[sustran] Nomination for the WTN 2004 Environment Prize - Ken Livingston and the London road pricing crew

[ecoplan.adsl at wanadoo.fr]

Dear Friends,

 

I would like to ask your views – and if you are in agreement an
indication of your support for the following initiative

 

I have decided to take advantage of some leverage that I happen to have
to nominate Ken Livingston and his road pricing team in London for this
year’s prestigious  WTN (World Technology Network) 2004 World Technology
Award for Environment (see  <http://www.wtn.net/> www.wtn.net for
details).  

Moreover, I thought that the whole thing might have even higher impact
if any of you who happen to share my views and  care to do so might lend
your name to this nomination.  All it would take could be your agreement
that this is maybe not such a bad idea and a quick email indicating that
you are willing to join us in this.  We already have a dozen or so
leading transportation thinkers and practitioners from seven countries
thus far, and it would be good to have some of you here as well.  If you
do agree, please send on a short email either here or to me personally
at  <mailto:Eric.Britton at ecoplan.org> Eric.Britton at ecoplan.org, sign in
with your full title, affiliation, etc.

 

The question comes up, is this a good idea?  While many fine
sustainability practitioners and thinkers have signed on, two of my most
respected friends and colleagues have indicated that they do not agree.
Here is my position on that. Is the London scheme original?  Well the
answer to that is the usual yes and no, and for you here I certainly do
not have to spell that out.  OK, but is it perfect?  No way.  But as I
see it, it provides an important, concrete, near-by demonstration of a
sustainability approach that can be made to work and to which virtually
all of our larger cities should be giving their very closest attention.
But if there is not clear recognizable example (and that means not at
the other end of the globe) and in a recognizable
socio-economic-political context, then the message will simply not get
through.  So hooray for Ken, his crew and their project, warts and all.

 

What we can hope is that this will set in motion a wave of projects that
can build on these lessons, and which can have even higher positive
impacts.  But if we have to wit forever for the perfect project. . .
well, forever is a pretty long time 

 

Below is a bit of background on the Prize etc. which you may or my not
wish to take the time to read.

 

I look forward to your reactions. 

 

Eric 

 

PS.  And with your nomination or comment, it would be interesting if you
might list a small handful of cities well known to you where you think
they might do well by looking into a road pricing scheme for themselves.
If this push of ours gets wide media coverage, it may be just one more
bit of pressure where it can help.

 

======================================================

For more information on the network and the Prize, I would point you to
http://www.wtn.net/. <http://www.wtn.net/. >   Now as it happens, I am
one of the small group of people who are in a position to make this
nomination.  And if that sounds a bit puffed up to you, let me explain
why.  In fact, in good part (I believe) I was awarded this prize myself
just month’s after our June 2001 final events in Stockholm Partnerships
for Sustainable Cities(see www.partnerships.stockholm.se) because of all
SEVERAL HUNDRED OF US DID TOGETHER to make such a splendid event and
network.  Unfair really to be honest, since I was singled out for an
honor that properly belonged to all involved.  What I can say in my
defense is that I mentioned in my acceptance speech that this was above
all a team effort, and that I considered myself merely an agent of the
City of Stockholm team under our energetic colleague Adam Holmstrom and
his team, our wonderful international jury, but, above all, all of you
the project teams.

 

To give you a better sense of what this is all about, let me quote the
WTN citation for the awards:

 

“The World Technology Awards have been created to honour those
individual leaders or, at times, co-equal teams from across the globe
who most contribute to the advance of emerging technologies of all sorts
for the benefit of business and society. We especially seek to honour
those innovators who have done work recently which has the greatest
likely future significance and impact over the long-term... and who will
likely become or remain "key players" in the technological drama
unfolding in coming years. These awards are not necessarily "lifetime
achievement" awards, nor are they particularly for individuals whose
work of greatest significance was less than recent. These are about
those individuals whose work today will, in our opinion, create the
greatest "ripple effects" in the future... in both expected and
unexpected ways.”

 

 

 

 

 

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