225 Transport and Development Experts from 48 ,Cities in 21 Countries gathered in Fortaleza, Brazil to celebrate,    study, and work to replicate the    ,city’s high impact, low cost interventions at the 2019 MOBILIZE summit.

Roberto Claudio, Mayor of Fortaleza discussed the many measures Fortaleza took, with impressive results. In            4 years the number of road fatalities and injuries decreased by 40%

Mayor Roberto Claudio explained how the STA encouraged Fortaleza to keep up their momentum around            sustainable mobility to prepare for MOBILIZE.

From left to right, Michael Kodransky, ITDP; Jean Pejo, National Secretary of Mobility and Urban Services,            Brazil; Heather Thompson, ITDP, and Henrik Nolmark, Volvo Research and Educational Foundations

Henrik Nolmark, Director of the Volvo Research and Educational Foundation (VREF) declared their continued            support for MOBILIZE during the opening remarks.

Heather Thompson, ITDP CEO, newly in her position, exclaimed her pride for the many accomplishments and            growth in ITDP and MOBILIZE in the past year.

Jean Pejo, Brazil’s National Secretary of Mobility and Urban Services paid his respects to Fortaleza’s            progress.

Mayors and city officials discussed the cost of re-humanizing cities in Fortaleza, Minneapolis, and Bogotá. The    panelistsdiscussed the challenges of building political will and gaining consensus, and the power of civic pride in    changing minds. Mayor Roberto Claudio explained how winning the STA gave Fortaleza encouragement for the work it was    doing but also pushed the city to do more to prepare for the MOBILIZE Summit. Lisa Bender, Minneapolis City Council    President pointed out:

“When I received pushback for “open streets,” I stuck with my beliefs even when they were deemed radical. I    accompanied my bold vision with incremental change, which was the key. The open streets did not change people’s mode    share but it did open their imaginations to see what their streets could be”

City officials discussed their political challenges in making change.

Angela Anzola de Toro, the Secretary for Women, Bogota illuminated some of the unique challenges in            protecting women without protective laws.

Lisa Bender, Minneapolis City Council President told the story of her bold vision and election.

Diane Davis of Harvard University moderated the opening plenary on the cost of rehumanizing streets.

City officials spoke about the potential for cities to serve as the solution to failing democracies.

The global reality of climate change is real and already affecting people’s lives. ITDP CEO Heather Thompson    explained, “With unprecedented heat waves, floods, and invasive species the world is already witnessing the effects    of climate change.” These unpredictable and devastating weather events are only going to increase and become harder    to manage. What is clear is that mayors and city leaders will be on the front lines of managing the human cost of    climate change while federal and national governments will remain in charge of budgets and rules about carbon    emissions and climate policy. Former Santiago Governor, Claudio Orrego explained how for Santiago, a previous STA    winner and host of MOBILIZE in 2017, handled natural disasters. For example, when a flood occurred, the city focused    on-the-ground solutions like buying buckets and receptacles for water to manage water accumulation. He explained    that some of the most useful solutions can also be the simplest.

Ana Toni, the Executive Director of the Institute of Climate and Society in Brazil discussed how mayors are            most affected by climate change despite being least able to change federal legislation.

Claudio Orrego, former Governor of Santiago, Chile, discussed the relatively simple            solutions that helped mitigate climate effects.

Laetitia Dablanc, Director of Research at the French Institute of Science and Technology for            Transport, Development and Networks, discussed policies that encourage invisible innovations            by cities.

Riri            Asnita, Manager of Public Works of Jakarta discussed how walking is so limited in Jakarta            because there simply are not enough sidewalks.

Firmino Filho, Mayor of Teresina, Brazil argued how work in the present will save or destroy            the future.

On the final day of MOBILIZE, city officials and researchers discussed the challenges of climate change and            the actions that can be taken now to secure the future.

ITDP Brazil Director, Clarisse Cunha Linke, interviewed Carolina Bezerra, the First Lady of Fortaleza about            street design that incorporates the safety of everyone, including children.

