  them from enjoying better mobility despite the new  TransMiCable route. TransMiCable users in my research  explained that although they saved a significant amount of  time using the aerial cable cars instead of a public bus,  budget constraints still prevented them from participating  in activities around their city. From a policy perspective,  my findings are particularly relevant for Bogotá and other  cities with similar geographic and spatial-economic  contexts, namely urban centers experiencing high income  inequality with poorer residents located on the mountainous  periphery.},
      url = {http://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/2435},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.6082/uchicago.2435},
}