Colombia - Ibagué
The Urban Pathways Implementation Tracker is tracking the Projects Progress
The Urban Pathways Implementation Tracker is tracking the Projects Progress
Ibagué
Ibagué is the capital of Tolima (one of the 32 departments that constitute the Republic of Colombia) and has a surface area of 1,439 km2. The city is the 7th most populous city in Colombia (Procolombia, 2018). Ibagué was founded in its current location by the indigenous Pijaos in 1551, as a reaction to the establishment of the city a year prior by the Spanish colonial powers. The population of the municipality of Ibagué, including urban and rural areas, was estimated in 2015 to be 553,526 inhabitants, 523,068 of whom live in the urban area.
Energy
According to Martinez-Villegas (2018), the electricity mix in Colombia is composed of 66% hydro sources, 28% thermal and 6% self-generating plants. It is estimated that electricity generated from hydro sources during years of heavy rains constitutes about 80% of total generation; whilst a reverse situation occurs in drought years where 55% of total generation comes from thermal sources.
As of 2016, electricity coverage in Colombia’s urban population is estimated to be 100% whilst 95.7% of the rural population had access to electricity (World Bank, 2018). Despite this wide coverage, Roy (2017) indicated that cities continue to experience frequent power outages, though the period of interruptions has been improving over time due to major government interventions such as: the introduction of reliability charges which encourage electricity generators to produce during times of resource scarcity (for example in drought seasons). Again, the Colombian government has also shown interest in developing smart grids to improve the electricity sector. Its 2030 smart grid vision, among other objectives, aims at establishing advanced metering infrastructure, modernising its automated distribution, and developing well-distributed energy systems for electric vehicles (Roy, 2017).
Transport
Several local bus companies operate minibuses throughout the urban center of Ibagué and into its neighboring villages. Urban transport and mobility have become an essential concern for city authorities and planners, whose challenges have grown in recent years, especially with regards to improving sustainable transportation systems. fact-finding mission by the Dutch Cycling Embassy on cycling in Colombia reported that there is a steady growth in biking in major Colombian cities with the popularity of e-bikes also increasing over time (Berenschot and Urbanos, 2015). A 2017 report by C40 indicated that there has been an increase in stakeholder engagements in cycling initiatives in the city of Ibagué, such as critical mass riding events which are periodically organized to promote biking. These engagements have also manifested in the attention given to the development of non-motorised transport options such as bike-sharing in other Colombian cities, like Bogota and Medellin. (Cities Finance Facility, 2017). In an attempt to promote urban mobility, the Colombian Ministry of Transport in 2016, initiated a pilot project to encourage bike-sharing in 23 cities in the country, among which was the city of Ibagué (World Resources Institute, 2017). The Colombian government’s resolve to promote sustainable transport initiatives is enshrined in the country’s National Development Plan (2014 – 2018) which clearly identifies non-motorised transport (such as bicycles and tricycles) as key to the improvement of transport systems in cities. The plan makes provision for the integration of non-motorised modes into the overall transportation systems in urban areas and at the national level. Also, the plan supports the development and use of electricity as alternative fuel source for vehicles (Republic of Colombia, 2015b).
Waste management
The urban and rural areas of Ibagué had been threatened by a large gold mine, the La Colosa project, until popular resistance forced the suspension of the mine's activities in 2017. The gold mine threatened to produce over 100 million tons of waste rock, which would decimate local ecosystems and communities. Otherwise, Colombia has doubled the amount of waste it generated at the end of the 1990s, through both the exploitation of natural resources and the import of international products (Molano & Ortegón-León, 2016). In 2015, South Korean company Ecube Labs equipped two cities, Ibagué, along with the city of Santa Marta, with "smart waste networks" using 130 of its "Clean Cubes." These waste bins are fitted with fill sensors in order to report when the bin is ready to be picked up (The Guardian, 2016).
Ibagué is the capital of Tolima (one of the 32 departments that constitute the Republic of Colombia) and has a surface area of 1,439 km2. The city is the 7th most populous city in Colombia (Procolombia, 2018). Ibagué was founded in its current location by the indigenous Pijaos in 1551, as a reaction to the establishment of the city a year prior by the Spanish colonial powers. The population of the municipality of Ibagué, including urban and rural areas, was estimated in 2015 to be 553,526 inhabitants, 523,068 of whom live in the urban area.
