Creating Vibrant & Healthy Cities for ALL Gil (Guillermo) Penalosa Founder & Chair 8 80 Cities World Urban Parks Penalosa_G Association of Flemish Cities & Municipalities Ghent, Belgium October 12 th, 2017
Climate
Population
Living
Urban
Public Health
URGENCY
Cities 10,000 People
Cities 10 million
Similar
Solutions?
Scale
TODAY
Cities Communities
Sustainable
Walking Riding Bicycle Using Public Transit New Use of Cars
Urban
Spaces
Good City?
Sleep at Home Outside
Ghent, Belgium October 12 th, 2017
Context: Bogotá 8 80 Cities Cities for ALL Vibrant Cities, Healthy Communities, 8 80 Cities Happier People. Equity & Public Health Action: 8 Messages in Ghent Flemish Cities & Municipalities
Bogotá
In my previous life Commissioner Bogota, Colombia
Obviously not ideal city It s not about the money I ve been doing
Designed AND built one Term 200 + Parks
Bogotá
27 years Practically nothing
Citizens Against CAVE Virtually Everything
Citizens pay us every other week
To get things DONE NOT to have excuses
Metropolitan Park Simon Bolivar
Metropolitan Park Simon Bolivar
Bogota s Ciclovía Open Streets Spectacular 7 hour per week paved City Park
World s Largest Pop-up Park
How?
Open Streets to People
Close Streets to Cars
Participation: Young and Old, Men and Women, Rich and Poor, Tall and Short, ALL! Every Sunday & holiday
1.7 Million
Changes Minds
Space
Social Integration
We meet each other as EQUALS
Founder & Chair of Board 8 80 Cities www.880cities.org Chair of the Board World Urban Parks www.worldurbanparks.org Penalosa_G 250 different Cities
Vision: A world where People value and have easy access to Quality Urban Parks
Children, Play, and Nature Advocacy Committees: Older Adults and Parks Knowledge and Standards Green Infrastructure Large Urban Parks Healthy Parks, Healthy Cities
WorldUrbanParks.org
8 80 Cities?
PARKS NOT ABOUT: STREETS SIDEWALKS OTHER PUBLIC SPACES WALKING Means NOT Ends CYCLING PUBLIC TRANSIT NEW USES OF CARS
SUCCESSFUL CITIES Toronto, Canada
SUCCESSFUL CITIES Malmo, Sweden
Warszawa, Poland SUCCESSFUL CITIES
HEALTHY COMMUNITIES Warszawa, Poland
Copenhagen, Denmark
Sustainable Happiness Guadalajara, México
Parks & Other Public Spaces Toronto, Canada
Sustainable Happiness Christchurch, NZ
8 80 Rule Common Sense (Least common of the senses)
STEP 1 : 8 YEAR OLD CHILD
Sweden
Christchurch, NZ
STEP 2 : 80 YEAR OLD PERSON Malmo, Sweden
STEP 2 : 80 YEAR OLD PERSON
8 AND 80 Porchon-Lynch, 97, yoga instructor Scarsdale, N.Y.
STEP 3 : Would you send them walking or on bicycle to the Park? Across that intersection? Photo Andy Mintern
If you would, it s safe enough If you would not It is NOT
What if Everything we did in Flemish Cities & Municipalities
Had to be fantastic for 8 and 80 year olds?
Montreal, Canada Bogota, Colombia Groningen, Netherlands Had to be fantastic for the 8 and the 80 year olds? Copenhagen, Denmark Taipei, Taiwan NYC, USA
End up Great Cities for ALL From 0 to 100 +
Must Stop Building Cities as if everyone was 30 year old and athletic
GREAT CITIES for ALL
URGENCY
Messages Creating Vibrant & Healthy Cities for ALL Flemish Cities & Municipalities
# Guardian Angels Gentle Majority
Gentle Majority Children Older Adults The Poor
Gentle Not squeaky wheel
Evaluating Cities: How we treat our most vulnerable citizens: Children, Older Adults, the Poor
Evaluating Cities: How we treat our most vulnerable citizens: Children, Older Adults, the Poor
Flemish Cities & Municipalities Playability
Flemish Cities & Municipalities
Every Child MUST have PARK or Play Area SHORT Walk, less 500 meters 4 years
Evaluating Cities: How we treat our most vulnerable citizens: Children, Older Adults, the Poor
Population Living longer much longer
Pop. 65 +
Pop. 80 +
#60+ALive
#60+ALive
Belgium's Life Expectancy 150 years ago
Belgium's Life Expectancy NOW
Belgium's Life Expectancy more than
Learned to
ISSUES Climate Change Public Health Crisis Traffic Congestion Economic Crisis
Now must learn to
Evaluating Cities: How we treat our most vulnerable citizens: Children, Older Adults, the Poor
Equity Not Equality
Share Children living in poverty Israel: 1 of 4 USA: 1 of 5 Belgium: 1 of 8 Denmark: 1 of 37
Mobility Equity
Mobility by car: 25% Income
Mobility by car, LOWER INCOMES: 40% Income
Mobility by Sustainable Mode: 5 % Income
NOTHING governments can do with higher Personal & Community Economic Impact
