[sustran] Bicycle conference in Colombia

[Paul Barter]

seen on the alt-transp list:

>The  International Symposium on the Sustainable City and the Bicycle
>
>Towards the Ecological Reconversion of Urban Transportation
>
>Palmira,  Colombia,  November 24-28, 1998
>
>The International Symposium on the Sustainable City and the Bicycle is a
>project designed to contribute to the political, economic and cultural
>changes for bringing about an  ecological reconversion of transportation
>in the cities of the Cauca Valley, Colombia. Its main goals are:
>
>- To influence the recognition,  at the highest level, of the
>environmental, economical, social and cultural advantages of the bicycle
>in urban mobility.
>
>- To create a space for democratic dialogue between public officials,
>researchers, NGO representatives, the general public, e.g cyclists and
>pedestrians about the global trends on ecological mobility, and
>concerning  the strategies for turning the current urban life style
>towards sustainability.
>
>- To encourage the adoption of an integral plan for sustainable mobility
>encompassing  public works to establish local networks of bikeways, an
>intercities network of bikepaths and legal measures to guarantee the
>safety of cyclists and pedestrians.
>
>- To identify the mechanisms for promoting the use of  bicycle in urban
>centers, to strengthen public transportation systems and improve the
>infrastructure for pedestrian and mobility on foot.
>
>Topics
>
>Speeches, presentations, workshops and dialogues will evolve around the
>following topics:
>
>CITY AND ENVIRONMENT
>
>Urban metabolism and ecological footprint of the city. Challenges of
>urban sustainability.
>
>Urban environment and the city.  Looking for the livableness in the
>streets.
>
>Cycling across the XXI Agenda. Global policies and trends of
>transportation in environmental perspective.
>
>
>
>
>CITY, TRANSPORTATION AND MOBILITY
>
>Recognizing transportation as the "hard core" of the ecological crisis.
>The social and environmental costs of motorization.
>
>Burying myths about the efficiency of automobiles. Towards the
>ecological reconversion of transportation.
>
>Building a culture of sustainable and harmonious transportation.. The
>alliance of pedestrians, cyclists and public transportation.
>
>The lessons of the ecological economy about transportation: mobility,
>accessibility and city design.
>
>THE SUSTAINABLE CITY AND THE BICYCLE
>
>Encouraging the use of bicycle as a mode of urban transportation. Public
>participation and strategies for the promotion of the bicycle.
>
>Integrating bicycle into the transportation system. Urban traffic
>policies. Public transportation.
>
>Recognizing the environmental, economical, social and health advantages
>of the bicycle.  Bicycle  and urban environment
>
>BUILDING CITIES FOR CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIAN
>
>Designing and establishing the urban network of  bikeways. Old and new
>approaches about integration or segregation of cyclists.
>
>Legislating for cyclists. Bill of the Fundamental Rights of Cyclists.
>Insurance and Negative Ecotaxes.
>
>Building the infrastructure of road safety for cyclists. Prevention of
>accidents. Bikeparking.
>
>CONNECTING CITIES AND REGIONS IN BICYCLE
>
>Building the intercities network of bikepaths. Using pre-existing
>infrastructure (rural paths, abandoned railways, fluvial beds)
>
>Economical benefits of the network of  bikepaths. Mapping the
>Latin-American network of bikepaths.
>
>Discovering Colombian landscape and culture by bicycle. Advantages of
>the ecoturism by bicycle.
>
>THE BICYCLE IN COLOMBIA AND THE CAUCA VALLEY
>
>Conserving the every day use of the bicycle in Palmira as a cultural
>patrimony. Example of the bicycle integration with the local traffic.
>
>Cycling in the Cauca Valley. The bicycle in Guacari, Candelaria.
>Cerrito, Pradera, Ginebra, Buga, Tulua.
>
>Bikeways in Cali,  Santafe de Bogota and other cities nationwide..
>
>GUEST SPEAKERS
>
>The Organizing Committee has invited distinguished international
>speakers. Speakers from Spain, Canada,  England, Germany, Italy, El
>Salvador and Peru have accepted and confirmed their participation.
>
>BIKEFEAST, BIKEDEMONSTRATION AND BIKETOURS
>
>The Symposium will take place in the Bicycle Week that the Mayor of
>Palmira will decree in honor of the bicycle as a cultural patrimony of
>the Palmiranians. The Bicycle Week, November 22-29, 1998, will be the
>highlight  the National Festival of the Bicycle that,  jointly with
>Foundation America Latina and the National University of Colombia,  the