The            conversation between Clarisse Cunha Linke, ITDP Brazil Director and Carolina Bezerra, First            Lady of Fortaleza, highlighted how the perspective of young children identified inequalities            within public transport space and services in Fortaleza.

Key to mitigating climate change is getting motor vehicles off of the    roadby moving people with other forms of transportation, and making vehicles    less polluting. During a discussion at MOBILIZE, Ana Nassar of ITDP Brazil explained how the mindset of both    people and politicians needs to redefine the dream of owning a car.

“While in so many countries car ownership is seen as a signifier of    wealth and therefore something that people aspire to, this dream of car ownership needs to be    replaced with another dream that doesn’t include private car ownership. We need a new dream.”

Transforming a car ownership mentality so radically includes creating spaces that are accessible on foot.    Walking is the cheapest form of transportation, and as Herrie Schalekamp, of the University of Cape Town,    explained,, the poorest people in South Africa spend a disproportionately large amount of    expenditure on transportation. People would rather walk, but it is not viable in cities with pedestrian    hostile infrastructure.

Shuai            Ren of DiDi Chuxing discussed data ethics surrounding user data with mobile transportation            applications.

Lina            Lopez of C40 Cities discussed the many successes and challenges in launching public bike            share in Medellin, Colombia.

Luiz            Sabóia, the Executive Secretary of Fortaleza Office of Public Services presented on public            and private partnerships.

Aswathy Dilip of ITDP India explained the changes made to increase bicycle usage in India.

Keynote speaker Gil Peñalosa discussed the value in making cities work for 8 year olds and            80 year olds.

Gil            Peñalosa explained the public health crisis caused by unsafe roads and conditions for            pedestrians and cyclists

Cecilia Vaca Jones of the Bernard van Leer Foundation discussed creating harmonious cities            for everyone including young children.

From            left to right; Shomik Mehndiratta of the World Bank, Lake Sagaris of Pontificia Universidad            Católica de Chile, Leticia Bortolon of ITDP Brazil, and Cecilia Vaca Jones of the Bernard            van Leer Foundation discuss Harmonious Cities during a plenary session.

Kathryn Carlson, Director of Transportation of A Better City, moderated a session on            policies surrounding road space and road pricing.

Valentino Sevino, Mobility Planning Director of Milan, Italy discussed Mobility Pricing with            (from left to right) Shreya Gadepalli, ITDP India, and Gonzalo Peon, ITDP Mexico

Gonzalo Peon, Deputy Director of ITDP Mexico, discussed whats next after Mexico City’s off            street parking reform.

Amy            Malaki of ClimateWorks moderated a session on electric mobility with (left to right)            Xianyuan Zhu, ITDP China, Adalberto Maluf, BYD Brasil, and Jules Flynn, Lyft.

Jules            Flynn, Head of Operations at Lyft and ITDP Board Secretary, discussed electrification of            bicycles and scooters.

Aimée            Gauthier (right) moderated a session on data ethics with Gina Porter, Professor at Durham            University; Rafael Pereira, Institute for Applied Economic Research; and Shuai Ren, DiDi            Chuxing.

Skye            Duncan, Director of National Association of City Transportation Officials discussed her            organization’s role in Fortaleza’s interventions.

Changing people’s mindstakes seeing the change in    action. Many former mayors and city officials spoke of how temporary ‘open streets’ days helped people see    the potential of fully pedestrianized spaces. This change in imagination required showing people in cities    what their streets could really be if they had space for more than just cars. Some ways of changing    politicians’ minds are strikingly simple. For example, in Chennai, the ITDP team took the Commissioner on a    walk around the city in the middle of the day. His experience, traversing the hostile or nonexistent    sidewalks one time completely transformed his perspective. He now supports their measures and is an    advocate for pedestrian spaces. This small example shows how political will has to be tackled head on, but    doesn’t take complicated solutions. Other modest actions can make large impacts. Laeticia Dablanc explained    how solutions are sometimes better unseen. For instance – in Paris certain policies have forced the freight    industry to innovate in unforeseen ways like delivering goods at night, when traffic is lighter, or having    warehouses within city limits to decrease the amount of distance needed to travel. She mentioned that a    cultural mindset is also necessary – when people no longer expect items next day, freight can be decreased.

