Uploaded on 2015-05-05 by MartinCalistoFriant

1. This image is taken in a busy intersection in the middle of Quito, Ecuador. The picture shows the weather and flows of the city allow with some interesting aspects of its palnning and its soul. 2. The most crucial invisible information in this picture are atmospheric pollution, urban transport choices and traffic flows. Apart from the large inconvenience and frustration caused by traffic, transportation is also the single largest source of atmospheric contamination in Quito representing 80% of all air pollution. Largely contributing to this pollution is the fact that Quito’s private vehicle ownership is one of the highest in South America with 187 vehicles per 1000 people in 2008 up from 145 in 2002 . In 2009 there were approximately 415,000 vehicles circulating and an estimated 30,000 more are added every year. Trips in public transport are also declining from 80% in 1997 to 70% in 2005 and it is estimated that this number will further decrease to 60% in 2020. The poor quality of diesel and petroleum distributed by Petroecuador further intensifies the pollution caused by this high vehicle use. For instance Quito’s diesel contains ten times more sulfur than other cities such as Bogota and Santiago while Quito’s gasoline has twice the sulfur content of Brazil and Mexico . All these factors translate in high atmospheric concentration of PM2,5 and PM10 contaminants which are the most dangerous substances present in the air since they can infiltrate the deepest part of our lungs. These particles are known to cause lung cancer, asthma, premature death, birth defects and cardiovascular issues. In 2009 Quito’s average yearly PM10 concentration was 33,8µg/m3 while the concentration of PM2,5 was 19,358 µg/m3 . Both these figures are beyond levels recommended by the WHO’s of 20 µg/m3 for PM10 and 15 µg/m3 for PM2,5. 3. What does this information tell us and how can it become knowledge and contribute to the planning of a more liveable urban space? Well it is clear that this information shows the need to reevaluate the transport system of the city and to shift from personal automobiles to other greener and more sustainable forms of transport. Quito has actually started to promote the use of bicycles by making various dedicated bicycle lanes and starting a bicycle share program. Part of this promotion can be seen in the picture as there is a newly build statue of a bicycle on the right side of the image. Unfortunately, these programs have not been as successful as needed, they remain marginal as the most preferred mode of transport remains personal automobiles. This is due to various factors. First of all, the quality of public transport is abismal in Quito and the various efforts to improve it have been very limited. Public transport is in private hands in Quito and there is a certain "transport mafia" with a lot of political capital that has prevented a sound public transport system from emerging (note as there are no busses or trams in this picture). Secondly, insecurity is a big issue in the city and this makes people rather reticent to the idea of public transport. Instead people prefer the confort and safety of their personal vehicles, even if this means paying a much higher cost. Thirdly, the climate and topography of quito make it quite hard for cycling. Indeed, Quito has a 4 month rainy season when cycling is quite troublesome. Moreover, the topography of the city is quite unsuited to cycling as it has many hills and this renders cycling a complicated option, fit only to those in the best physical conditions. Finally, what we can say from all this information is that there is a need of an alternative mode of transportation that is both as safe and weather friendly as the personal vehicle for people to abandon their cars. The best solution would thus be building a robust and top of the class public transport system by dismantling the "mafia" that currently controls it. The solution will probably include high levels of policing in stations and a mixed network of cable cars, trams, dedicated bus lanes and perhaps even a metro. Moreover, this can be combined with dis-incentives for the use of motorised vehicles such as taxes and levies on cars. Electric, and compact vehicles could be except from these fees. Finally the quality and price of Quito's petroleum desperately needs to be increased (it could even be mixed with forms of bio-diesel for this purpose). ![enter image description here][1] [1]: https://edxuploads.s3.amazonaws.com/1430806571673464.jpg