San Sebastian Conference

Steps towards Liveable Cities
“Our cities are committed to becoming more liveable spaces, more human cities where the pedestrian comes centre stage and where co-existence, meetings, leisure and shopping all take place in streets and squares devised and designed primarily for these ends. Cities cannot give in to the endless demands of vehicles. We must recover the environment, adopt initiatives to discourage and reduce the abusive use of the car and promote walking, cycling and public transport. We must rethink the city and give priority to the needs of pedestrians and act on the basis of democratic consensus and correct town planning. The San Sebastian Conference intends to be a significant meeting place for reflection that will allow us to carry on taking steps in favour of sustainable mobility and the improved quality of urban life".

Odón Elorza, Mayor of Donostia-San Sebastián 2001

OBJECTIVES
Walking is an environment-friendly means of transport, it is the most democratic way of moving, it is healthy, it is the best way to meet people and experience the city and take part in city life. This conference on Steps towards Liveable Cities discussed and proposed measures to bring back the city to the pedestrians, how to increase urban quality and create liveable cities in a humanistic way.

CONFERENCE THEMES
1. Pedestrian and town planning and remodelling topics.
2. The pedestrian as an essential link in the transport chain: intermodality.
3. Design for a liveable city that is convenient, safe and secure for people on foot. 4. A vision of pedestrian mobility in the future city. Vulnerable pedestrians as users - children, older people, people with permanent or temporary mobility limitations. Activities of pedestrians - leisure and recreation, tourism and pleasure, everyday travel and work trips, impact of new technologies.
5. Health and well being by walking.
6. Achievements: policies, planning and decision process for developing liveable cities.
7. Data surveys and models; audits, standards and benchmarking