Calling All Winter Cities!
Apply to Join Our Wintermission

8 80 Cities is accepting proposals for Wintermission project partners in three U.S. cities. We will support these partners to become national leaders in winter city planning, design, and programming. These cities will become Winter City Vanguards, and work with 8 80 Cities and other partners to:

1. Lead a city-wide conversation about public life and social isolation in winter
2. Implement winter city pilot projects
3. Develop a unique winter city strategy

We encourage applications from teams of community leaders that are committed to making their city a vibrant, connected, and accessible place to live in winter.

The deadline is November 29, at 11:59 pm.

Gil Penalosa Wins the World Urban Parks  2018 Distinguished Individual Award

World Urban Parks encourages and recognizes significant contributions made by individuals to the urban parks, open space and recreation sector with this prestigious international award. The Distinguished Individual Award recognizes any organization or individual associated with the parks, open space and recreation industry.

The 2018 Distinguished Individual Award was presented at the International Parks & Leisure Congress in Melbourne last month. World Urban Parks is proud to recognize Gil Penalosa, our Founder and Chair of the Board.

Gil has played a significant role in the establishment of World Urban Parks as the association's first Chair of the Board. Since stepping down in September Gil is continuing to advocate for the association as the first ever ambassador of the association. 

Congratulations Gil! 
 

Urban 95 Starter Kit

Looking for a new perspective to foster positive change in your city?  Focusing on the needs of children under five provides a path to better cities. This Urban95 Starter Kit offers a range of ideas to inspire city leaders to incorporate a focus on the needs of young children and those who care for them into city design, planning and management. 

Check out the kit...

Why Walkable Communities Are the Best Communities for Older Adults

As we age, there's an important question to ask ourselves: what would our next home be- a suburban residential community or a walkable urban neighbourhood? 

Urban planner, author and walkability expert Jeff Speck offers advice for what to look for — and not fall for — when searching for an ageing-friendly place to live.

Continue reading...

'If we wanted beauty, we'd travel to Paris': how Calgary resisted its iconic pedestrian bridge

The controversial Peace Bridge is now one of the most-used walking and cycling routes in Calgary. The councillor behind it reveals the project’s stormy process.

Continue reading...

Understanding Safety at Neighborhood Schools

What comes first when we talk about neighbourhood schools: safety or driver convenience? What all of us probably would like to see as a response is safety. 

Charles Mahron from Strong Towns elaborates further in this article: “The best thing that can happen for the safety of students: people driving through a school zone should be so terrified of hitting someone that they drive very slow and with an extreme level of caution. In other words, the exact opposite of what is being designed.”

Continue reading...