Sunday, August 25, 2013

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Ten Targets for Sustainable Penang: 2013/2014

The goal of this year's Sustainable Penang Autumn project is to use the dialogues maylasia - street art childrenand other contacts in order to define a series of at least ten "transformative actions" that can be planned and carried out over the fifteen months following this first program. With an eye to then reviewing progress action by action in a second event to take place in Penang in the opening months of 2015. A sort of open progress report and collaborative reflection for next steps.

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Monday, August 19, 2013

Interests traditionally favoring Old Mobility

MM- interests traditionally favoring Old Mobility
* Click image to expand TO FUll size


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Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Support World Streets and the New Mobility Agenda

We have no money gentlemen, so we shall have to think.
– Ernest Rutherford, on taking over Cavendish Laboratory in 1919



World Streets is an independent  public interest publication of the Association EcoPlan International and the New Mobility Agenda made freely ws-write-check5available to all who are looking to understand, support, and contribute to the sustainability agenda anywhere in the world. We firmly believe that there should be no barriers, and especially not commercial ones, to the free circulation of ideas, news, tools  and peer exchanges when it comes to the important issues of sustainable development and social justice.  To ensure our full independence we do not accept advertising. We depend on the support of our readers, concerned public agencies, foundations and actors in the private sector to keep going. As of today, we can report 4,798 subscribers, from 149 countries.  That must mean something.

  1. Suggested guidelines for donations

  2. How to transfer funds

  3. Other ways you can help

  4. Is World Streets doing its job? We asked 100 experts for their views – - and 101 responded - Click here to view their responses


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Meet Streetmix, Where You Can Design Your Own Street (in Penang)

Do you have the feeling that your street could be a lot better if it were designed for people and safe mobility instead of primarily for moving and parked cars? Suppose the entire width of the street, sidewalks, gutters and provision for parked and moving vehicles is, say, xx meters. And if you wanted to see what it could  look like if there were more provision for safe walking, cycling, street furniture, trees and greenery, transit shelters, priority public transport, lane dividers,  turn lanes, and yes, parked and moving vehicles, then have a look at Streetmix (the Website Where You Can Design Your Own Street in Penang).

USA Streetmix - 2 all car

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Friday, August 9, 2013

Sustainable Penang: Program announcement of 9 Aug. 2013

fb-penang - posterIn brief: Sustainable Penang 2013 is a two-week long wide-open program of public meetings, symposia, lectures, Master Classes, workshops and supporting public events with the goal of creating a stronger base of local support in favor of a more sustainable transport system to better serve the people of George Town and Penang .  The program is hosted by THINK CITY and numerous local partners, in cooperation with New Mobility Consult.

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Cycling Lesson: Learning from the Dutch

One of the principle objectives of the Sustainable Penang 2013/New Mobility project is to seek out examples where leading cities in other parts of the world have taken the initiative explicitly to move from a car-dominated, basically no-choice transportation model ("Old Mobility") to a better mix of mobility options and more choices for everybody, what we call the New Mobility Agenda.

netherlands cargo cycleIn this report from Anna Holligan in yesterday's BBC News we have in a few pages some of the shaping elements of the story about why cycling has become such an important transportation option in Dutch cities and outlying areas. Penang could not only learn a great deal from better understanding the Dutch bike model, but also have in hand both the information and guidelines on how to adapt this approach to George Town and others towns and cities in Penang. That information is available, and a good place to start might be the Dutch Cycling Embassy at http://www.dutchcycling.nl/. But there are many others.

 

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The Legend of the Hummingbird

One day, a long time ago and in a faraway place, or so the legend goes, there was a huge forest fire that was raging the countryside. All the animals were terrified, running around in circles, screaming, crying and helplessly watching the impending disaster.

But there in the middle of the flames, and above the cowering animals, was a tiny hummingbird busy flying from a small pond to the fire, each time fetching a few drops with its beak to throw on the flames. And then again And then again.

After a while, an old grouchy armadillo, annoyed by this ridiculous useless agitation on the part of the hummingbird, cried out: "Tiny bird! Don't be a fool. It is not with those miniscule drops of water one after the other that you are going to put out the fire and save us all! "

To which the hummingbird replied, "Could be, but I'm going to do my bit".

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Friday, August 2, 2013