Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Bogotá

Streetfilms: “A City Is a Means to a Way of Life”



Manhattan on the Move Conference

Edited by Nick Whitaker
Running time: 6 minutes 52 seconds

At last October's Manhattan Transportation Policy Conference, convened by Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, people from every neighborhood in Manhattan gathered to discuss a vision for the future of transportation in New York.

In his keynote address, Enrique Peñalosa, the former mayor of Bogotá, Colombia, made it clear that the conference was about much more than transportation:

I'm often asked to talk people in cities about transport. I say, I cannot talk about transport unless we have an idea of what type of a city we want. Before we have a vision of what type of city we want, we have to know, how do we want to live. Because really, a city is only a means to a way of life. So actually, whenever we start talking about transport, we really end up discussing how we want to organize our daily life."

This latest episode of Streetfilms captures the highlights of the conference.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Talking Headways Podcast: Buildings are Here to Help People

Jeremy Wells on his book, Managing the Magic of Old Places: Crafting Public Policies for People-Centered Historic Preservation.

March 12, 2026

Bus Companies Say There’s a Better Way to Take a ‘Great American Road Trip’ This Summer

"Our eventual goal is to make inter-city bus travel every American's first consideration when they think about how to get from one city to the next."

March 12, 2026

Opinion: Make This Summer’s World Cup A Car-Free Paradise

NYC has a major opportunity to support people who don't drive during the World Cup. Could other host cities do it, too?

March 12, 2026

Thursday’s Headlines Can’t Keep Up

While other developed nations are building more transit lines as their populations increase, the U.S. is not.

March 12, 2026

Wednesday’s Headlines Are Leading the Blind

Unfortunately, many city streets and subway stations are still not ADA compliant.

March 11, 2026

Trump’s Funding Freeze Has Derailed Transit, Undermining Growth and Economic Opportunity For All Americans

American cities used to have some of the longest per-capita rail networks in the world. Not anymore.

March 11, 2026
See all posts