The goal of the Towards Carfree Cities conference series is to bring together people from around the world who are promoting practical alternatives to car dependence - walking, cycling and public transport, and ultimately the transformation of cities, towns and villages into human-scaled environments rich in public space and community life. The focus is on strategy, collaboration and exchange, assisting the practical work of conference participants - whether it be organising carfree days, promoting urban cycling, or building the carfree cities of the future.
Portland, Oregon (USA) - 2008
Towards Carfree Cities VIII:
Rethinking Mobility, Rediscovering Proximity
Portland, Oregon, USA
June 16-20, 2008
Towards Carfree Cities will make its North American debut in Portland, Oregon from June 16 - 20, 2008. The theme will be "Rethinking Mobility, Rediscovering Proximity. Registration opens on January 15,2008. Rates are lower for those who register before February 29. Please visit the conference website at Carfreeportland.org for more
information.
Schedule for Towards Carfree Cities VIII:
Monday, June 16: Depaving project
Tuesday, June 17: Public Day and Carfree Art Show opening at City Hall
Wednesday, June 18: Movie Night
Thursday, June 19: Square Dance in the street
Friday, June 20: WCN Annual General Meeting
Istanbul hosted Towards Carfree Cities VII from August 27-31, 2007. The local hosts were the Turkish Traffic Safety Association and Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University, Faculty of Architecture, Department of City and Regional Planning. The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of World Carfree Network took place on the last day, August 31.
Theme
The conference theme "Building a Livable Future in a Changing Climate" emphasised the positive potential and urgency of addressing global climate change through the creation of high-quality, carfree human habitats. We looked at how proximity can reduce our dependence on mobility - how cities can be transformed into a compact, space-efficient urban settlement pattern in which one's daily wants and needs can be met within walking distance. We focused on how an urban environment transformed in this way can increase people's quality of life.
On another level, the theme hinted at the growing potential for change in the social and political climate. For example, walkable communities are increasingly seen as a solution to various negative global health trends, ecological building methods are rapidly gaining in popularity, and public opinion on global climate change has shifted rapidly towards universal recognition of this pressing global problem.
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