Possibility downsize car 2 to 1 or 1 to 0
Good for Community
# Magnificent Opportunity Enormous Responsibility
World URBAN Population TODAY 3.5 Billion
World URBAN Population 2057 7.2 Billion
Population Growth Cities 3.7 illion
Lifetime
Lifetime
Focus: Car, car, car NOT People s Happiness
Phoenix Brisbane, AU Boise Salt Lake City Las Vegas
Last Years
Next Years
We need to improve the Cities that we have today
We also need to create Great Cities for many more people
Opportunity Responsibility
CHANGE = HARD Same = Easier
3 Useful Considerations:
Change is NOT Unanimous
GENERAL Interest Must Prevail PARTICULAR Interest
When you say NO You also say YES
# Great Parks Great City Park Systems
What makes a park great? Characteristics S
Management same Maintenance 20%
Uses & Activities
City-wide Park Systems Not one iconic
Metropolitan Pocket & Neighbourhood Parks
Pocket & Neighbourhood Regional Parks Metropolitan
Pocket & Neighbourhood Regional Ward Metropolitan Parks
Pocket & Neighbourhood Parks Regional Parks Metropolitan Parks
Pocket & Neighbourhood Parks Regional Parks Metropolitan Parks Creating Great City Park System
Good
Like good
Integrated with Nature
Extremely SAFE Children, Older Adults
# Sustainable Mobility
Every trip Begins and ends
Walk & Bike Joke
Walk & Bike frivolity
Walking and Cycling is
The only individual mode of mobility for most people
ALL Children & Youth around the world
Right SAFE & Enjoyable Mobility
Democracy Human Rights Equality Sustainability
PEOPLE
People Driving motor-vehicles KILLED
741 People WALKING
1 Person 2 minutes
ACCIDENTS
Sweden Transforming World VISION ZERO visionzeronetwork.org
TO IMPROVE WALKABILITY
PEDESTRIANS SHOULD BE PRIORITY
Improving Walking
Maximum 30 Kph Residential Streets
Impact of speed Probability of pedestrian fatality by impact speed % 85% 5% km/h
Sustainable Mobility
Riding Bicycles Using Public Transit New use of Cars
Walkers Riders of Bicycles Users Public Transit Must be Best Friends
Older Adults Lose Driving license Terrified
Losing driver s licence Diagnosed with cancer Dr. Sylvain Gagnon, CANDRIVE, Canada
Not LOVE cars LOVE Mobility
Riding Bicycles
TO IMPROVE BIKEABILITY
Must have: 1- Lower the speed where people live; in ALL neighbourhood streets 2- GRID of protected bikeways
Maximum 30 Kph Residential Streets
# NETWORK AAA Bikeways
AAA Bikeways All Ages & Abilities
TO IMPROVE Public Transit
A civilized City is not the one where the poor have cars
it s the one where the rich use Public Transit Enrique Peñalosa, Mayor Bogota
# Side-WALKS Cycle-ways Parks / Public Spaces Are important
Streets : 25-40% CITIES
Smart use of OUR SPACE?
Moving 200 PEOPLE
# Everyone Learns from Everyone
In Flemish Cities & Municipalities We are different
We have nothing in common with Copenhagen, NYC or Bogotá
We are unique
Always Always remember remember that that you are absolutely unique. you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else Margaret Mead
Not Copy & Paste Adapt & Improve
# Community is the Expert
Sculptured fountain with local artisans Senior movie night playing "classics" Ideas from The Community Movable seating and tables Low cost food market Get rid of the fence We really need a friends of Paterson group! Edible landscape Splash Pad Kids Playground Wheel chair accessible
# Focus on The Benefits
Promoting Vibrant & Healthy Cities
BENEFITS: Environment Activity Economic $ Recreation Transportation Health
Public Health
Belgium 18 th
Being active can help: Premature death Heart disease Stroke High blood pressure Certain types of cancer Type 2 diabetes Osteoporosis Overweight and obesity Mental health (depression & anxiety)
Children 60 minutes Adults 30 minutes
HOW do we want to LIVE?
NOT TECHNICAL
NOT FINANCIAL
IT S OLITICAL
BIG
Everyone has to articipate
Vibrant & Healthy Flemish At the
Vibrant & Healthy Flemish On the
Broad Alliances
BROAD ALLIANCES Who? Elected Officials
BROAD ALLIANCES Who? Public Sector Staff
BROAD ALLIANCES Who? Community
1. Elected Officials 2. Public Sector Staff 3. Community Glue?
Find / Create Sense Urgency
Develop Shared Vision
Sense Urgency Shared Vision
From Talking
It s about
Creating Vibrant Cities
Healthy Communities
ALL People Live Happier
I wish you much success
Thanks!
Thanks! More information: www.880cities.org www.gpenalosa.ca www.worldurbanparks.org Penalosa_G