Velo City
Encyclopedia
Velo-city is a series of cycle planning conferences started in 1980 in Bremen
. The Velo-city 1980 also inspired the founding of the European Cyclists' Federation
(ECF) in 1983 . The conferences are one of the worlds primary forums for the exchange of bicycling expertise.
At the beginning, the conference guests and speakers were mainly bicycle
advocates, but today Velo-city is well known for gathering all those who are involved in the policy, promotion and provision for cyclists. This mixture of people, professions, skills and experience is a valuable component of the events success. Velo-city is a market place, the place to be for stakeholders from local, regional and national authorities, politicians, academics, consultants, industrials, and bicycle users.
Velo-city is an occasion for a city to show continuous and lasting efforts to improve cycling
in its city. For instance Paris
, inspired by the Velo-city 2003 conference, launched Velib in 2007, thereby creating world-wide attention.
Next conference will be
and a concrete measure in combatting climate change
.
The European Cyclists' Federation has named Copenhagen as host-city because of its strong cycling tradition and because it will be possible for the participants – with their own eyes – to see that with a continued focus, cycling can achieve a large marked share. Copenhagen shows that growth in the number of cyclists can occur at the same time as economic growth
and a high quality of life. By choosing Copenhagen as host-city, the event will benefit from the brand of Copenhagen as the climate change city following the UN conference COP15
in 2009.
By signing the charter, cities commit themselves to invest in bicycle policy as an integrated part of urban mobility. At the same time, the charter is a call on the European Union to promote urban cycling.
Up to date list of signing cities can be found here http://www.velo-city2009.com/charter-brussels.html
and Ghent
. A permanent exhibition named Expo Velo-city was organized and then on Sunday took place the Brussels traditional bicycle festival, Dring Dring.
Plenary sessions themes are
There are 4 Exhibition clusters:
The Brussels-Capital Region’s main aims for Velo-city are to present a high-quality cycling infrastructure and to obtain renewed recognition for the role of the bicycle within a sustainable intermodal transport policy (cycling in combination with public transport and journeys on foot), along with the positive impact of cycling on health and the environment.
On a regional level, the authorities want Velo-city 2009 to increase the number of cyclists in Brussels by getting as many of the city’s inhabitants to participate in the conference as possible. To do this, several high-profile campaigns and events are being organised to accompany the conference.
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
. The Velo-city 1980 also inspired the founding of the European Cyclists' Federation
European Cyclists' Federation
European Cyclists' Federation is an umbrella federation for national cycling organizations throughout Europe.ECF was founded in 1983 by 12 bicycle user associations...
(ECF) in 1983 . The conferences are one of the worlds primary forums for the exchange of bicycling expertise.
At the beginning, the conference guests and speakers were mainly bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
advocates, but today Velo-city is well known for gathering all those who are involved in the policy, promotion and provision for cyclists. This mixture of people, professions, skills and experience is a valuable component of the events success. Velo-city is a market place, the place to be for stakeholders from local, regional and national authorities, politicians, academics, consultants, industrials, and bicycle users.
Velo-city is an occasion for a city to show continuous and lasting efforts to improve cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
in its city. For instance Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, inspired by the Velo-city 2003 conference, launched Velib in 2007, thereby creating world-wide attention.
Hosting cities
Conferences have been held in the following locations:- 1980 - BremenBremenThe City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - 1984 - LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental... - 1987 - Groningen, The Netherlands, "Planning for the urban cyclist"
- 1989 - CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, "How to make people use the bicycle" - 1991 - Milano, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, "The bicycle: improving mobility and the environment in our cities" - 1993 - NottinghamNottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, United Kingdom - 1995 - BaselBaselBasel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, "The bicycle, symbol of sustainable transport" - 1997 - BarcelonaBarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... - 1999 - GrazGrazThe more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and MariborMariborMaribor is the second largest city in Slovenia with 157,947 inhabitants . Maribor is also the largest and the capital city of Slovenian region Lower Styria and the seat of the Municipality of Maribor....
, SloveniaSloveniaSlovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
, website of the conference - 2001 - EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
and GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, website of the conference - 2003 - ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, "The bycicle as an essential tool for winning the city back" - 2005 - Dublin, IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, "Delivering the vision" - 2007 - MunichMunichMunich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Germany, "From vision to reality" - 2009 - BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, website of the conference "Re-cycling cities" - 2010 - CopenhagenCopenhagenCopenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, website of the conference "Different gears same destinations" - 2011 - SevilleSevilleSeville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, website of the conference "The cycle of life"
Next conference will be
- 2012 - VancouverVancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, website of the conference
Velo-city Global 2010
Velo-city Global 2010 aims to show and develop the potential of cycling as an obvious choice on urban transportPublic transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
and a concrete measure in combatting climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
.
