| | New Steps for Walk21Finally we have our feet on the ground long enough to catch up with you all and share the richness of the last few weeks.
Thank you to the University of Calgary for hosting another great Walk21 conference. We were heartened by the depth of the research, the passion of the people and the vibrant discussions, all helping to make the world a better place to walk.
As part of the conference we announced the formation of the new Walk21 Foundation. We are particularly thrilled to introduce our new Board of Trustees and our Advisory Board as we take some big steps forward.
Jim and I will be in Bonn in November, joining the UN Climate Change Conference, COP23, to launch our exciting new initiative and to continue promoting walking on the international stage. Please be in touch if you will be there and we can talk walking!
And get out the diaries - for Walk21 Bogotá in 2018! Bronwen and the Walk21 Team |
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Save the Date!
Walk21 Bogotá
XVIII International Conference on Walking and Liveable Communities
October 8-12, 2018
Bogotá Colombia |
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Calgary Conference Wrap UpThe 18th international Walk21 conference in Calgary, Canada was once again a great mixture of celebrating walking, challenging perceptions, learning about vibrant new research and connecting with colleagues, old and new.
You can find some of the highlights and catch a few keynote speaker interviews below. For images and the conclusions check out the conference page. |
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The International Charter for WalkingThe Mayor of Calgary, Naheed Nenshi, signed The International Charter for Walking after welcoming delegates to the Conference, consolidating his commitment to creating more walkable communities and supporting more walking in the city.
On our way to Calgary we stopped in Canmore, Alberta, where we opened the new crossing points at the primary school and the Mayor of Canmore signed the Charter. The kids came out to celebrate with us!
If you or your organisation has signed the International Charter for Walking then send us an email and let us know! Interested in who else has signed the International Charter for Walking? Click here to find out! |
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Walk21 Calgary Keynote Speakers in the Media |
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André Picard
Health columnist at The Globe and Mail
Walkable cities are better for our health and economy "the unhealthiness of people and the planet – from the epidemics of inactivity and loneliness through to the horrors wrought by climate change – is largely by design. And the solution, by and large, is to redesign cities, to make them people-first places." |
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Shin-pei Tsay
Executive Director of the Gehl Institute Life at 5km/hour: Public life and walking Creating a More Walkable Calgary What does life at 5km/hour look like? Shin-pei Tsay explains that it is much more dependant on the human experience. Elaborating, Tsay says that you "use your senses, make space to see your neighbour and space for your kids to play." |
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Steven Burgess
Principal Consultant at MRCagney Why we need to think about City shaping and how that creates community and vitality "If you can get to know the people in your own neighbourhood, it's a much more conducive way to live. " |
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Professor Billie Giles-Corti
Professor of Urban Futures at RMIT University How do you turn policy in to reality on the ground when it comes to creating walkable cities? "the transformation of the city, require(s) investment, a long-term plan, and all sides of politics to be on-board." |
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Introducing the Walk21 FoundationWe are pleased to announce a new chapter for Walk21, with the Walk21 Foundation being officially registered as a charity in the United Kingdom.
Joining us on this new journey are our founding Board of Trustees: Heather Allen (Belgium), Kristie Daniels (Canada), Salvador Herrera (Mexico), James Littlewood (UK) and Celia Wade-Brown (New Zealand) and our Advisory Council. To read more about our Trustees and our Advisors please visit the Walk21 website.
We are looking forward to working with all these wonderful individuals to advance the walking movement! Contact us to find out how you can be involved! |
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Congestion? We need a smarter solution than building new roads |
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| Traffic congestion costs countries billions of dollars every year. Combine this with the rapidly expanding population and cities have a problem. The Grattan Institute used data collected from Google Maps to determine average travel times for over 350 routes to calculate the impact congestion had on trip-time in peak hour traffic. |
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| This article highlights the economic and social consequences of congestion, an issue Walk21 are helping find solutions for with the FLOW project. Putting walking and cycling on an equal footing with motorised transport as a solution to address urban road congestion. |
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Putting it all together: the policy context of applying the FLOW tools |
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This third and final Webinar and eLearning Course begins in November.
Target group: Decision makers, transport planners in local authorities, other multipliers Webinar: 08.11.2017, 14:00-15:30 CET
This webinar will provide an overview of the policy context of applying the FLOW tools, including quick facts and lessons learned from FLOW cities through their experience implementing the FLOW methodology. e-course: 13.11-08.12.2017
This e-course will provide more in-depth information on the technical aspects of the project and puts them into a policy context. Participants will gain insight about how decision makers across Europe perceive congestion and will gain an understanding of which facts and messages are politically effective when considering implementing walking and/or cycling measures in their city. The course will also provide examples of other European cities (and beyond) where congestion has been reduced while cycling and/or walking has been improved. |
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AmericaWalks Community Change Grants Applications Open!
Have an idea to get your community on the walking path? America Walks is excited to extend another round of community change micro grants to individuals and communities interested in improving the public sphere for walking or otherwise helping to make walking more commonplace. This program awards up to $1,500 to fund or help to catalyze smaller-scale, low-cost projects and programs that increase the prevalence of walking, expand the diversity of people and organizations working to advance walkability, and help to make walking safer, easier, and more fun for all community members. Learn more and apply here: http://americawalks.org/2017-community-change-micro-grants-open/
Applications close on the 10 November, so be quick! |
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�� ✈️ Updates from the Walk21 team ✈️ �� |
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EcoMobility World Festival in Kaohsiung, Taiwan |
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![]() | The power of language to change minds and behaviour
Walk21 Development Director Bronwen Thornton spoke to delegates on day 1 of the EcoMobility World Congress held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Bronwen explored the degree to which cars and motorised transport have been normalised through language, while walking has been marginalised just by the way we talk about it. The term “sidewalk” both physically and symbolically positions walking as peripheral, just solidifying the status quo of urban design centered on moving cars through space rather than moving people. Bronwen closed her talk arguing that we have to change the narrative about how we talk about cities, transport and mobility: “We can’t underestimate the power of language in shaping the physical spaces that we occupy,” she explained.
Read more about this and the Ecomobility Festival here. |
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| Credits for images in this newsletter: Walk21 Team, pixabay.com |
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