Walk/Bike/Places strives to be the most informative and progressive active transportation conference in North America. Produced by Project for Public Spaces, the event consists of 50+ participant-led breakout sessions and locally-led workshops, as well as opportunities for experiential learning by walking and biking through the streets and other public spaces of the host city.
In 2020, due to complications related to Covid-19, our in-person event in Indianapolis had to be postponed to 2021, and our 2020 program was brought entirely online. Due to the success and increased accessibility offered by that shift, 2021’s event will take place in Indianapolis as a hybrid event so that participants can take advantage of the benefits of both formats and plan their schedules accordingly given the continuous challenges posed by Covid-19.
Our hybrid program will feature everything you’d expect from our usual event including general sessions, dozens of breakout sessions, locally-led mobile workshops, and social hours, although we expect the in-person event to be more intimate and experiential -- we will be getting outdoors as much as possible!
Since the event was founded in 1980, Walk/Bike/Places has focused on leaving a positive legacy in our host city, adressing the most important and challenging issues of the moment, and making the conference a place where diverse voices are heard.
This year’s conference theme is: The Route to Recovery. We seek to bring together practitioners, policy-makers, and public space advocates to address the many of the urgent challenges and long overdue injustices that have come to the surface within our field. Many of the events that took place throughout 2020 only intensified and revealed issues that had been long standing and devastating influences in our society relating to public health, systemic racism, climate change, economic inequality, and democracy. How public space plays a role in these issues is front and center in our minds, and we are certain are front and center in yours. Ultimately, we aim to deliver a program that shows examples of how our public spaces can serve as part of our social, economic and even emotional recovery.
The streets, squares, corners, buildings, neighborhoods and locations that are special to us, and anchor a community. Placemaking, Tactical Urbanism, Parklets, Public Markets, Downtowns.
Setting the vision, goals, objectives and process for moving us towards a more just and sustainable society. Zoning, Land Use, Form-Based Code, Data, Modeling, Outreach, Public Engagement, Project Evaluation, Economic Development.
The management and operation of vehicles and infrastructure for the most efficient movement of people. Micro-mobility, Ride Hailing Apps, Bike Share, Transit Oriented Development, Multimodal Hubs, Congestion Pricing, Demand Management, BRT, First/Last Mile.
Creating environments where people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities can lead healthy, happy and productive lives. Active Living, Injury Prevention, Environmental Justice, Education, Mental Well-Being, Social Capital, Friendships, Physical Health, Violence Prevention, Nutrition.
The streets, sidewalks, multi-use trails, and information that moves us. Woonerfs, Shared Spaces, Traffic Calming, Bike Parking, Multi Use Trails, Sidewalks, Streets, Cycle Tracks, Bike Lanes, Advisory Bike Lanes, Rapid Implementation.
Building the organizations and building the skills of those who will fiercely defend the public interest. Running for Office, Registering a Non-Profit, Ethics, Professional Responsibility, Strategic Planning, Campaigns, Budgeting, Fundraising.
Simply put: supporting a cause, and getting what we want. Funding, Referendums, Legislation, Public Policy.
Our plan was to be in Indianapolis in 2020, but due to Covid-19 we had to push that to 2021. While the city is perhaps best known for the Indy 500, Indianapolis has been transforming itself over the past decade to celebrate other forms of transportation. The Indianapolis Cultural Trail, which melds transportation and placemaking, is the crown jewel of the city's downtown. The trail, along with Indy's greenway, blueways, protected bike lanes, and bus rapid transit system, have lured employers, residents, and events such as ours. Parks, markets and other public spaces have also been important catalysts for the city's redevelopment. And the city’s creative placemaking projects are some of the most inspired we’ve seen.
There’s no better time than now to learn about how Indy is coping and rising to the challenges that this year has presented. Join us as we engage with this great American city, and meet our partners where they’re at to share and learn from each other.
Interested in becoming a sponsor of Walk/Bike/Places?
If you have questions email the organizing team at program@walkbikeplaces.org.
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Interested in becoming a sponsor of Walk/Bike/Places? Do you have another way to support the event? We want to hear from you too!
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