Gil Penalosa and his message about people-centric cities. Source 8 80 Citie

If you look at the speaking schedule for a guy named Gil Penalosa, you'll notice he is everywhere. Why? Because his message about doing something now to change cities in the future is resonating with quite a few people.

In fact, Penalosa will be the keynote speaker at the annual National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) conference in Las Vegas Sept. 15-17.

Essentially what he is saying is really a no-brainer. We ALL know this is going to happen. How we shape the way we manage what is going to happen is another story, another story that Penalosa urges us to act on NOW.

Here's the scenario. The population of people living in cities is going to double from 3.5 billion to more than 7 billion in just 35 years. Do you think it is hard to drive to a city now? As anyone can predict, with all those people flocking to urban areas it is not going to get any better.

More millennials are moving to cities. More people own cars than ever before. More people are living sedentary lifestyles. Very few funds have been spent on mass transportation projects, especially in the US.

Penalosa created a very simple formula for determining the overall livability, walkability and bikeability of any given city.

It's called "8-80" and what it represents is a philosophy that every city should be safe and accessible for kids from age 8 to 80-year-old seniors so they can get around, either in a bike lane, on a bus or just walking down the street.

In fact, he helped create and chairs a non-profit organization with that name - 8 80 Cities. (He also runs his own consulting company, Gil Penalosa & Associates).

"We must evaluate cities by how we treat their most vulnerable citizens; the children, the older adults, the poor and those with disabilities," he wrote. "We must stop building cities as if everyone was 30 years old and athletic."

He makes a good point. Many bike lanes are skinny and only made for the most adept riders. That's if there is even a bike lane on that road at all. Also, many city sidewalks are narrow and not particularly safe for pedestrians. It is estimated than in the US alone, 75,000 people are struck by automobiles every year, with 4,500 dying. That certainly does not reflect safe streets.

Right now, walk in most cities and you can see they are mostly filled with buildings and cars. It's as though people are not considered in the equation.

Penalosa wants to reverse that way of thinking.

"Walking, cycling, public transit and great parks and public spaces are not only essential ingredients for creating a healthy, vibrant and sustainable city - they are also a symbol of respect for people," he said. "The ability to walk and bike around one's community should be an inherent right for all. Certainly individual mobility cannot be reserved for just those who are old enough, adept enough or have the money and desire to drive a car."

But Penalosa does more than just spout theory and ideas. He's already put them to work.

As the parks commissioner for the city of Bogota in Columbia, he added 174 miles of protected bike lanes and created or revitalized more than 200 parks.

He also instituted a weekly "Ciclovia" - car-free event that attracts a million people every Sunday. Instead of cars, the streets are filled with hikers, bikers, skaters and just people in general. One million of them. The residents love it. Instead of cars and parking lots, there are bike parking racks and park benches.

This transformation wasn't really a matter of raising taxes and allocating more funds. It was a matter of direction.

"Bogoto is evidence that this is not a financial issue, not a skills issue, it is a political issue," Penalosa said.

He makes a good point. Making a town more bicycle, pedestrian and park friendly is not as expensive as building a new bridge, highway or tunnel.

But, it's an issue of political will. If enough people demand these types of changes in their urban environment, they will happen. It did in Bogota. New York City turned Times Square into a major pedestrian plaza. It's now filled. Copenhagen has been pushing cars out of the city since 1950. Los Angeles just voted to adopt a major re-haul in its transportation system that focuses more on bike lanes, bike sharing, mass transit, car sharing and fewer cars on the road. Fewer parking garages and more bicycle parking racks.

It's happening in other places around the world as well.

"While traditional planning tends to look first at systems of transport, water, green space, public space and more, the 8-80 approach first starts with people. We utilize an approach that engages citizens, professionals and a diversity of groups in decision-making from the start," he said.

This is why people are paying attention to Penalosa. He's taken his message to more than 180 different cities on six continents. He's onto something. He's saying what everybody is already thinking. We're about to embark on a transformation in worldwide transportation.

A change in direction that pays more attention to that little kid riding his bike or a senior citizen going for a walk instead. And provides better city parks or even car-free streets so all those city dwellers have an enticing and pleasant place to go.

For information on city site furnishings such as bicycle parking racks, park benches, bollards, traffic control devices, picnic tables and trash receptacles go to The Park Catalog.