Enrique Peñalosa
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Enrique Peñalosa Londoño (Born in Washington DC, United States- ) is a Colombian journalist and politician, former mayor of Bogotá, from 1998 until the year 2000. He is currently on a lecture tour about his Politics of Happiness.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
In his childhood Peñalosa studied middle school in the Gimnasio Campestre and later high school Colegio Refous in Bogotá. After graduating he then moved to Durham, North Carolina in the United States where he studied Economics at Duke University. For his doctorate he moved to Paris, France where he completed an MBA, while studying there he also worked part-time as a washer in a restaurant and as bellboy in a hotel.
[edit] Politics
Peñalosa started in politics by attending the liberal presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan's Youth groups of followers in Bogotá while working for the state-owned water supply company, Empresa de Acueducto de Bogotá. He later supported Julio César Sánchez a Cundinamarca local political chief who in return helped him get elected as that department's Deputy.
He later was chosen by president Virgilio Barco, friend of his father, as an economic advisor in 1986. In 1990 he runned for congressman without the support of any politician and got elected with 22,000 votes, but only lasted for a year because the Colombian Congress was closed due to corruption and a referendum for a new Colombian Constitution was proposed. However, in those 12 months he presented many projects and managed to pass with others a reforming law to change congress.
In 1991 he then decided to run for mayor of Bogotá with the same tactics he had gained his seat for Congress, without the support of any polilticians and by just doing person to person contact while touring the city walking, biking or riding on public transportation. He ran against Jaime Castro Castro who ultimately won the election. In 1994 he ran for a second time, this time against Antanas Mockus who won over him for a large margin.
[edit] Mayor of Bogotá
In 1997 he ran a third time, now facing Carlos Moreno de Caro[1] winning for a close margin of votes.[2] Peñalosa received from Mayor Mockus a city in good fiscal conditions and with a District Council that was mostly independent.[3]
Peñalosa included many of his political friends in his cabinet including long time friend Carlos Alberto Sandoval who had worked with him in Barco's presidency and who he appointed as Secretary of Economy, Gilma Jiménez in the Family Welfare Institute.
During his mayorship he developed five megaprojects; the bank of lands, District's system of Parks (including the Bogota's Bike Paths Network), District's system of libraries, Transmilenio and road construction and maintenance.[4]
[edit] Presidential candidate
He is a possible candidate for the 2010 Colombian presidential election and leads the Por el Pais que Queremos Foundation (PPQ), spanish for "For the Country we Want".[5]
[edit] Family
his father was the secretary general of Habitat '76 in Vancouver
[edit] Bibliography
[edit] Books
- Capitalismo: La mejor opción (book)
- Democracia y Capitalismo: retos para el próximo siglo
[edit] Documentaries
- Capitalismo, la mejor opción (Documentary), (1990)
[edit] Articles
He has writen articles for El Tiempo, Nueva Frontera (magazine), Economía Colombiana, Carta Financiera and Revista Diners.
[edit] Awards
- Simón Bolívar Journalism Award 1986 for his economy related journalism section in El Espectador newspaper.
- Simón Bolívar Journalism Award 1990 for his Documentary; Capitalismo, la mejor opción.
[edit] Quotes:
"Children are a kind of indicator species. If we can build a successful city for children, we will have a successful city for all people."
"If you base progress on per capita income, then the developing world will not catch up with rich countries for the next three or four hundred years"
"We need to walk, just as birds need to fly. We need to be around other people. We need beauty. We need contact with nature. And most of all, we need not to be excluded. We need to feel some sort of equality."
"All this (Bogotá's) pedestrian infrastructure shows respect for human dignity. We’re telling people, “You are important"
"Every Sunday we close 120 kilometers of roads to motor vehicles for seven hours. A million and a half people of all ages and incomes come out to ride bicycles, jog, and simply gather with others in community."