>Symposium organizers will celebrate in Bogota and other Colombian
>cities. There will be a gathering of cyclists and pedestrians with a
>cultural  agenda plenty of music, poetry, painting and movies.
>
>On Friday 27th and Saturday 28th the participants can ride bikes on four
>tours with different distances, landscape and topography.
>
>In the morning of Sunday 29 a great regional bikedemonstration will take
>place with cyclists from all over the Cauca Valley. You must come and
>participate in this environmental public action advocating for regional
>bikepaths.
>
>Presentations, Proceedings and Teleconferences
>
>The Symposium will have plenary sessions, panels and parallel workshops.
>The plenary sessions will be devoted to the presentations of the
>national and international guest speakers. The agenda of panels and
>parallel workshops will be based on the presentations selected by the
>Organizing Committee.
>
>The Symposium Organizing Committee invite all persons interested in
>submitting an abstract to send it  to International Symposium on the
>Sustainable City and the Bicycle, Organizing Committee,  Apdo. Aereo
>2741, Cali, Colombia,  before September 30th. The Organizing Committee
>will announce by personal communication to those accepted, who then need
>to send the full presentation by October 30th. Authors of presentations
>will be free of  registration rights
>
>
>Who Should Participate
>
>1.  Officials from private organizations and the Public Administration
>working with issues related to urbanism, transportation, environment,
>tourism, health, road safety, environmental policy and law.
>2. Cyclists and members of advocacy groups and bike clubs.
>3. Architects, engineers, geographers, ecologists and professionals
>interested in the environment, transportation and urbanism.
>4. Managers of transportation business.
>5. Researchers and consultants inn the fields of public transportation,
>land zoning, environment, public health, urban sociology, social
>communication.
>6. Manufacturers and  dealers of bicycles, parts and equipment or
>materials for bikepath infrastructure.
>7. Editors and journalists of publications devoted to transportation,
>the city and the bicycle.
>8. Every person interested in the ecological reconversion of
>transportation and  in the promotion of the bicycle as a mode of urban
>transportation.
>
>Modes of Participation
>
>The organizing Committee has foreseen the following modes of
>participation:
>
>Attendant. He/she will participate in all the sessions and activities of
>the Symposium. He/she will receive a copy of the Proceedings and will
>have the opportunity to meet the participants and to have direct access
>to the information disseminated by the speakers and delegates. .
>
>Delegate. He/she will participate delivering a presentation previously
>accepted by the Organizing Committee. His/her presentation will be
>included in the Symposium Agenda and published in the Proceedings.
>His/her participation will be free of registration rights and in certain
>cases the Organizing Committee will offer free accommodation. His/her
>partner attendance will also be free of charge.
>
>Exhibitor.  Individuals, NGOs  or companies will participate exhibiting
>posters, cyclist products or cultural goods in the stands that will be
>located in the halls of the Convention Center of Palmira.
>
>Sponsor. Individuals, NGOs or companies  that support the Symposium
>believing as a very important project not only to preserve the bike
>culture in Palmira but to encourage its adoption in other cities as well
>as to promote the ecological reconversion of  transportation in the
>Cauca Valley.
>
>Translation
>
>Simultaneous translation of English and Spanish will be provided in the
>plenary sessions. The official language of the remaining activities will
>be Spanish.
>
>Registration
>
>The cost of registration is US $ 100.
>
>Those registered before September 30th will have a discount of 25%.
>
>The International Symposium on the Sustainable City and the Bicycle is
>organized by the Center for Environmental Legal Assistance, CELA, and
>the Mayor¥s Office of Palmira. Currently has the support of the
>Foundation for Research and Protection of the Environment, FIPMA, and
>the regional environment authority, the Corporacion Autonoma Regional
>del Cauca, CVC.
>
>Information and Registration
>
>Cra 36A No. 5B1-54, or Apdo. Aereo 2741
>Cali, Colombia
>
>Telephones:  57-2-5585002 /  57-2-5567519
>
>E-mail:  fipma at emcali.net.co
>
>             borrero at colombianet.net
>