Residents of Bogota, Colombia’s capital city, express high levels of dissatisfaction and pessimism with their city, according to a report on the quality of life in the country’s 11 largest cities.
The report, based on interviews and polls with residents of each region, indicated that only 46% of Bogotans feel pride for their city, while a similarly paltry 48% expressed satisfaction with the quality of life in Bogota.
In comparison, over 80% of residents in Medellin, Manizales and Barranquilla reported pride for their city and satisfaction with the quality of life.
Colombia city pride
The study sought answers to a wide variety of questions focused on the subjective experience of the residents of each city, including what their daily life is like, the sense of community they feel with a given neighborhood, their relationships with their neighbors, if they are employed, and how easy transportation is.
Bogota was particularly poorly rated on security, with only 17% of residents indicating that they felt secure in Bogota.
A recurring theme in the interviews was also the concern that private transportation is replacing public transportation. It was significant for interviewees because they viewed it as a potential contributor to more traffic problems in the future, traffic problems being a main criticism of Bogota as it is.
Despite general dissatisfaction with the livability of Bogota, the study revealed that 84% of residents participate in some form of sports, recreation or cultural activity, indicating that Bogota maintains a cultural advantage over other cities in the country.
The organization that conducted the study, Como Vamos, hopes that the results are not only considered an exposition of facts, but a catalyzer of the debate on how best to improve cities in Colombia.