Energy
According to Martinez-Villegas (2018), the electricity mix in Colombia is composed of 66% hydro sources, 28% thermal and 6% self-generating plants. It is estimated that electricity generated from hydro sources during years of heavy rains constitutes about 80% of total generation; whilst a reverse situation occurs in drought years where 55% of total generation comes from thermal sources.
As of 2016, electricity coverage in Colombia’s urban population is estimated to be 100% whilst 95.7% of the rural population had access to electricity (World Bank, 2018). Despite this wide coverage, Roy (2017) indicated that cities continue to experience frequent power outages, though the period of interruptions has been improving over time due to major government interventions such as: the introduction of reliability charges which encourage electricity generators to produce during times of resource scarcity (for example in drought seasons). Again, the Colombian government has also shown interest in developing smart grids to improve the electricity sector. Its 2030 smart grid vision, among other objectives, aims at establishing advanced metering infrastructure, modernising its automated distribution, and developing well-distributed energy systems for electric vehicles (Roy, 2017).
Transport
Several local bus companies operate minibuses throughout the urban center of Ibagué and into its neighboring villages. Urban transport and mobility have become an essential concern for city authorities and planners, whose challenges have grown in recent years, especially with regards to improving sustainable transportation systems. fact-finding mission by the Dutch Cycling Embassy on cycling in Colombia reported that there is a steady growth in biking in major Colombian cities with the popularity of e-bikes also increasing over time (Berenschot and Urbanos, 2015). A 2017 report by C40 indicated that there has been an increase in stakeholder engagements in cycling initiatives in the city of Ibagué, such as critical mass riding events which are periodically organized to promote biking. These engagements have also manifested in the attention given to the development of non-motorised transport options such as bike-sharing in other Colombian cities, like Bogota and Medellin. (Cities Finance Facility, 2017). In an attempt to promote urban mobility, the Colombian Ministry of Transport in 2016, initiated a pilot project to encourage bike-sharing in 23 cities in the country, among which was the city of Ibagué (World Resources Institute, 2017). The Colombian government’s resolve to promote sustainable transport initiatives is enshrined in the country’s National Development Plan (2014 – 2018) which clearly identifies non-motorised transport (such as bicycles and tricycles) as key to the improvement of transport systems in cities. The plan makes provision for the integration of non-motorised modes into the overall transportation systems in urban areas and at the national level. Also, the plan supports the development and use of electricity as alternative fuel source for vehicles (Republic of Colombia, 2015b).
Waste management
The urban and rural areas of Ibagué had been threatened by a large gold mine, the La Colosa project, until popular resistance forced the suspension of the mine's activities in 2017. The gold mine threatened to produce over 100 million tons of waste rock, which would decimate local ecosystems and communities. Otherwise, Colombia has doubled the amount of waste it generated at the end of the 1990s, through both the exploitation of natural resources and the import of international products (Molano & Ortegón-León, 2016). In 2015, South Korean company Ecube Labs equipped two cities, Ibagué, along with the city of Santa Marta, with "smart waste networks" using 130 of its "Clean Cubes." These waste bins are fitted with fill sensors in order to report when the bin is ready to be picked up (The Guardian, 2016).
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Project Development
Urban transport and mobility have over the years become an essential concern for city authorities and planners whose challenges have grown, especially towards improving sustainable transportation systems. With the advancement of electric mobility in transport, electric bicycles have also seen significant increase in usage many cities globally. A fact-finding mission by the Dutch Cycling Embassy on cycling in Colombia reported that there is a steady growth in biking in major Colombian cities with the popularity of e-bikes also increasing over time (Berenschot and Urbanos, 2015). Efforts to expand cycling activities and promote the use of bicycles as an alternative transport mode in cities can potentially contribute to reducing the impacts of fossil-fuel dependent public transportation not only in Colombian cities, but also in urban areas around the world. This paper proceeds to review the potentials that exist in promoting e-bikes sharing systems in the Colombian city of Ibagué. |
