In 2023, the Partnership for Active Travel and Health (PATH), conducted a global review of national climate policies related to walking and cycling in 197 UNFCCC member countries. This work was led by Walk21. The team found that while two-thirds of countries have some form of active travel policy, the level of ambition, action and investment remains insufficient.

Building on this momentum, in 2025, Walk21 and CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the FIA Foundation, will apply a similar policy review methodology in LAC. The project will analyse national policies in 33 countries and examine their connection to walking and cycling, with a gender and inclusion perspective.

The project has four objectives:

• Build a network of key players in the promotion of walking and cycling.
• Explore how national policies across the region are using walking and cycling as strategies to make progress on health, climate and equity goals.
• Establish a baseline for walking and cycling in LAC and develop 13 case studies.
• Use the lessons learned to develop a report and training sessions.

The 33 countries that will be part of the study include Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela.

Through this work, we hope to inspire a coordinated community of national and local governments to promote walking and cycling as strategies to achieve broader transportation, climate, health and gender equity goals, with the ultimate goal of improving conditions for all those who walk and cycle in the region.

Stay tuned for updates and news on the project. #Walk21LAC

The post Walk21 LAC: Growing Impact in Latin America and the Caribbean appeared first on Walk21.

The series is organised by Dr Tamara Bozovic in partnership with Walk21 and a core coordinating team including Szening Ooi, Nancy Mitchelson, Louise Reardon, Josephine Roper, Belen Iturralde, Carlos Canas, and Alan Meharry.

We propose the need of a platform to share ideas and discuss a shared approach to measure and improve the quality of the walking environment. This shared approach will help enable walking to contribute to the “quantum leap in climate action”, to urgently improve the safety and user experience of those who already walk and reduce current inequities of access. 

We would like to invite you to a workshop series – “Stepping stones for better walking environments” – aimed at accelerating discussions and building knowledge of the quality of the walking environment.

The topics for the workshop series are: 

• Why improve walking environments?
  Building a shared understanding of the ways in which the quality of the street environment influences behaviours 
• Where to improve walking environments?
  Tools and best practice for measuring quality
  
• How to improve walking environments?
  Applying an evidence-based approach to policy and governance practices 

A short note will be shared after each workshop, and the outcome of the whole process is to be brought to the Walk21 conference (Kigali, October 2023) and disseminated as a short publication.

We hope to see you in the workshops! If you have any questions, please contact Dr Tamara Bozovic, tamara.bozovic@uwe.ac.uk.

Registrations

Attendance is free. Please indicate your interest below. 

The post Workshop Series: Stepping Stones for Better Walking Environments appeared first on Walk21.

Walk21 estimates that nearly half of countries have some form of national policy and is in the process of researching the published documents in the pan-European region thanks to a grant from VREF. By understanding the processes that governments follow to develop and deliver walking policy Walk21 hopes to inspire and train other national leads to further develop their policies to benefit people walking.

Upcoming interviews

19 April

Ireland, 15-16 CET – Register
Portugal, 16-17 CET- Register

3 May

Czech Republic, 15-16 CET- Register
England, 16-17 CET- Register

The first interviews in the series were held with Scotland’s policy lead Rona Gibb and the walking manager in The Netherlands, Filip v an As. The Scottish policy was first considered in 2003 and was one of the first to publish in 2014. A new national strategy is due for Scotland is in development with support of both the Health and Wellbeing Minister and the world’s first Active Travel Minister.

Meanwhile in The Netherlands, Filip turned the table on his political career when he saw a policy gap and has expertly built a network of nearly 60 partners who are now collaborating to fund and deliver a package of impressive actions.

Rona’s engaging interviews is already on the Walk21 YouTube channel here:

• Scotland – Rona Gibb, Paths for All Scotland – Let’s Get Scotland Walking
• Netherlands – Filip van As, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (The Netherlands)

Ask your question

The interviews will be live on Zoom. You are invited to join and raise your questions.

Would you like to submit your questions before? Send them to network@walk21.com or leave them on our social media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Registrations

Attendance is free. Please register here.

Ireland

Host: Jim Walker, Walk21

Guests: Garret Doocey, Assistant Secretary, Transport Investment and Public Transport Policy (Department of Transport Ireland) and Jason King, Programme Manager (Get Ireland Walking)

Date: 19 April 2023, 15:00-16:00 (Central European Time)

Portugal

Host: Jim Walker, Walk21

Guest: Sophia Pires Bento, Evaluation and Foresight Services Department, Mobility and Transport Institute, Portugal

Date: 19 April 2023, 16:00-17:00 (Central European Time)

Czech Republic

Host: Jim Walker, Walk21

Guests: Jitka Marie Vrtalova

Date: 3 May 2023, 15:00-16:00 (Central European Time)

England

Host: Jim Walker, Walk21

Guest: Kevin Golding-Williams Department for Transport UK

Date: 3 Mayl 2023, 16:00-17:00 (Central European Time)

The post Next up in the series on National Policy: Ireland, Portugal, England and Czech Republic appeared first on Walk21.

