Achieving slower cities towards the new urban agenda

Speed is a neglected topic in cities, but a crucial one that will support the achievement of sustainable development goals and the implementation of the New Urban Agenda. Cities are too fast and this exacerbates inequity due to the risks in road safety, the reduction in access to lower income population and the general harm it creates in vulnerable populations. Sprawl, traffic deaths and lack of access are all a byproduct of a lack of understanding of speed as a problem rather than a solution for cities. This is even greater in cities of developing countries and even moreso in LDCs, where transport services do not cater for the needs of the poor and create substantial problems for low income and vulnerable populations.

However, generating specific measures to reduce speeds in cities is achievable without great expenditures and is one of the lowest cost opportunities to move forward in the achievement of SDGs and the New Urban Agenda. Traffic calming, priority of active transport and vision zero approaches to sustainable transport have a proven record in reducing deaths, increasing access and reducing inequity for vulnerable and low income populations.

This networking event will raise awareness among participants, improve their knowledge on the topic of speed and slowness in cities and how this relates to various SDGs and the New Urban Agenda, and provide a networking opportunity to increase coordination and cooperation between participants and relevant stakeholders. The event aims to create this awareness in stakeholders from various sectors of society, agree on next steps and build on the Quito Implementation Platform Commitment of 'Cities Going Slower' as a cross-cutting issue to implement the New Urban Agenda (http://nuaimplementation.org/commitments/cities-going-slower/)