International Advisory Council

[22 Dec. 2011. Draft in progress.]

This page will introduce both the concept behind in the distinguished colleagues who have agreed to participate in the international advisory council. And through their association with the project keep a sharp eye on the manner in which it is being conducted, both to ensure the technical quality and proper sense of inclusiveness which is necessary for project such as this, as well as to help us keep in view what is really the bottom line, namely the impacts that we would like to have on public policy in these important areas.

The following distinguished colleagues have thus far kindly agreed to participate in the panel. John Whitelegg (UK), Dinesh Mohan (India), Mimi Sheller (USA). Peter Newman (Australia), Jason Chang (Taiwan/China), Carlos Pardo (Colombia), Michael Glotz-Richter (Germany), Philippe Crist (France/OECD), Enrico Bonfatti (Italy), Robert Stussi (Portugal), Jan Gehl (Denmark), John Adams (UK), Annie Matan (Australia), with discussions underway with senior colleagues in China, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Chile, Spain, Sweden, Canada and the US.

The idea is not to try to blanket the globe, but rather to make sure that the 2012 protect not only benefits from the counsel of the panel, but also with the thought that these associations can help us to extend the outreach of the findings and recommendations.

Shortly we will have full profiles on each, as per the following first examples:

Michael Glotz-Richter. Senior manager: Sustainable Mobility. Breman, Germany

Michael Glotz-Richter is senior project manager for ‘sustainable mobility’ for the City of Bremen – responsible for the involvement in International pilot projects on sustainable transport and environmentally friendly mobility. Key objectives of all these projects are the integration of lifestyle issues and urban development with transport issues. Car-Sharing is an important element of many projects – as in the European moses-project and the ongoing momo-project – both coordinated by Michael.
With these project activities, Bremen became a world-wide recognised city for sustainable transport strategies – especially around Car-Sharing. Bremen is one of three selected showcases of sustainable mobility to be presented on the World Exhibition 2010 in Shanghai – which has with the theme “Better Cities – Better Life” the focus on sustainable urban development.
Michael lectures at the Bremen University of Applied Science and is involved in several international networks on sustainable mobility. –> [more]

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Jan Gehl, Gehl Architects – Urban Quality Consultants, Denmark

Jan, an internationally recognized urbanist, planner and world expert on public spaces, is not only a daily cyclist but also lives in what is inarguably one of the world capitals of cycling. He and his colleagues have worked extensively to improve the conditions of cycling in many places, building on their extensive hands-on experience in their own city of Copenhagen and the other many places. Jan has an unusual quality relative to most of the people working in this area, and that is that he has consistently worked to discourage mayors and other city leaders to bring on city bike projects until such time that the infrastructure is in place for safe and effective cycling and of course walking.

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Ben Hamilton-Baillie. Architect, urban designer, movement specialist, Bristol, UK

Ben Hamilton-Baillie is an architect, urban designer and movement specialist. His work on shared space and the factors that promote civility has helped transform established assumptions and practice surrounding traffic engineering, speed and safety. As director of Hamilton-Baillie Associates, he provides consultancy advice on traffic and urban renewal for local authorities, government agencies, developers, and community groups. He has researched and promoted fresh approaches to traffic management and street design, exploring new ideas for reconciling the relationship between people, places and vehicles. He is an advisor to the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and to English Heritage and served on the European “Shared Space” research project. He is a visiting lecturer at the Universities of Bath and the West of England. –> [more]

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Dinesh Mohan, mobility and safety of people outside cars, New Delhi, India

Dinesh Mohan is Professor for Biomechanics and Transportation Safety and Co-ordinator of the Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Programme at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He obtained his BTech in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, followed by a Masters degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the University of Delaware and then a PhD in Biomechanics from the University of Michigan. He started his research career working on mechanical properties of human aortic tissue. This was followed by work on injuries and injury tolerance, effectiveness of helmets, child seats and the first evaluation of airbags in real world crashes. Concerned with mobility and safety of people outside the car he is trying to integrate these issues within a broader framework of sustainable transport policies, urban transport options and people’s right to access and safety as a fundamental human right. Recipient of: Distinguished Alumnus Award of Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, the American Public Health Association International Distinguished Career Award. –> [more]

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Peter Newman, Professor of Sustainability, Curtin University. Perth, Australia

For 30 years since he attended Stanford University during the first oil crisis Peter has been warning cities about preparing for peak oil. His book with Jeff Kenworthy ‘Sustainability and Cities: Overcoming Automobile Dependence’ was launched in the White House in 1999. He invented the term ‘automobile dependence’ to de-scribe how we have created cities where we have to drive everywhere. In 2001-3 Peter directed the Western Australia’s Sustainability Strategy in the Department of the Premier, the first state sustainability strategy in the world. In 2004-5 he was Sustainability Commissioner in Sydney. In 2006/7 he was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Virginia where he co-authored ‘Resilient Cities: Responding to Peak Oil and Climate Change’ and ‘Green Urbanism Down Under’. He was a Local Government Councillor in the City of Fremantle from 1976-80, and is a Board Member of Infrastructure Australia that is funding infrastructure for the long term sustainability of Australian cities. –> [more]

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John Whitelegg. Sustainable transport teacher, activist & politician. Lancaster UK

Managing Director of Eco-Logica, John Whitelegg is Visiting Professor of Sustainable Transport at Liverpool John Moores University, Professor of Sustainable Development at the Stockholm Environment Institute, and founder and editor of the Journal of World Transport Policy and Practice. Research interests encompass transport and the environment, definition of sustainable transport systems and a sustainable built environment, development of transport in third world cities focusing on the relationships between sustainability and human health, implementation of environmental strategies within manufacturing and service industry and development of environmental management standards. He has published widely on these topics. John is active in the Green party of England and Wales and is the national spokesperson on sustainable development. He is obsessed with the number “20″ and wants to chart a practical course that will deliver 20% of all trips every day by bicycle by 2020 in Uk cities and and implement a 20mph/30kph speed limit on every road in every urban area in the UK. As a green party politician, retiring as a city councillor in May 2011, he is proud of his role over 8 years in successfully bringing about a 20mph/30kph speed limit on all roads in all residential areas in Lancashire (UK) that will now benefit over 1 million people and give walking and cycling a long-awaited boost. –> [more]

Robert Stussi, Portugal and Switzerland

Robert is a senior consultant, researcher and activist in Transport and Urban Mobility. He received his B.Sc. in Civil Engineering, Major in Transportation Planning, in 1968 from the Swiss National Institute of Technology and his M.Sc. in Planning from University of British Columbia. Pro-active for soft modes, European Mobility Week, mobility management, carsharing, alternative vehicle technologies. Networking and EU project and expert activities. Working and teaching experience in several countries, and an active proponent of safe walking, bike and carsharing for some years. “