The European Cyclists' Federation has named Copenhagen as host-city because of its strong cycling tradition and because it will be possible for the participants – with their own eyes – to see that with a continued focus, cycling can achieve a large marked share. Copenhagen shows that growth in the number of cyclists can occur at the same time as economic growth
Economic growth
In economics, economic growth is defined as the increasing capacity of the economy to satisfy the wants of goods and services of the members of society. Economic growth is enabled by increases in productivity, which lowers the inputs for a given amount of output. Lowered costs increase demand...
and a high quality of life. By choosing Copenhagen as host-city, the event will benefit from the brand of Copenhagen as the climate change city following the UN conference COP15
2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference
The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference, commonly known as the Copenhagen Summit, was held at the Bella Center in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7 December and 18 December. The conference included the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate...
in 2009.
Velo-city 2009
ECF & Brussels Capital Region were responsible for organizing Velo-city in 2009, when it took place at Tour & Taxis. The site is a former industrial storage depot which has been fully restored and is now used for all sorts of events from major fairs through music festivals to exclusive parties. Velo-city 2009 began on Tuesday 12 May and end on Friday 15 May. Velo-city 2009 was a huge success with more than 750 participants.Charter of Brussels
During Velo-city 2009 last day in the European Parliament, several European cities have signed the Charter of Brussels.By signing the charter, cities commit themselves to invest in bicycle policy as an integrated part of urban mobility. At the same time, the charter is a call on the European Union to promote urban cycling.
Up to date list of signing cities can be found here http://www.velo-city2009.com/charter-brussels.html
Velo-city 2009 program
Velo-city 2009 had a promising program on offer. As well as a selection of plenary and subplenary sessions with well-known national and international speakers, there has also been two excursions to LiègeLiège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
and Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
. A permanent exhibition named Expo Velo-city was organized and then on Sunday took place the Brussels traditional bicycle festival, Dring Dring.
Plenary sessions themes are
- Visions to transport in future cities
- Intermodal urban transport
- A forerunner city
- A climber city
- Health and cycling
- Climate change and urban transport
- Peak oil and cycling
- Economy and cycling
- City planning and communication
- Successful marketing of cycle use
- Cycling to school
- What can we learn from the advertising world?
- Role of Europe
- Debate with Members of EU Parliament
Expo Velo-city
The Expo Velo-city and the Velo-city Conference 2009 in Brussels give an overall idea of all the topics worldwide, with regard to the cycling world. The exhibitors, speakers and participants form the biggest forum for all cycling issues. It’s the biggest demonstration of the members of the cycling world, with representatives from the industry, urban and transport planning institutions, volunteers and politicians.There are 4 Exhibition clusters:
- Products
- Cycling infrastructure, expertise + information
- Cycling friendly world
- Cycling policy – European bodies, umbrella federations and alliances
Dring Dring
Dring Dring is a cycling event that has been organized for the Brussels-Capital Region since 1995 by Pro Velo, bringing together all the Brussels cycling associations (Gracq, Fietsersbond, les Ateliers de la rue Voot, Cyclo). The objectives of this all-bicycle week, taking place in May, are to encourage people to use bicycles more regularly, even inordinately, when travelling in Brussels, and to ensure better standing for cyclists in the city.Aims of Velo-city 2009
By organizing this event, ECF aims at gathering a large range of cycling stakeholders such as local authorities, politicians, industrials, professionals and bicycle users. Being in Brussels added a European value with the implication of European authorities and thus bring cycling on the European Agenda. Velo-city conference creates a network at a European level, generates exchange of information, experience and expertise which permit to highlight, spread and enhance good practices in the field of cycling. Therefore it increases the awareness of the advantages for authorities and for citizens of daily cycling in the field of health, environment or urban transport policy and thus enhances the level of bicycle use.The Brussels-Capital Region’s main aims for Velo-city are to present a high-quality cycling infrastructure and to obtain renewed recognition for the role of the bicycle within a sustainable intermodal transport policy (cycling in combination with public transport and journeys on foot), along with the positive impact of cycling on health and the environment.
On a regional level, the authorities want Velo-city 2009 to increase the number of cyclists in Brussels by getting as many of the city’s inhabitants to participate in the conference as possible. To do this, several high-profile campaigns and events are being organised to accompany the conference.
External links
- Velo-city 2009
- Information on Velo-city from the European Cyclists' Federation
- Velo-city 2007 conference review
- Dring dring website
- Pro Velo website
- Velo City Global 2010
- Velo Mondial, a cycling conference with a global outlook, arranged every seven years
- Velo Mondial 2006, held in Cape Town, South Africa