Unless otherwise noted, all programs take place on Thursdays at 5:10 pm at the historic Michigan Theater, located at 603 E. Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor, and are free of charge and open to the public.
October 30, 2008
Antanas Mockus
Co-existence as harmonization of law, morality and culture
Antanas Mockus is a Colombian mathematician, philosopher, and politician. As mayor of Bogotá for two terms, Mockus became known for his surprising and often humorous initiatives. He has taken a shower in a commercial about conserving water, walked the streets dressed in spandex and a cape as Supercitizen, hired 20 mimes to make fun of traffic violators, and established one "Night for Women" to honor women's roles in society.
Under Mockus's leadership, Bogotá saw improvements that included a 40% decrease in water usage, creation of 7000 community security groups and a 70% drop in the homicide rate. Traffic fatalities decreased by over 50%, drinking water was provided to all homes (up from 79% in 1993), and sewage systems were provided to 95% of homes (up from 71%).
Sponsored by Michigan Law.
Video
Selected Bibliography
- Antanas Mockus - Recent work.
- Antanas Mockus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
- Harvard Gazette: Academic turns city into a social experiment.
- Caballero, Maria Cristina. The City as Social Experiment: Mayor Mockus of Bogota. Fellowship 71, no. 7-8 (July): 35.
- Lennard, Jeremy. Mayor of a different mold. Americas 49, no. 2 (March): 40.
- Schapiro, Mark. 2001. All the city's a stage. The Atlantic Monthly 288, no. 2 (September): 28.
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