(Photo: Wikipedia)
Former mayor of Bogota Colombia, Enrique Peñalosa, will be in Portland for a special event on May 14th. Peñalosa is revered in urban planning circles for his pioneering role in the ciclovia movement (which inspired Portland’s Sunday Parkways), his development of bus rapid transit, and his role in re-shaping Bogota’s streets to prioritize people over cars.
Peñalosa’s brother, Gil, who was the minister of sport and recreation during his brother’s administration, gave the keynote at the 2008 Towards Carfree Cities Conference that was held in Portland.
Enrique has been invited by the Urban Planning Club at Portland State University and he will speak at The Amory in downtown Portland. (There are a very limited amount of free tickets available. Email upcevents[at]gmail[dot]com for more info.)
Here’s more about Peñalosa, from the Urban Planning Club:
Enrique Peñalosa is a leader in the urban planning field, whose vision and proposals have significantly influenced policies throughout the world. His advisory work concentrates on sustainability, mobility, equity, public space and quality of life; and the organizational and leadership requirements to turn ideas into projects and realities. He is also an accomplished executive, who has achieved positive results in diverse activities in which he has been involved.
As Mayor of Bogota, Colombia, Peñalosa profoundly transformed the city of 7 million inhabitants into an international model for improvements in quality of life, mobility, equity and sustainability which has been awarded important international recognitions such as the Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale and the Stockholm Challenge. Two of Peñalosa’s accomplishments while Mayor were the installation of the TransMilenio bus rapid transit system and an extensive bicycle infrastructure network.
And here’s more info on the event:
- Planning Cities for People: An International Perspective
Monday, May 14, 2012, 7:00 PM
Ellyn Bye Studio-Gerding Theater at the Armory (128 NW 11th Ave)
Doors Open at 6:30pm and Close at 6:50pm
I heard Gil speak at the Towards Car Free Cities Conference. Portland had just become a Platinum status city by the League of American Cyclists. Gil said that instead of patting ourselves on the back while comparing our city to Lexington, KY or St Louis, MO, instead we should compare our city to true cycling cities in Denmark and the Netherlands.
“Does Portland want to play with the heavyweights or the lightweights? Does Portland want to stay as champion of the little league of soccer across North America? Or, does Portland want to be champion of the World Cup?”
Springwater Cooridor? Check
East Bank Esplanade? Check
Neighborhood Greenways? Check
What is next? Let’s pull the gloves off and get to work on our next BIG project.
Couldn’t agree more. Greenways are nice enough, but!