[sustran] "Seven Sustainable Mayors": Profiles of Courage

[eric.britton at ecoplan.org]

Friday, July 02, 2004, Paris, France, Europe

 

We have decided to work up a set of "Profiles of Courage", brief but
sharp reminders of how a handful of hard-headed, far sighted mayors in
(this list is in progress) Brazil, Britain, Colombia, Canada, France,
Germany, and yes even the United States of America, have managed to turn
around vital transport elements of their city and get them off the old
path and onto that of a sustainable system (bit by bit).  We hope to be
able to share these with you before the end of the summer.

 

Do you have candidates (let’s note that we have not yet identified
anyone from Asia or Africa in this lot)? Do you have information on any
of these mayors that should be integrated into the profiles?  Let us
know.

 

Several of these cases are well known to all of you here – for example
the stories of Jaime Lerner and Enrique Peñalosa – but others are less
known.  And in any event I think that what will be important about this
little collection is that by putting them next to each other and
searching out the communalities and lessons in terms specifically of
what is needed to break the old patterns, we will be able to help show
the way for others.  After all, there have to be some mayors out there
who are ready to go and who may need just this nudge to greatness. 

 

I would intend to post these, possibly one by one on the site over the
two months ahead so that you will have an opportunity to comment, which
comments we shall of course take into fullest consideration.

 

Note: Is there anyone out there who would like to take on this task for
us?  Either the whole thing or individual profiles that I could then try
to whip into shape so that the whole lot reads as of a piece.  I think
it’s a important and timely challenge, and all offers of help will be
gratefully received.

 

Eric Britton

 

PS. This could very nicely be sponsored by some international
organization of local government, mayors or what have you.  Or a
foundation or anyone else who thinks this could be important and worth
doing. The only condition, in addition to our being pleased to take
their money and have a high profile public rostrum to get the news out,
is that they cannot in any way influence the work in progress or final
product.  ;-)

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://list.jca.apc.org/manage/private/sustran-discuss/attachments/20040702/88c7c897/attachment.html