Dr. Pop Blog

Fun Theory of Change. Los Angeles.

8/24/2010 by Gilda Haas - No comments

Free Film Screening and Discussion

EVENT DETAILS
DAY: Sunday, September 12
Film: 4 PM
Discussion: 5 PM
Place: Busby’s East
5364 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036

street parking

What does fun have to do with social change?

How can mimes, super-hero costumes, and artistic interventions help to transform a city?

Join Dr. Pop for a lively screening of Bogotá Change, a documentary that tells the story of how Antanas Mockus and Enrique Peñalosa reshaped an entire city through creativity and an incredible commitment to being human.

After the movie we will share ideas on what this has to do with L.A. and the creative work we are already doing.

Bring your best plots, schemes and dreams.

CicLAvia

7/4/2010 by Gilda Haas - 2 comments

Every Sunday and holiday, about 80 miles of the main streets of Bogota are blocked off from cars for most of the day so that bicyclists, runners, skaters, and pedestrians can take over the streets. The ciclovias are used by about 2 million people – about 30% of the population and are surrounded by other events on park stages – concerts, yoga and aerobic instructions, and other performances.

And now, Los Angeles, the least likely suspect, whose endless concrete and streets have been the butt of urban critique for devoting most of the public space in the city to cars instead of people is on the verge of launching its own – CicLAvia – an event to be held on September 12 if all goes as planned.

“L.A. doesn’t have enough public space…of the largest cities in the U.S., L.A. is the most park-poor,” says Aaron Paley, CicLAvia advocate, in a video on Kickstarter, the social entrepreneur venture capital network. (What could be more Do-It-Together? Venture capital from anyone who can give $1 a more).

“But we do have these fantastic streets. And the streets already belong to us. And by turning the streets over to the people on a Sunday we create temporary parks overnight without any large investment.”

Aaron is a professional animator of public spaces and runs a company that is, ironically, called CARS (Community Arts Resources). He makes festivals, events, and turns concrete in L.A. into places where people dance, and, sing and play together. He’s a friend and we were Stanton Fellows together (a great program that helps social entrepreneurs create their own project – sorry, only in L.A.). He was researching and investigating and noodling about a new idea for public space, ended up in Bogota, and came back as a ciclovia evangelist.

Mathematician Mayors

11/13/2009 by Ryan Lugalia Hollon - 2 comments

What makes mathematicians good mayors?

They solve problems!

People using too much water? Taxi drivers taking folks to the wrong locations? Too many men acting violent at night? Frustrated drivers unable to communicate with each other? Urban dwellers crossing the street in dangerous ways?

In this videoblog urban planners from Colombia tell the story of two creative independent mayors who found new ways to address old urban issues. The mayors – Antanas Mockus from Bogota and Sergio Fajardo from Medellin – worked to change the way that residents relate to one another and to public space. With the help of mimes, super hero costumes, and artistic interventions, they helped to create a ‘culture of citizenship’ in their respective cities.

As you listen to Catalina Ortiz and Diego Silva tell the story of these two mayors, you’ll learn how former mathematicians became some of the most innovative politicians in Colombia’s recent history. And their efforts are far from over. Amidst Colombia’s unfolding presidential race, Mockus and Fajardo are both trying to bring their alternative messages to the national stage. While Fajardo’s campaign has been gaining steam in the mainstream, Mockus is focused on fueling a new grassroots movement built on trust between informed citizens. What is his campaign slogan amidst the violence plaguing the country today? “Life is Sacred.”