Walk21 estimates that nearly half of countries have some form of national policy and is in the process of researching the published documents in the pan-European region thanks to a grant from VREF. By understanding the processes that governments follow to develop and deliver walking policy Walk21 hopes to inspire and train other national leads to further develop their policies to benefit people walking.

Upcoming interviews

5 April

Austria, 15-16 CET – Register
Slovenia, 16-17 CET- Register

12 April

Norway, 15-16 CET- Register
Greece, 16-17 CET- Register

The first interviews in the series were held with Scotland’s policy lead Rona Gibb and the walking manager in The Netherlands, Filip v an As. The Scottish policy was first considered in 2003 and was one of the first to publish in 2014. A new national strategy is due for Scotland is in development with support of both the Health and Wellbeing Minister and the world’s first Active Travel Minister.

Meanwhile in The Netherlands, Filip turned the table on his political career when he saw a policy gap and has expertly built a network of nearly 60 partners who are now collaborating to fund and deliver a package of impressive actions.

Rona’s engaging interviews is already on the Walk21 YouTube channel here:

• Scotland – Rona Gibb, Paths for All Scotland – Let’s Get Scotland Walking
• Netherlands – Filip van As, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (The Netherlands)

Ask your question

The interviews will be live on Zoom. You are invited to join and raise your questions.

Would you like to submit your questions before? Send them to network@walk21.com or leave them on our social media: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Registrations

Attendance is free. Please register here.

Austria

Host: Jim Walker, Walk21

Guests: Robert Thaler (Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology) and Angelini Alessandra (Environment Agency Austria)

Date: 5 April 2023, 15:00-16:00 (Central European Time)

Slovenia

Host: Jim Walker, Walk21

Guest: Tadej Zaucer, Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy, Slovenia

Date: 5 April 2023, 16:00-17:00 (Central European Time)

Norway

Host: Jim Walker, Walk21

Guests: Liv Rakel Øvstedal and Guro Berge

Date: 12 April 2023, 15:00-16:00 (Central European Time)

Greece

Host: Jim Walker, Walk21

Guest: Kalliopi Papadaki, Hellenic Ministry of Environment and Energy

Date: 12 April 2023, 16:00-17:00 (Central European Time)

The post National policy for walking – Join the conversation! appeared first on Walk21.

The academic journal Laws has opened a Call for Papers for a Special Issue on the theme Law, Accessibility and Inclusion for Pedestrians with Disabilities. This Special Issue will aim at understanding how states can better use law and policy to foster more inclusive urban environments. The Call is open to experts from multiple backgrounds and disciplines.

Law and policy are a vital part of making streets accessible. At the international level, this point has been highlighted in recent years by developments such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Habitat Agenda.

This Special Issue will bring together a collection of articles which explore and critically evaluate the role that law plays in creating and dismantling barriers for pedestrians with disabilities. It will also reflect on the effectiveness of law and policy (at international, national, regional or local level).

Interdisciplinary

Although the journal is an academic one called ‘Laws’ and there is a legal dimension to the special issue, the School of Law of the University of Leeds is keen on contributions from experts who do not have legal backgrounds. The issue will be interdisciplinary and should be relevant to people working in activism, policy and practice as well as in academia.

Types of contribution

There is some flexibility about the type of contribution that can be submitted. Articles are preferably between 6.000 and 10.000 words, but the journal also welcomes shorter review-type pieces, especially from people working outside academia.

Do you need help?

The editorial team is happy to provide guidance and feedback on initial ideas. Please send an outline of your idea in the form of an abstract between 100 and 200 words to Maria Orchard (m.orchard@leeds.ac.uk). You are also welcome to ask any questions that you might have.

Deadline

The call is open until 1 June 2023. Read the full call here: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/laws/special_issues/9I24BPOG90

Guest editors

Dr. Maria Orchard (University of Leeds) (m.orchard@leeds.ac.uk)
Prof. Dr. Anna Lawson (University of Leeds)

Guest editor assistants

Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda (Pineda Foundation / World Enabled)
Jim Walker (Walk21)

The post Call for Papers: ‘Law, Accessibility and Inclusion for Pedestrians with Disabilities’ appeared first on Walk21.

CIVINET Greece-Cyprus and Walk21 share a common commitment to creating environments that offer a safe, healthy and attractive experience for people’s everyday mobility. This is already being recognised by numerous cities across Greece in their Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs).

The demand from citizens for low carbon transport systems, improvements to public health, and equitable access to education, health care, work and green space are fuelling the urgency and pace of the transition. CIVINET Greece-Cyprus has actively supported the transition process in Greek and Cypriot communities for many years and has a diverse network of members that includes large metropolitan areas as well as small island communities.

