This paper examines the effect of the arrival of Venezuelan migrants in Bogotá from 2017 onwards in relation to the perception of security of the city’s inhabitants. This study has been performed...Show moreThis paper examines the effect of the arrival of Venezuelan migrants in Bogotá from 2017 onwards in relation to the perception of security of the city’s inhabitants. This study has been performed succeeding extensive reporting of Colombian media in which Venezuelan migrants were held responsible for what had been named ‘a security crisis’. The results of this study show that the arrival of Venezuelan migrants has had a highly negative impact on the perception of security of Bogotá residents. Nevertheless, this study found that it is very unlikely, based upon official statistics, that the Venezuelan migrant population is to be held accountable for the ‘security crisis’. This study found that the security crisis, which is in essence a management crisis, is being used as an instrument by the highest political powers in order to attain personal success and slander political opponents. Venezuelan migrants are the victim of this internal power battle, exemplified by the presence of xenophobic and stigmatizing acts and tendencies present in both the political and public domain.Show less
Since the 1950s, cities in the Global South have urbanized at a rapid pace. Often, urban growth was unable to keep up with urban planning. Among the main consequences of this have been high socio...Show moreSince the 1950s, cities in the Global South have urbanized at a rapid pace. Often, urban growth was unable to keep up with urban planning. Among the main consequences of this have been high socio-economic inequality rates and poor infrastructure. The global cities theory helps explain that cities are places where flows of e.g. people, ideas, goods and capital come together, make cities globally visible and connect them. Cities are influenced by, and influence other cities across the globe through these flows. This thesis has argued for a key role of Bogotá, capital of Colombia, as receiver and generator of flows of ideas and information about the impact of public transport like Bus Rapid Transit on socio-economic inequality. A physical global network of cities that have a Bus Rapid Transit system has facilitated these flows. Bogotá is considered as an example of ‘sharing’ ideas about the contemporary city in order to move forward.Show less
