Open street events provide a tangible, real-world example of what is possible on our streets. They show, in real terms, what our streets look and feel like when pedestrians are prioritized, and by doing so bolster support for active and sustainable transportation, and safer streets.
Each year, more cities around the globe host open street events that temporarily close streets to cars and open them to pedestrians and cyclists. Some of these events are annual, some are monthly or weekly. Some cities are even planning to host these events every day along certain corridors – a true shift in the street landscape.
In this edition of our webinar series, we heard from Leticia Sabino, founder and director of SampaPé! in São Paulo, which works to improve the walking experience in cities, and head organizer of open street events in São Paulo, Brazil. We also heard from Aaron Paley, president and co-founder of Community Arts Resources (CARS), and founding executive director of CicLAvia in Los Angeles, the largest car-free open streets event in the United States.
Abhimanyu Prakash, program manager at NACTO-GDCI, moderated the discussion.
More about the speakers:
Leticia Sabino
Leticia received a master’s degree in Urban Design and City Planning from UCL (University College London), with an undergrad in Business Administration at FGV-EAESP and post-graduation in Creative Economy and Creative cities. Leticia is the founder and director of SampaPé!, an NGO focused on improving the walking experience in cities, member of International Federation of Pedestrian (IFP). She is the co-founder of Latin American Network for Walkable Cities and Cidadeapé – civil society organization for pedestrians in Sao Paulo. Leticia is a dreamer and mobilizer of the Open Street programme in São Paulo and she also has an art project about walking on cities on Instagram: @porondeandeisp.
Aaron Paley
Aaron is the President and co-founder of Community Arts Resources (CARS), Los Angeles’ leading community and cultural festival producer, serving clients such as the Getty, the City of Santa Monica, Southern California Association of Governments and the LA Phil. Paley served as the founding Executive Director of CicLAvia, the nation’s largest car-free event. He is a recipient of the 2008 Stanton Fellowship from the Durfee Foundation, which focused on issues of public space and utilization in Los Angeles and led directly to the founding of CicLAvia. Paley received his BA in Environmental Design from UC Berkeley and his MBA with a specialization in non-profit arts management from UCLA.
For more information or suggestions on topics, you would like to see covered in our webinars, write to us at info@gdci.global.
A Streets for Kids Reverse Periscope is a simple DIY tool that can help adults experience streets from a child’s height. Watch this recorded webinar about how to create and use a Reverse Periscope in your community.
On November 1, 2, and 3 GDCI hosted three webinars about the Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure (BICI). These sessions provided an overview of the program, who’s eligible, the application process, and gave city leaders an opportunity to ask questions.
On November 1, 2, and 3 GDCI hosted three webinars about the Bloomberg Initiative for Cycling Infrastructure (BICI). These sessions provided an overview of the program, who’s eligible, the application process, and gave city leaders an opportunity to ask questions.
