Struggles for Sustainable Urban Development in Cochabamba, Bolivia

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Figure 1. Growth in the number of motor vehicles in Cochabamba. Source: Cochabamba
2000.
Traffic congestion has been for sometime a major concern for the citizens of Cochabamba.
It is especially severe in the central market area of La Cancha where serious congestion of
transport occurs. La Cancha is the focal point of the city’s mass transit network and most
routes go through the area. As 95 per cent of the population shops at La Cancha the flow of
people to and from the area is tremendous (Cochabamba 2002). Average speeds of vehicles
drop to a few kilometres per hour; although generally only mass transit vehicles enter the
area. Congestion can be a problem in other parts of the city as well, though not with the
same magnitude as La Cancha.
Air pollution
Motor vehicles are the main contributor to the city’s ambient air quality problem which is
intensified by the geographical features of the valley where the city is located. Formation of
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V ehicles
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