The Editorial Team
The Advisory Council
Gender Parity
Outreach: Homage to Jane Jacobs
Language editions
Special offer to local partners and collaborators
Local Actors & Implementation Partners
Managing editor: Anzir Boodoo
Senior editor: Wolfgang Zuckermann
Copy desk: Dorothy Kay Mohr
Business Manager: Alon Rozen
| International Advisory Council/Contributing editors |
The International Advisory Council brings together a broad cross-section of the outstanding leaders, thinkers and activists in the field, representing many countries, disciplines areas of expertise and points of view -- who in their work are leading the way to show how we go about the difficult task of rendering our mobility systems and cities more efficient, livable and sustainable.
The program behind the Briefs has been shaped to profit from their combined experience, brains and above all their examples and perseverance in their own work and dedication to better and faired mobility arrangements. Indeed one of our objectives is to provide them in turn with our succinct treatments of leading sustainability concepts (The Briefs) that they can use in support of their own work and communities. Council member receive advanced review copies of all Briefs and are invited to critique and comment, including for the annexes which have the goal of presenting more fully rounded views of each strategy and approach. They also are invited to collaborate as Contributing Editors in the Special Issues, of which the first two are presently under discussion (Economic Instruments and Green Maps for cities.)
Back to top| Gender Parity, Women Leaders and Activists |
In addition to the full panel which you can click to here, we would also like to draw your attention to the relatively strong representation of female leaders and active proponents of progress and greater equity in the field. This is intended to signal loud and clear one of the underlying pillars of belief of the New Mobility Agenda: which is no less that an essential, not to be discussed condition of the New Mobility Agenda and all that we now need to do to rectify the historic imbalances of transport in our cities can only be fully achieved if we shift the gender balance away from the traditional almost 100% control by males to very strong female representation and leadership.
If you are male and reading this, you may find it a bit too much that we would put this concern right to the center of the program and our long term efforts more generally, However if you are capable of taking that critical step back and looking carefully at the tough reality of policy and practice in most of our cities (and indeed in rural areas, but more on that later), you will note that what we have today is a set of arrangements that have been tailored to the perspectives, values and habits of males - and beyond that and tragically to males who either are or who aspire to be proud owners and drivers of cars. Much of the problems we face today is precisely the result of this truncated vision of society.
So, just to be sure that you have this perspective fully to the fore, here is our first short list of figures and actors in the New Mobility Agenda and this project that we would like you to consider, all women and all quite capable of shaping a far more balanced, more effective and fairer mobility system. If you click their names in each case you will find more information on their work and accomplishments. (And if you have additional candidates for us, climb aboard and let us know, since this is one of the critical pillars of the New Mobility Agenda.)
| Outreach: Homage to Jane Jacobs |
"The processes that occur in our [cities] are not arcane, capable
of being understood only by experts. They can be understood
by almost
anybody. Many ordinary people already understand this;
they simply
have not considered that by understanding these
ordinary arrangements
of cause and effect, we can also direct them,
if we want to."
- Jane Jacobs, Death and Life of Great American Cities, 1961
So how do we ordinary people, you and me and our families and neighbors, step in at this time of need to fill the breach and help our policy makers and others whom we have put in positions of public trust do what is needed to make our cities and the mobility systems that make them tick, better, safer, more efficient and fairer? Based on the steady declines of almost all the main indicators that we are seeing in most cities around the world, those in charge clearly need help. And we propose that the New Mobility Briefs can play a role in this process. And perhaps you as well.
An educational process needs to be engaged, starting with the concerned citizen (you?) who is fully capable of "understanding these ordinary arrangements of cause and effect" so that "we can also direct them, if we want to." One of the instruments of this process of education and more direct participation in the processes that underlie the final decisions, might in this case be the Briefs and the advisory program behind them.
Special offer to local partners and collaborators:
For this reason, we propose to make subscriptions available to individual citizens and local public interest groups at the favored 'student rate', on the understanding and with the hope that those who take advantage of this will be prepared in turn to complete their own informatoin and educations on these matters and then take these ideas to their mayors, city Councils and local leaders so that they in turn can benefit from this process of information and exchange.
This is important because the local leaders have a lot more on their minds that simply transportation, and if they suddenly become aware that there is a program, an avenue of problem solving and policies that already has local support this should help smooth the way.
So if you have any ideas along these lines, we hope that you will get in touch and that we can start to discuss what might be useful next steps.
And even as you do this, you might have in mind that you are giving a homage to Mrs. Jacobs that surely would have moved her very deeply. After all, that was exactly what she was trying to achieve.
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Last updated on 23 June 2007