Bogotá Stratification Map

Mr. Hollywood says on Jan 17, 2005, 10:29:

Thanks! I've been looking for exactly that.

stevens says on Jan 17, 2005, 18:00:

Great map. Thanks a lot. I'm going to stay in a hostel in Candelaria starting the 27th so It's nice to get a bird's eye view of the neighborhoods.
I've gone into an old thread to pull out the following. Thought it might add value to the map. I hope Caslug and Desi don't mind - thaks again for the great posts.

Strata...
Submitted by caslug on Tue, 12/07/2004 - 07:43.
I took some foto of strata 3 & 4 to show my friends, if you want, give me your email I'll send them to you. Here's my observation via taxi rides & walking thru various stratas.
Strata 6 - Think midtown manhanttan, Malibu or beverly hills, very safe to walk around day or night. North BOG close to the mountains
Strata 5 - Think nice, upper middle class, very safe to walk around day at night it's also pretty safe. Zona Rosa in BOG. Comparison in the US would be upper west side NYC or Irvine, CA.
Strata 4 - Think middle to upper middle class, Day no problem, nights probably OK, but take a taxi to be safe. Many areas of BOG are like this, including the northwest zones. In the US these homes look like lower middle class to middle class homes/condo.
Strata 3 - Think Lower middle class to middle class, day generally no problem, but at nights take taxis to and from places, just to be on the safe side. Think ghetto housing in any city in the US(ie, downtown LA, Chinatown in SF or LA).
Didn't push my luck to explore strata 1 or 2, because there was simply no reason to. Most of the tourist sites or places you will normally go are not in those areas.
Another funny thing, in strata 5 & 6 (some 4) there's street lights, but strata 3 or below, no street light. I think that one of the big reason it's sometimes not safe. I dropped off an amiga at her house in strata 4 area at 11pm and the taxi was going thru her neigbhorhood, and it was PITCH black! Couple of days later, I took a taxi back to her house for lunch and saw the neighborhood in the day, and it was totally OK. Night & Day. I saw 1 bd room apt renting for $250-300 USD in a strata 5 area. So as a foreigner, I don't think it's expensive for you to live in a safe area. No need to live in Strata 6 unless you have the big bucks.
» reply
to refer strata system in Colombian cities as castes or ghettos. The sratification (layering)is applied to the amount of money people have to pay for their electricity, water, garbage collection etc. public services. It's only fair (in my opinion) that people who live in expensive homes and make lots of money should pay more and thus subsidize plumbing, garbage collection and electricity in poorer areas.
Cheers,
Desi

Dan says on Jan 17, 2005, 18:31:

Damn!! I was wondering if there was soingthing like this around. Exactly what I've been looking for, Thanks!

God Bless America!

Lionheart says on Jan 17, 2005, 18:41:

is there a map like this for Cali? I looked at the related web pages but didn't find anything.

william_andrew_channell says on Jan 18, 2005, 05:50:

Not for Cali, Or at least I haven't found it on Cali's municipal gov't page.

william_andrew_channell says on Jan 18, 2005, 05:55:

Be careful... Just using just the Stratus map to tell you if an area is safe or not is not the best idea, as anybody who lives here can tell you. There are some stratus 2 and 3 places where you would feel more comfortable walking at night than in some stratus 5 and 6 places. Just go with your gut feeling and your own judgment.

santiBOG says on Jan 18, 2005, 19:16:

Exactly, what is this map good for? I looked at it and it's just a small map of the city with dots of different colors. What's the point? Why is everyone on this site so fixated with estratos? I am from Bogota, and can tell you that estratos really don't mean a thing except how much you pay for your water and electricity.

Mr. Hollywood says on Jan 18, 2005, 19:28:

Fixated? I don't think you understand, SantiBog, knowing how much you'll pay is EXACTLY what this map is good for.

For example, I have some good friends who live in a Strato 5 apartment that's just around the corner from my Strato 6 one. Their apartment is actually nicer than mine, yet they pay less in almost everything.

Next time I'm looking for an apartment, I'll seek out a similar arrangement. Nice neighborhood, nice home, less costs. This map is great for that.

kernow62 says on Jan 18, 2005, 22:38:

While we are on the subject of maps, why isn't a detailed map of Bogotá available online? Is it growing too rapidly? Failing that who has a good paper map they can send me and I will make a 600 dpi pdf file from it to share.

Lionheart says on Jan 18, 2005, 22:46:

like kernow62 I can offer the same for a map of Cali and surroundings. Or any other map. Maybe we can split the effort.

GringoinBucaramanga says on Dec 11, 2005, 09:58:

jj_jp at msn.com

Face it guys, If you are American you are strata 6 no mater wheree you live.
At least here in Bucaramanga it^s that way.

jj_jp@msn.com

utopiacowboy says on Dec 11, 2005, 10:34:

You're right, SantiBog. Gringos are obsessed with the estrata thing. It's like some kind of magic wand for them. If it's Strata 5 or 6 it's gotta be ok. Believe me the Colombians don't feel this way. Like the people in my wife's neighborhood who fought being reclassified as Strata 5 because all it would have meant was higher utility and tax bills. And maybe a few gringos. As it is we never see a gringo in the barrio, gracias a Dios!

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.