Update

What London can learn from Bogotá’s integrated housing and transport department

Bogotá’s Habitat Secretary combines housing, transit, public space and utilities into a single department. London’s fragmented governance could take note.

Update Published 29 July 2026 4 min read Jonah Mercer

Housing Affordability Public Space Social Housing Transit Reliability Urbanism

Featured image from the source article

London’s housing and transport problems are often treated as separate issues, managed by different agencies and tiers of government. A contrasting model from Bogotá, Colombia, where a single department oversees housing, transit, public space, utilities and regeneration, has drawn attention from urbanists worldwide. The approach offers a potential reference point for the capital as it struggles to deliver affordable homes near good transport links and improve the public realm.

Vanessa Velasco, Bogotá’s Secretary of Habitat, outlined the city’s integrated strategy in an interview with Streetsblog USA. Her department, the Sector Habitát, combines three development agencies – urban development, housing, and regeneration – along with all public services companies. “We are in charge of enabling the whole habitat and urban development ecosystem,” Velasco said. The department defines policy, implements housing programmes, and executes small civic works in neighbourhoods, while also coordinating with the transport secretary on metro, bus rapid transit (BRT) and cable car projects.

Por que importa

A key feature is the explicit linking of affordable housing to transit accessibility. Bogotá has created financial incentives – nearly 4,000 housing subsidies and incentives – to allocate affordable units within walking distance of metro, BRT and cable car stations. This is paired with a “neighbourhood revitalisation” strategy that targets 20 areas around transport nodes for civil works, public space upgrades, green areas and improved local roads. The aim is to ensure that residents can access the transport network without relying on cars.

The integration extends to basic utilities. Velasco noted that around 20 percent of the water and drainage network in the corridor of the new metro line is being renovated as part of the transit-oriented development package. This shows how a single department can align infrastructure upgrades with housing and transport timelines, reducing the risk of disjointed projects.

Contexto

For London, the contrast is sharp. The capital’s housing delivery is split between the Greater London Authority (GLA), which sets strategic policy, and 32 boroughs that grant planning permissions. Transport for London (TfL) operates the Tube, buses and trams, but has limited control over housing development around its stations. The GLA’s “Housing for Londoners” strategy and TfL’s property development arm have made progress on station-adjacent schemes, but no single body oversees the entire ecosystem of housing, public services, utilities and public space.

The Bogotá model also addresses informal settlements, which have parallels in London’s overcrowded and substandard private rented sector. Velasco’s department manages both slum improvement and regeneration of deteriorated downtown areas, a dual remit that could inform how London deals with estates in need of renewal while maintaining affordability for existing residents.

Key facts

Aspect	Bogotá (Habitat Secretary)	London (current structure)
Housing and transit integration	4,000 housing subsidies near metro, BRT and cable car stations	GLA’s First Homes and shared ownership, but no coordinated subsidy for transit proximity
Neighbourhood improvements	20 areas targeted for civil works, public space and green areas linked to transport	Borough-led, with TfL’s Streetspace and Healthy Streets programmes, but not formally tied to housing
Utilities alignment	20% of water network renovation tied to metro line	Separate utilities (Thames Water, etc.) rarely coordinated with transport or housing projects

The practical takeaway for London professionals is not a blueprint for direct imitation, but a reminder that institutional fragmentation can hinder the kind of joined-up development that the capital needs. The recent focus on ’15-minute neighbourhoods’ and the Mayor’s ‘London Plan’ policies on ‘good growth’ already gesture toward integration, but they stop short of the formal departmental structure that Bogotá has created.

London’s boroughs and the GLA are currently consulting on the next London Plan review. The Bogotá example suggests that stronger statutory links between housing allocation, transport investment and public realm funding could help deliver more coherent outcomes. However, any such change would require a significant reorganisation of responsibilities, which is unlikely in the short term.

Source: Streetsblog USA, “Letter From Bogotá: How A Great World Capital Puts Housing, Transit and Public Space First”, https://usa.streetsblog.org/2026/07/29/letter-from-bogota-how-a-great-world-capital-puts-housing-transit-and-public-space-first