Movilidad de personas, transporte urbano y desarrollo sostenible en Santiago de Cali, Colombia

La investigación presenta una propuesta para la solución integral de los problemas del transporte urbano en Santiago de Cali, una ciudad con 2.3 millones de habitantes en el sur-occidente de Colombia, aplicando criterios del desarrollo sostenible. Una parte importante de la solución integral del transporte urbano es la propuesta novedosa para crear condiciones para la movilidad segura de peatones y ciclistas en toda la ciudad. El autor propone la redistribución del espacio publico que no sólo incluye los andenes, plazas y parques, sino tambien los carriles para el tráfico motorizado: uno de dos carriles de las vias ya construidas - por lo menos 4 de los 7 metros de la calle - es para el uso de peatones y ciclistas que son protegidos del tráfico vehicular motorizado por materas con plantas y flores. Las medidas para peatones y ciclistas se complementan con la creación de una amplia zona peatonal que incluye un espacio organizado para los trabajos del sector informal de la economia. Para el transporte publico colectivo propone el autor una solución con la tecnologia de los buses de piso bajo como alternativa a los buses y estaciones de plataforma alta usados en el modelo de TransMilenio en la capital colombiana Bogotá. Los buses de piso bajo permiten la creación de un sistema de transporte publico colectivo mucho mas eficiente y rápido, económico para los pasajeros y a costos de menos de diez porciento de la solución de Bogotá. La solución integral del transporte urbano se complementa con una reforma del transporte en taxis y con medidas para reducir el uso de los vehiculos particulares. La solución integral es justificada en cada una de sus medidas aplicando criterios ambientales, sociales, psicológicos, económicos, financieros y culturales del desarrollo sostenible. Se presentan los indicadores que permiten evaluar la situación y los posibles efectos de los cambios propuestos para lograr la sostenibilidad en el transporte urbano en Santiago de Cali. Los resultados de la investigación se pueden aplicar tambien en otras ciudades (de Colombia).

Non-University Higher Education and the Relationship of Its Graduates and the World of Work: Colombia

The non-university sector has been part of the Colombian higher education system for more than 50-years. Despite its long years of existence, it has never occupied such an important role within the education system as the one it is having today. Therefore, the aim of this work is to analyze the development of the non-university sector in the framework of the country’s social, educational and economic demands. Likewise, its actual situation and certain aspects of the relationship between its graduates and the world of work, i.e., graduates’ employment characteristics, the relationship of higher education studies and their work, as well as their early career success, are examined. In order to generate the required information, a graduate survey was carried out in Atlántico (Colombia). The target population was graduates from higher education institutions registered in Atlántico who were awarded a technical, technological or professional degree in 2008 from any of the following knowledge areas: Fine Arts, Health Science, Economy-Administration-Accountancy and similar, and Engineering-Architecture-Urban planning and similar. Besides, interviews with academic and administrative staff from non-university institutions were carried out, and higher education related documents were analyzed. As a whole, the findings suggest that the non-university sector is expanding and may help to achieve some of the goals, for which it is widely promoted i.e., access expansion for under-represented groups, enhancement of the higher education system, and the provision of programs pertinent to the needs of the market. Nevertheless, some aspects require further consideration, e.g., the sector’s consolidation within the system and its quality. As for the relationship between non-university higher education and the world of work, it was found to be close; particularly in those aspects related to the use of knowledge and skills in the work, and the relationship between graduates’ studies and their work. Additionally, the analysis of the graduates’ in their early career stages exposes the significant role that the socioeconomic stratum plays in their working life, particularly in their wages. This indicates that apart from education, other factors like the graduates’ economic or social capital may have an impact on their future work perspectives