'Part of Bogota's soul': how Colombia fired up the car-free movement

Architect Jaime Ortiz Marino got permission to shut down a section of roads and -- with 5,000 other two-wheeler radicals -- pedaled down the middle of the street on December 15, 1974 in protest over car culture. The world's first Open Streets event quickly grew into a weekly fixture named "Ciclovia" that has spawned dozens of imitations in cities worldwide. "This is the biggest outdoor civics classroom in the world!" Ortiz Marino, now 78, told AFP, surveying his creation with satisfaction on a recent Sunday.