Beyond the Anglosphere — Perspectives from Montreal, Europe and Latin America

While much of the conversation about transportation and city-building takes place in English, many of the great innovations are happening in the non-English speaking world. Be part of SFU’s Next-Generation Transportation webinar series and learn about interesting developments happening from Montréal to Medellín and across Europe — in English, of course! All webinars are free, but you must reserve in advance. Webinar Details and Registration.

 

Medellín — From pariah to poster child
March 10, 2017, 12 pm PDT (3 pm EDT)
Free webinar, but reservations required. Reserve on Eventbrite.

Medellín was the murder capital of the world during the drug wars of the 1990s. Today it is regarded as a role model of inclusive urban development and it was recently named by the Wall Street Journal as one of the most innovative cities in the world. It is noted for its innovations in education, food, community building, urban design and transportation that support equity, liveability and quality of life for all. Medellín reconnected its citizens to the river by burying motorways and creating new public spaces and housing. The city also implemented a range of public transit innovations, such as cable-car gondolas, light rail, bus rapid transit systems and bike-sharing programs. In this webinar, you will also hear about the work done in the Comunas with public escalators, new libraries and other social infrastructure. Jorge Jaramillo, the former director of planning for Medellín, will share his insights on the city’s transformation over the past 15 years.

 

Montréal — Cycling mecca or laurel rester?
March 17, 2017, 1 pm PDT (4 pm EDT)
Free webinar, but reservations required. Reserve on Eventbrite.

While most of North America was fixated on a vehicular cycling model of cyclists mixed with traffic, Montréal was looking to the great cycling cities of Europe for inspiration and developed a network of protected cycleways in the late 1980s. Abetted by a good bike-share system, a strong cycling advocacy community, and a commitment to keeping key cycleways open during sometimes brutal winters, Montréal has an unusually high bike mode share for North America and a much higher than usual rate of participation by women in cycling. But the question remains: As other cities, such as Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary and now Edmonton up their game in cycling, is Montréal resting on its laurels? Bartek Komorowski of Vélo Québec brings us the low-down on cycling in Montréal. 

Helsinki — Nordic innovations
March 25, 2017, 3 pm PDT (6 pm EDT)
Free webinar, but reservations required. Reserve on Eventbrite.

The Finnish capital is one of the least dense cities in Europe but has managed to drop traffic into its core by 20%. It boasts a range of exciting transport innovations, including the Crown Bridges—a series of green bridges for walking, cycling and public transport only—and a planned conversion of urban expressways with a 80km/h speed limit into urban boulevards with a 40km/h speed environment. Finland puts paid to the excuse that density is an absolute prerequisite for great transportation and urban innovations. Risto Jounila of WSP Parsons Brinkerhoff will tell us about a range of such innovations in Helsinki and other Finnish cities. 

Vienna — Affordable and inclusive greatness
April 26, 2017 at 12 pm PDT (3 pm EDT)
Free webinar, but reservations required. Reserve on Eventbrite.

You would think that a city where barely over a quarter of all trips are made by car would be happy to rest on its laurels. Not so in Vienna, which wants to drop car mode share to 15% or less of all trips. Vienna now has more public transit-pass holders than registered cars—and a transit pass that costs just €1 per day. It has a proud tradition of extensive social housing for all strata of society, not just the most poor, which has helped keep the city affordable for all in the face of significant population growth. Vienna is developing dense mixed-use brownfields sites on its former railyards and its range of initiatives include gender mainstreaming to promote integration and inclusiveness. Learn about these and many other Vienna initiatives from Andreas Lindinger, a Vienna-based sustainability expert, urban thinker passionate about liveable cities and graduate of SFU’s Next-Generation Transportation Certificate program. 

More webinars on Stockholm and Paris to come in April 2017. 

Interested in transportation issues? Consider SFU’s online Next-Generation Transportation Certificate — a program for planners, engineers, and others. Learn more at our March 18 online info-session.