Washington, D.C., October 29, 2020 (PAHO)—COVID-19 is having a detrimental impact on urban population health. The virus has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths. At the same time, public health and social measures to prevent virus transmission are having wider health consequences. Loss of employment and income has exacerbated food insecurity, health services have been partially or completely disrupted across the world, and many measures have had adverse impacts in terms of mental and physical health. Negative health impacts of COVID-19 are disproportionately being felt by populations living in vulnerable circumstances, widening existing health inequalities.
Local and national governments are implementing policies to stem the global crisis while introducing measures to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on society and individuals. In responding to the pandemic, cities have had to react rapidly and innovatively to address the challenges raised by the pandemic. Cities have an important role in monitoring the impact of the pandemic and of the measures put in place on population health and health inequalities.
As the world looks to rebuild and recover, there is an opportunity to define a new city standard, one which invests and creates policy to protect and promote population health, addresses inequalities, and combat environmental degradation.
Bogota, Colombia
Temporary Bike lines
Bogota’s Ciclovías (bike lanes) have been extended to incorporate 84 km (52 miles) of temporary new bike lanes to the city’s existing 550 km Ciclovía network. This effort has been implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by further reducing crowding and person-to-person contact on the city’s public transport system. The new lanes – which function 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – make Bogotá’s Ciclovía network among the largest of its kind in the world and are helping reduce congestion and improve traffic safety. Read more about this effort here...
La Ruta del movimiento
When COVID-19 began to spread in Bogota, community-based physical activity programmes were suspended. In response, the Colombian Ministry of Sports and the District Institute of Sports and Recreation (IDRD) launched La Ruta del Movimiento, an initiative that offers free physical activity sessions led by trained instructors in outdoor locations such as communal areas in apartment buildings or gardens, to help counteract the sedentary behaviours and falling levels of physical activity in the city triggered by COVID-19 lockdown policies. Read more about this effort here...
Lima, Peru
Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic on wheels
Concerned about the risk of crowded public transport during the COVID-19 outbreak, the capital of Peru is strengthening its cycling infrastructure with almost 50 km of emergency cycle lanes and additional parking. In a city known for its jammed traffic, the city decided to expand its cycling lanes and reconfigure others to prioritized those which would connect to their cycle network and facilitate access to public services such as hospitals. Across the city, twelve locations were selected to benefit from extra parking infrastructure, each with the capacity for 20 bicycles. Read more about this initiative here...
