Healthy Urban Policy Implementation Workshop - Copenhagen
We spent this past week in Copenhagen to host the Implementing Healthy Urban Policy Workshop, an immersive experience in Copenhagen, in partnership with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The workshop consisted of five days of engaging lectures, workshops and walking and cycling tours curated to delve into how transportation infrastructure and public spaces can foster inclusion and healthy lifestyles for all people.
Thank you to the participant teams from four Canadian cities - Walking the Walk in Smaller Cities, Ontario Tech University, City of Oshawa, City Of Guelph, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, City of Brandon, City of Saskatoon, and to our hosts and speakers for a fantastic week. We look forward to the upcoming work and change in your communities!
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Creating Parks and Public Spaces for All
Ages & Identifying Placemaking Quick Wins, Alaska
Using the Park Audit Tool from our Creating Parks & Public Spaces for People of All Ages Guide, we have audited two urban parks in both Anchorage and Juneau, Alaska. Park audits help us quantify and observe park usage, quality of infrastructure and potential for future investments.
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In this blog, 8 80 Cities Project Manager Shannon Lawrence reflects on the impact and return on investment of Ontario Community Changemakers, a program designed by 8 80 Cities and funded by Balsam Foundation. "One of the parts of the program that is so unique is that it is designed to create as few barriers as possible, both in the application process and requirements and in the individual project execution. We have seen from this model that our Changemakers are given the space to experiment, pilot, pivot and even “fail”. While making community change, the OCC program is also about individual growth," says Shannon.
Read the blog post...
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A street becomes children's place when they can freely explore and utilize their imagination. Studies have consistently shown that most everyday play occurs on the street when children have some degree of free mobility within their neighbourhoods and permission to play out. From Amsterdam’s playful Potgieterstraat to Barcelona’s superblocks and Bristol’s ‘Playing Out’ movement, Sudeshna Chatterjee is exploring how urban landscapes transform to be more child-friendly.
Continue reading...
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Men's need for social connection is often overlooked, but social disconnection is a serious problem that leads to loneliness and various mental health issues. How can public spaces support social connection for men at a higher risk of depression and suicidal ideation in the U.S?
Continue reading...
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Image credit: Depave Portland via Next City.
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Lucy Sherriff shares the story of Depave, an organization based in Portland, Oregon, and how they have completed 75 "depaving" projects in various community spaces, such as schoolyards and churches, throughout Portland. Nowadays, urban planners are reconsidering the use of asphalt in cities due to its contribution to the urban heat island effect and increased flooding risk.
Continue reading...
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In this opinion piece on The Spinoff, EJ Barrett, a queer, disabled, solo parent of three based in Taranaki, New Zealand, addresses the need for cycling infrastructure to support not only those who prefer riding a bike rather than using a car but to also provide well planned, inclusive and accessible infrastructure to benefit all members of society, especially the marginalized. “As long as cycle infrastructure is done with accessibility in mind, such as maintaining disability parking spaces and avoiding steep inclines, implementing adequate cycle routes does not harm the disabled and chronically ill community”, she says while reflecting on the need to remove barriers and promote active transportation for all.
Continue reading...
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Plaza de la Leña, Pontevedra. Image credit: David Andres Gutierrez via iStock.
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Let’s join David Zipper in his analysis of his recent visit to Pontevedra, the Spanish city that has been restricting cars since 1999, thanks to the vision of Mayor Miguel Anxo Fernandez and the “Fewer cars, more city” campaign. Here, we share the five lessons this car-free pioneer offers local officials elsewhere who might want to follow: 1. Car-free doesn’t mean no cars; 2. Going car-free boosts road safety; 3. Going car-free can attract new residents; 4. Getting rid of cars can stimulate the local economy; and 5. Going car-free can be a political winner. Is your city up to the challenge?
Continue reading...
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What We Are Watching And Listening To
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Safer Parks: Improving Access For Women And Girls
This webinar by World Urban Parks presents new research findings by the University of Leeds, which explored what women and girls identify as safe and unsafe while at a park. The findings illustrate how park managers, design professionals and others can change park design and management to make them safer for women and girls.
Watch the webinar recording...
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Empowering Elders to Build Age-Friendly Communities
The work of Laura Poskin and Age Friendly PGH (Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh) centers on the idea that what's suitable for elders is good for all — and that when communities don't incorporate elder voices into their big-picture plans, they deprive everyone of vital social opportunities.
Tune in and listen to this episode of the Green House Podcast!
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We are proud to share that we won a Mississauga Corporate Award in the category of Community Partnership for our work with the City of Mississauga, Green Communities Canada and the fantastic schools, school board, and community partners that helped make healthy, active and safe School Streets possible.
If you plan to implement your own School Street but don’t know where to start, check out our School Streets Toolkit to help you get started!
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 AIPH is calling all young people from around the world! Have your say in building greener cities🍃. Apply to join the Youth Jury for the AIPH Global Youth Award. Deadline: 29th September 2023. Apply here.
Please join our friends at Eagle Spirits of the Great Waters Indigenous Arts & Cultures to celebrate culture, community and arts to honour the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – Orange Shirt Day. Saturday, September 30 & October 1, 2023,10:00 am - 4:00 pm. At Small Arms Inspection Building, Outdoors 1352 Lakeshore Road, Mississauga, ON L5E 1E9. Visit eaglespirits.ca for more information. This event is free.
Upcoming Sessions
October 3rd. Child-Friendly and Playful Cities. Guest: Dr Sara Candiracci, Associate Director at Arup – Cities. Milan, Italy. Register here.
October 17th. Tactical Urbanism: Transform Your City, Today! Guest: Mike Lydon, Co-Founder/Principal, Street Plans. Brooklyn, New York, USA. Register here.
 Join us on October 12 & 14 as we return to the Western Waterfront area for our second round of Public Life Studies! We are looking for volunteers to collect data on pedestrian and cyclist movement and public space usage at the waterfront using simple and fun observational tools. This data will be used to better inform the Western Waterfront Master Plan Update and make the space even better for all users. You can sign up here.
Our Executive Director, Amanda O'Rourke, will speak at Building Connected Communities Forum October 12 - 14, Boston, MA. Click here to join.
The International Society of Urban Health's 19th International Conference on Urban Health will be November 6 - 9 in Atlanta. Learn from the most innovative urban health and equity experts from around the world and "Turn Evidence into Impact: Urban Health as a Global Driver of Equity & Social Justice". Don't wait, register now!
Join CUI and strategic partners from coast to coast to coast on November 30 in Ottawa to chart the next steps for urban Canada. Registration opens today to all participants. Location: Shaw Centre, Ottawa, ON, Thursday, November 30, 2023, all-day. This event will take place in both EN and FR .
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