Post-COVID Communities & People

SDG Alignment

About the Speaker

Gil (Guillermo) Penalosa is passionate about creating cities for all people. He has inspired and advised decision makers in more than 350 different cities around the world on how to create vibrant cities with healthy communities where all people can live happier, regardless of age, gender, ability, or socio-economic or ethnic status.

His focus is on the design and use of parks, streets, sidewalks as great public places, as well as sustainable mobility: walking, riding bicycles, taking public transit, and new uses of cars. Gil highlights the benefits to public health, environment, mobility, economic development.

Gil is Founder and Chair of 8 80 Cities, a successful Canadian based international non-profit organization, grounded on a simple but powerful concept which still guides much of his work: What if everything we did in our cities had to be great for an 8-year-old and an 80-year-old? Surely, we would end up with fantastic cities for all!

Regional Perspective

Wayne Hurley

Director of Transportation Planning, West Central Initiative