Development Plan PP20 Lagos de Torca

2017

54 ha

2017

Bogota, Colombia

Development
Plan PP20 Lagos de Torca

The 15-minute neighbourhood.

54 ha

Lagos de Torca is an ambitious extension of Bogota and a unique opportunity to rethink what an eco-city can be. Lagos de Torca’s neighbourhood model seeks to invigorate growth, redefine mobility and accessibility and address deficits in public space and social housing, distilled into a 15-minute city scheme that blends into the Bogota’s savanna rich wetland ecosystem.

Client

Promotora Andalucia

URBNITA Team

Felipe Guzman

Sergio Ardila

Cristian Sarmiento

Natalia Urquijo

Bogota, Colombia

Development Plan PP20 Lagos de Torca

Aerial view of the Lagos de Torca masterplan, showing mid-rise housing framed by a green street network and community facilities, with the linear landscape structure anchoring the new neighbourhood.

The Development Plan 20 (PP20) defines a mixed-use neighbourhood within the Lagos de Torca Site, a 1,800 Ha strategic urban extension located in the northern area of Bogotá. Positioned at the intersection of major metropolitan corridors and adjacent to established institutional and residential areas, the project leverages its connectivity to consolidate a new urban node within the city structure. Its edges are anchored by key infrastructure axes—most notably the New Boyacá Avenue and Los Arrayanes Avenue—while a network of internal connectors extends and reinforces the existing urban grid, transforming a formerly peripheral site into a coherent, legible, and integrated piece within the Lagos de Torca City Extension.

At a broader scale, PP20 is embedded within a significant landscape framework defined by wetlands and green corridors to the north. This ecological structure not only enhances environmental performance but also positions the development as a critical interface between urban expansion and protected natural systems. As such, the project operates as both an urban catalyst and a territorial mediator, balancing growth, connectivity, and ecological integration to deliver a resilient and future-ready neighbourhood.

Design becomes strategy when streets, parks and blocks speak the same language

The urban logic is organised around a continuous linear park running through the site, complemented by ecological connectivity bands and a fine-grain network of streets and green corridors. This structure creates permeability in every direction, with “urban fronts” that concentrate activity along key edges and connectors. The district is conceived as a flexible block system that balances residential fabric with services, commerce and community facilities—using the park as both a reference point and a central orientation device.

Inclusion is not an add-on; it is built into the mix, the phasing and the everyday routes

The PP20 promotes a mixed-use neighbourhood structure where housing is complemented by commercial corridors, community facilities and institutional anchors.

A core goal is to integrate social and priority housing into the overall fabric, ensuring that affordability and access are part of the same urban experience rather than separated enclaves.

Implementation is structured through defined management units and a development logic that aligns new streets, utilities and public spaces with progressive consolidation—so the district can function as it grows while maintaining a coherent identity.

The project foregrounds the pedestrian experience through shaded promenades, green streets and continuous routes connecting homes to parks, services and transit. The linear park operates as both destination and connector, hosting recreational zones, play areas, ecological moments and spaces for staying—not just passing through. Cycling is treated as a daily mode, with routes that link the park system to the urban street network, reinforcing a calm, healthy and accessible everyday lifestyle.

Integration paths: the linear park links pedestrian (red) and cycle (blue) routes through key access nodes to Av. Boyaca and Av. Los Arrayanes.

A sustainable district is measured by what it gives back: green structure, social opportunity and a clearer city form

PP20 aims to make Bogota’s northern expansion more legible and resilient by leading with a connected green structure and a walkable urban fabric. Its impact is a new district identity, where public space, daily mobility and social inclusion reinforce each other and shape a stronger city form.

Plan Parcial 20 makes growth feel like a neighbourhood