Slowing Down for A Healthier, Wealthier, Sustainable City

For more than a century, a principle goal of transport strategies in the city has been for us to ‘go faster’, in order to save time.

It doesn’t seem to have worked, does it? And when we see that going faster isn’t saving any time, what do we do? We re-double our efforts, following the dictum of Thomas Edison: “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”.

We have been ignoring the ‘speed paradox’ that speed steals our time. What’s more, it turns out that it steals our money and our health too. So how do we deal with this? Maybe it’s time to rethink our transport strategies to make ‘try to go slower’ the goal.

The seminar will be followed by a panel discussion with Rodney, Dr Caroline Shaw of the University of Otago, Wellington and WCC councillor Sarah Free.

Speaker:
Dr Rodney Tolley is the Conference Director of Walk21, the Founder & Director of Rodney Tolley Walks Ltd and an Honorary Research Fellow at Staffordshire University. Walk 21 is a global partnership of walking experts that champions the development of healthy, sustainable and equitable communities where people choose to walk.

Rodney was central to the development of the International Charter for Walking, which is has now been signed by over 500 mayors to lead their communities towards better walkability. He is writing a book for Elsevier with Paul Tranter of UNSW Canberra on “Slowing City Transportation: Creating Healthier Places to Live, Work and Play”.

He has led hundreds of presentations, walkabouts and workshops in communities across the world, including over 50 cities in Australasia.

The New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities is co-hosting this event with the NZ Transport Agency.