Nestled in the Andes, Bogotá’s mountainous landscape traps air pollutants, sometimes cloaking the Colombian capital in a dusty smog.
The consequences have been severe. The city’s poor air quality resulted in an estimated 2,300 excess deaths in 2019. In 2023, Bogotá’s average concentration of PM2.5, a fine particulate matter that can cause respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, measured more than three times the recommended limit from the World Health Organization (WHO).
Bogotá is not alone. More than 40% of cities worldwide have air pollution levels over seven times higher than the WHO’s recommended limit. But unlike many other cities, Bogotá is taking groundbreaking steps to address its air challenges. By investing in data and redesigning city infrastructure, it is positioning itself as a leader in the fight for cleaner air.
Barrios Vitales: Cleaning the Air One Neighborhood at a Time
Bogota’s air pollution comes from sources both inside the city — like energy use, vehicles and factories — and outside it, such as smoke from wildfires and even sand from the Sahara Desert. In order to change that situation, Bogota needed to tackle air pollution in the places that feel its impact most acutely: the neighborhoods where people live, work and travel.
Bogotá launched its “Barrios Vitales” (or “Vital Neighborhoods”) initiative in 2024 in San Felipe, a former mixed-use area that’s more recently become a high-traffic hub for arts and culture. Working closely with the community through focus groups, surveys and co-creation workshops, the city took steps to clean the air while also making San Felipe a more enjoyable neighborhood.
It introduced new pedestrian zones where people can stroll unencumbered by car traffic. Bike lanes replaced some of the busier roads, helping to increase public transit use by 81% and bike and scooter use by 82%.
The city also added green spaces and installed benches as rest points. These changes encourage walking and cycling over car use, while additional trees and green spaces also help clean the air.
After these interventions, Bogotá’s Secretary of Mobility confirmed that the share of trips made on foot increased from 16% to 21%, getting more vehicles off the road and reducing air pollutants. Initial findings showed that PM2.5 levels dropped by 13% in San Felipe, thanks to the Barrios Vitales program.
Bogotá has since expanded the Barrios Vitales program to Bosa El Povenir, San Cristobal South, Las Cruces and San Carlos — other heavily trafficked neighborhoods. The city’s masterplan aims to implement 33 Barrios Vitales by 2035.
Tackling Air Quality with Better Data
As Bogotá works toward goals in its air quality action plan, Plan Aire 2030, having robust and actionable data will remain essential. To that end, in 2020 the city partnered with WRI to enhance its air quality monitoring system with the CanAIRy Alert air quality forecast model. The previous system had limited accuracy outside city boundaries, making it difficult to confidently anticipate high pollution events. The new model combines atmospheric modeling tools from NASA with local air quality monitoring data, allowing for precise, city-specific forecasts. This upgraded system can produce air quality predictions up to five days in advance of high-pollution events.
This early warning system allows authorities to better anticipate days when air pollution may spike and take preventive measures. The city’s new alerts advise residents to limit their exposure to pollution by avoiding open spaces during high pollution hours or by reducing their use of private vehicles to help curb emissions. These early warnings are crucial for protecting public health, especially for vulnerable groups such as children, older adults, pregnant people and those with chronic illnesses.
The city also works with other sectors to implement emissions controls on other sources. During a high-pollution
CanAIRy Alert Air Quality Forecasting System
CanAIRy Alert aims to address air quality challenges by translating and packaging globally available datasets — such as NASA’s GEOS-CF forecast, local air quality monitoring data, reference-grade monitors and emissions inventories — into decision-relevant, locally accessible tools for cities in Mexico, Colombia, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal and Uganda.
event, the secretary of the environment may recommend, for example, that the industrial sector limit equipment operations to specific hours of the day, that cargo trucks reschedule deliveries for midday or midnight to avoid peak hours when residents are outside, and that freight operators use alternate routes to avoid entering the city.
Bringing It All Together: Design and Data for a Healthier City
Bogotá is now working with more communities to enhance connectivity through clean electric mobility, such as the deployment of nearly 1,500 electric buses — with 600 more under procurement — to the transportation system; two cable cars, one in operation and one under construction; and 24 kilometers of metro line, while also extending and improving its 600 kilometers of bike lanes. The city also plans to expand functional greenery like street trees.
The city will continue to use its enhanced monitoring capabilities to keep people safe and share the benefits of its new urban designs.
Bogotá may not be able to overcome its geographical challenges or influence global weather patterns. But through its data-informed urban design approach, the city has created a replicable toolkit for an effective, scalable urban air quality program. With robust and actionable data — and a willingness to reimagine neighborhoods — cities can work proactively to provide cleaner air for all.