Cities for Everyone with Gil Penalosa

This week, Downtown Jacksonville will host 1,000 planners will be in Downtown Jacksonville for the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association's annual statewide planning conference. Here is a free event focusing on creating Cities for Everyone – Affordable, Equitable, Sustainable with internationally known Canadian urban planner Gil Penalosa.

Cities for Everyone – Affordable, Equitable, Sustainable with Gil Penalosa

Gil Penalosa is the Founder and Chair of the successful Canadian non-profit organization 8 80 Cities, and the Founder of Cities for Everyone. He also leads a private international consulting firm, Gil Penalosa & Associates, providing services as an inspirational keynote speaker, instructor of Master Classes, and advisor to decision-makers and community groups. He has worked in over 350 cities, including over 70 in the US. Recently Planetizen recognized Gil at #13 in The 100 Most Inspirational Contemporary Urbanists.

In his conversation, Cities for Everyone – Affordable, Equitable, Sustainable, Gil will discuss how all we do in our cities should be evaluated by its impact on urban health: nature, social, built environment and their interrelationships. Most of the urbanization over the past 40 years has been mediocre, bad for climate change, mental and physical health, happiness; this means that as the US prepares to build over 40 million homes in the next 40 years, you need to do it radically different. Huge challenge, magnificent opportunity.

Planners can play a enormous role improving our current communities, and creating many new ones. Planners must be at the table, inviting public health, mobility, economic development, and more disciplines, as well as citizens, media, honestly listening. Then, promote the decisions that they consider are the right ones, not the easy ones. Educate, motivate, inspire. Half of the homes that will be in the world within the life of today’s children, do not exist today. Today’s planners can lead in the creation of affordable, equitable, sustainable cities, where everyone, regardless of background, can live older, healthier, happier.

Cities for Everyone – Affordable, Equitable, Sustainable with Gil Penalosa will take place on Wednesday, September 6 at 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm at the Jessie Ball DuPont Center. The Jessie Ball DuPont Center is located at 40 East Adams Street Jacksonville, FL 32202.