Crippled by decades of military dictatorship, civil war, and environmental catastrophe, Nicaragua is the second poorest country in Latin America, having one of the region’s lowest GDPs and the second highest Human Poverty Index, behind only Haiti. Economic opportunities are few and those born into the lower classes tend to remain in poverty for life. Over the past 20 years, more than 20,000 bicycles have been brought into Rivas, a city on Nicaragua’s Pacific coast, by the non-profit Pedals for Progress, which collects donated bicycles in the United States and distributes them in impoverished communities worldwide. Since the first was unloaded in Rivas in 1991, the bicycle has become an integral part of daily life.
The Bicycle City is currently in post-production, so peeking at this trailer narrated by Pedals for Progress founder David Schweidenback will have to keep this fascination at bay for now. With bike plans changing the landscape of our cities it’s such a thrill to witness the potential economic and social power that these sweet wheels have rolled with, not to mention the participatory environment that comes to life outside of our gas-driven prisons. Big ups to Greg Sucharew, a former student at the New School, for directing and arranging the possibilities of this documentary. Read more about what he has to say right here.
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