Yesterday, on 9 May, I attended the Velo-City conference in Leipzig, Germany. I was joined as a panellist by inspiring speakers from Uganda, Sweden, Chile and Germany. The session, working together towards equitable environments, captured the power and necessity of collaboration in the quest for more inclusive, healthy, and equitable environments. Speakers showcased what a vital contribution a transition to sustainable active mobility can make. With more than 60 countries represented, the conference was a great knowledge-sharing opportunity and very much in the spirit of Cities Changing Diabetes.
The Velo-City conference is a world cycling summit where advocates,
national and city decision-makers, researchers and business leaders
meet to shape the future of cycling. It is the annual flagship event
of the
European Cyclists’
Federation (ECF), which has recently become a collaborative
partner of Cities Changing Diabetes.
In my presentation
I talked about the negative effects of poor urban planning on health
and how important it is for planners to create opportunities for
citizens to live healthier and more sustainable lives on a daily
basis. I advocated for cities to prioritise active transport,
including walking and cycling, and I shared some of the good examples
of our Cities Changing Diabetes network such as
Fit with bike,
Cycling without age and the concept of a
15-minute city model.
