Lessons from Bogota, Colombia

Bogota’s former Commissioner of Parks and Recreation will explain how to create a vibrant and healthy city for everyone, regardless of age or social status at an upcoming Auckland conference.

Gil Penalosa will be one of many highlights of the 2WALKandCYCLE conference to be held Auckland 6-8 July at the Rendezvous Hotel. Walking, Cycling and Health practitioners, engineers, advocates, bureaucrats and interested individuals will be among the delegates listening to a range of international and local speakers.

Gil Penalosa, Canada; Dr Ben Rossiter, Victoria Australia; Dr Alessandro Melis, Italy; Prof Karen Witten, Auckland; Ryan Martinson, Calgary Canada; Rasmus Frisk Copenhagen Denmark and Tyler Golly will talk and workshop their ideas in the fields of healthy active transport and city design.

Gil Penalosa will speak of Sustainable Mobility: Moving people toward a brighter, healthier, more equitable future. Ben Rossiter is a paid walking advocate with Victoria Walks which is funded from the government health budget. He will talk about walking promotion, advocacy and design. Karen Witten on healthy places and spaces: bringing a children’s voice to city planning and Dr Alessandro Melis on Urban Power and design. The way we design our cities influences the amount of activity we do which in turn influences public health.

The conference will be opened by Mayor Len Brown and Dave Warburton (CEO Auckland Transport), Transport Minister Simon Bridges will give out the Walking and Cycling awards on Thursday night and Associate Transport Minister Craig Foss will talk on Friday at noon.

Gil Penalosa will also be the keynote speaker at Auckland Conversations on 6 July from 5pm at the Aotea Centre. Come along to this free event run in partnership by Auckland Council and Auckland Transport and hear Gil discuss the role of a street - the largest public space in any city? How can parks improve the quality of life that attracts and retains people to their communities?

Gil will answer these questions while also explaining a simple and effective principle for inclusive city building: ensuring the safety and joy of children and older adults (from 8 year olds to 80 year olds) are at the forefront of every decision we make in our cities.

He will present some of the now widely celebrated approaches to urban regeneration through investments in parks and public spaces. Gil also draws upon examples from cities around the world which demonstrate the power of parks and public space in making lives happier, communities better, and economies stronger.

To register, watch the event online or have a look at past Auckland Conversations events visit http://conversations.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/

The conference is supported by NZTA, Auckland Transport, Beca, Auckland Council and other sponsors who have an interest in better and healthier cites.

As well as the conference plenaries, workshops there are breakfast cafe conversation meetings, walkshops, bike trips and guided walks around Auckland.

For more details

www.2walkandcycle.org.nz

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