CIVINET Mobility Academy 2023

As a first step for this collaboration, nine Greek cities will participate in the recently launched CIVINET Mobility Academy 2023 in Thessaloniki on 10 February where Jim Walker, the Founder of Walk21 will provide a key-note address (Agios Dimitrios, Nea Smyrni, Vari Voula Vouliagmeni, Veria, Kavala, Kozani, Heraklion, Hersonisos, and Karpenisi).

After the keynote the cities will be encouraged to discuss common and individual challenges and will learn from experiences in Thessaloniki. Future Academy meetings are likely to also include study visits to Zagreb, Ljubljana and Athens to learn from their mobility transition experiences.

Walk21, in partnership with CIVINET Greece-Cyprus, will support the transition strategies at a national and city level as well as through the Municipal Accessibility Plans and the Local Urban Plans where appropriate. The embedding of the needs of people walking into policy frameworks will be complemented by expert advice on street and neighbourhood transformations when required. Walk21 will share learnings from other communities around the world and looks forward to helping inspire safe, healthy, and active mobility in partnership across Greece.

CIVINET Greece-Cyprus

CIVINET Greece-Cyprus is the network of local public authorities of that are dedicated to promoting sustainable mobility. It is the Greek-speaking branch of the CIVITAS National Networks (CIVINETs), the national networks of the European CIVITAS Community.

Website: www.civitas.eu/civinets/civinet-greece-cyprus

More information

• Kosmas Anagnostopoulos, CIVINET Greece-Cyprus, Coordinator, ka@civinet.gr
• Jim Walker, Director, jim.walker@walk21.com

The post Walk21 and CIVINET Greece-Cyprus partner to enable active travel appeared first on Walk21.

The post National policy training – Registrations have opened appeared first on Walk21.

With the Vienna Declaration of 2021, Ministers of the Pan-European Region agreed to establish a Pan-European Masterplan for Walking by October 2023.  The Masterplan should provide national authorities with a framework and guidance for the developments of national walking strategies and action plans. 

At the third meeting of the THE PEP partnership, hosted by the Government of The Netherlands, partners visited Rotterdam to draw inspiration from the city’s walking strategy, Rotterdam Loopt 2025.

National policy training

Parallel to the development of the Pan-European Masterplan for Walking, a series of online training will be held to supports national governments in the development of national walking policies. The series is open to the 56 national governments of the Pan-European Region and will be held online in May and June 2023. Registrations have opened.

The training series are supported by a grant from the Volvo Research and Education Foundation (VREF). The Swedish organisation is supporting the training series as part of its commitment to strengthen international research and research capacity on walking as a mode of transport, in ways that can contribute to more equitable access and sustainable mobility in urban transport.

Links

• UNECE: Netherlands to host meetings of THE PEP partnerships on active mobility and sustainable tourism mobility
• UNECE: Towards a pan-European master plan on walking

More information

VIENNA DECLARATION

Building forward better by transforming to new, clean, safe, healthy and inclusive mobility and transport.

The post A Pan-European Masterplan for Walking: partners draw inspiration from Rotterdam appeared first on Walk21.

Pathways to Walkable Cities is a map-based platform that provides an overview of policies data and case studies for walking across the world. It is the first global inventory which brings policy for walking together in one place. Pathways to Walkable Cities focuses on good governance., policy and investment. It maps the countries, regions and cities which support the needs of people walking by putting in place supportive policy and action plans.

The platform aims to give visibility to communities that are investing in the needs of people walking and celebrates the good practices that are happening. By offering examples, it inspires other agencies and governments to take the first steps for long term investments in and priority for walkable communities. The platform is receiving funding from FIA Foundation.

How does your submission help?

• Inspire ambition – You inspire governments around the world to take action and provide them with examples
• Visibility – You make policy visible to other city administrations, politicians, NGOs, practitioners, and other professionals from the local and international level.
• Recognition – You are being recognised as a community that values walking and invests in it through good governance and visible commitments.
• Inspire ambition – You inspire governments around the world to take action and provide them with examples Celebrate – You celebrate your achievements.

The post Pathways to Walkable Cities: Submit your case study appeared first on Walk21.

Law and policy are a vital part of making streets accessible. At the international level, this point has been highlighted in recent years by developments such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Habitat Agenda.

This Special Issue will bring together a collection of articles which explore and critically evaluate the role that law plays in creating and dismantling barriers for pedestrians with disabilities. It will also reflect on the effectiveness of law and policy (at international, national, regional or local level).

The call is open until 1 June 2023. Read the full call here: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/laws/special_issues/9I24BPOG90

Guest editors

Dr. Maria Orchard (University of Leeds)
Prof. Dr. Anna Lawson (University of Leeds)

Guest editor assistants

Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda (Pineda Foundation / World Enabled)
Jim Walker (Walk21)

The post Call for Papers: ‘Law, Accessibility and Inclusion for Pedestrians with Disabilities’ appeared first on Walk21.