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Towards Carfree Cities Conference Series

Towards Carfree Cities Conference IX

"How do We Get There?"
York, England, 28 June to 1 July 2010

We are pleased to announce that the ninth Towards Carfree Cities conference will be held in the historic city of York, England, from Monday 28 June to Thursday 1 July 2010.

Coming to the UK for the first time, this year's conference is co-organised by World Carfree Network and local members of Carfree UK, with the support of the Stockholm Environment Institute in York. This time we are asking the questions: how should we implement the theory, how do we best promote carfree development and how do we gain support for the conversion of car-oriented cities? In short, 'How Do We Get There?'

REGISTER ONLINE - Sign up to attend the conference and pay using by credit or debit card (via PayPal), or by bank transfer or cheque.

BOOK YOUR ACCOMMODATION NOW - York is a very popular and busy place, especially in the summer. Please do not delay in booking a hotel, hostel or B&B. Our accommodation page features a range of options to suit every budget and taste.

About this year's conference

We invite you to join us for this international gathering of experts, practitioners and campaigners dedicated to promoting sustainable and equitable alternatives to the motor car. The focus is on strategy, collaboration and exchange, assisting the practical work of conference participants, from organising carfree days to planning the carfree cities of the future.

This year's conference, "How Do We Get There?", will focus on bringing carfree communities to life, considering a range of strategies from temporary events to permanent road space reallocation to European models of new carfree development. We plan to carry out a real street conversion during the conference!

We will also learn from and seek inspiration from the past, by looking at how the medieval pedestrian city was organised spatially, and how these principles could be applied to future settlements. The key challenges of fostering political and public acceptability for car reduction measures will be examined, including an exploration of the conditions under which people willingly give up the car in exchange for the benefits of living in traffic-free environments.

The conference, hosted by Carfree UK and its local partners, will be held within the walls of medieval York at the Priory Street Centre, a short walk from the railway station.

Download the conference flyer (PDF document).

Who should attend?

The conference series is noted for the diversity of its programme and delegates: there is something for everyone interested in mobility and the built environment. We extend a welcome to professional transport and town planners, grassroots campaigners, architects, academics and policymakers from around the world. The general public and school groups are invited to join us on our Open Day of keynote presentations and outdoor activities.

A Bit About York

York is a pre-industrial city of 200,000 in the north-east of England, providing conference-goers with plenty of inspiration...

At its heart is a medieval walled city with rich history dating back to Roman times. Much of it is remarkably well preserved, maintaining its character in one of Europe's largest pedestrianised areas, now known as York's 'footstreets' network.

York is one of the UK's premier cycling cities, and has recently won a major grant as a Cycling City, to improve facilities for cyclists and get more people cycling. York is also a major rail hub, and home to the National Railway Museum, the world’s largest railway museum.

For those able to come a week early, the annual York Cycle Show will take place on the weekend of 19-20 June. The Cycle Show website has a lot of local links including travel, accommodation and cycle hire.

For more about York, see Wikipedia, Visit York and History of York.

The Programme

Please see our Programme Page to find out what we've got planned.

Registration

Registration is now open - book online here. You can pay online with PayPal, or by bank transfer or cheque.

Registration fees are set at a progressive set of rates to reflect differing income levels.

Accommodation and travel

See our Accommodation Page for details of how you can book your stay in York. Click here for travel and transport options.

Communications

The host team will also be regularly updating this page, sending in monthly reports to the carfree_network list, and posting announcements in the monthly bulletin World Carfree News.

In addition, we have a Facebook group devoted to the conference, where participants can communicate with each other.

You can contact the host team at

 
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 This page was last updated 2 February 2010