Carolina Tohá, Former Mayor of Santiago and ITDP Board Member discussed the challenges of            sustainability in developing regions.

Gil            Peñalosa gave a preview to his keynote address at a public event held the evening before            MOBILIZE.

Prior            to the MOBILIZE summit, local stakeholders, city officials, and the general public gathered            to discuss reclaiming streets for people.

Shreya            Gadepalli, ITDP India Director, discussed many of the changes throughout India.

Clarisse Cunha Linke, ITDP Brazil Director interviewed transportation experts on challenges            in reclaiming space for the public.

Members of the public as well as those present for MOBILIZE attended a panel the night            before the summit.

Workshops and Site Visits

During the afternoons of MOBILIZE, attendees were offered opportunities to    visit the various interventions throughout Fortaleza. The progress in pedestrian safety is staggering.    Since 2014, there has been a 40% reduction in fatalities and injuries from road crashes. Tactical urban    interventions, like temporary reclaimed space for people have been hugely impactful. Many have become    permanent interventions, and foot traffic and feelings of safety have both increased in the areas of the    interventions.

Cycle Fortaleza

MOBILIZE Attendees were offered cycling tours of the new cycling infrastructure in            Fortaleza.

Over            2.6 million bicycle trips have been taken with Fortaleza’s bicycle sharing program.

Fortaleza offers four separate bike share programs aimed at different users.

Fortaleza’s Bicicletar bike sharing program has the highest usage in Brazil with an average            of 5 trips per day.

Fortaleza has seen an increase of 153% among cyclists between 2012 and 2017.

Fortaleza has 257.5 km of cycle lanes, an increase of 280% from 2013.

MOBILIZE attendees traversed much of the city on bicycle on a guided tour.

Tactical Urbanism

Participants had the opportunity to participate in a tactical urbanism project where they            reclaimed space for pedestrians through paint, planters, and urban furniture.

This            tactical urbanism workshop was based on methods previously used in Fortaleza.

Using            furniture, paint, and planters, space was reclaimed for people in Fortaleza.

This            urbanism workshop mimicked efforts taken previously by the city of Fortaleza to reclaim            space.

Workshop participants worked on an intervention that took unclaimed space on the road back            to use for the people.

Walk Fortaleza

Most            of the daily trips in Fortaleza are taken on foot at 35-40%, which has made walking a            priority for interventions.

Interventions, like this one, with bright paints, turned spaces into gathering points for            people.

For            these interventions, Fortaleza focused on hot spots where fatalities and injuries occurred            the most.

Fatalities and injuries have decreased by 40% in Fortaleza between 2014-2018.

Fortaleza has targeted 244 intersections for safety improvements.

A            temporary transformation has become permanent and has increased pedestrian circulation by            34%.

Tactical urban interventions featured creative ways of engagement and prioritized community            engagement.

Fortaleza has constructed safe intersections, along with raised crosswalks, pedestrian            islands, and diagonal crossings.

Fortaleza was one of the 10 cities worldwide to receive support from the Bloomberg            Initiative for Global Road Safety in 2015 to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries.

MOBILIZE attendees took public buses to the city center where they began the walking tour.

Fortaleza’s Bus Improvements

Fortaleza created over 100 kilometers of dedicated bus lanes.

The            Public Transit Tour took attendees through the BRT system in Fortaleza.

Fortaleza’s complete streets approach has adopted a golden rule in which any road with 3+            lanes must have one dedicated to transit.

The            Papicu Terminal is intermodal and connects the light rail with the bus and bikeshare            systems.

The            Papicu terminal serves 51 bus lines and 280,000 trips daily.

Operating speeds of buses have increased by 80%, significantly reducing travel time for            passengers.

77% of            surveyed passengers indicated that public transportation has improved.

Bike            parking and bike share options have been integrated with bus stations and terminals.

Bringing the Experience Home

On the final day of MOBILIZE, participants had an opportunity to work together to iron out some of the most    complex themes discussed during the preceding days. In small groups, attendees were able to go over what had    been discussed and dig further into some of the challenging questions of the topic. Workshops were hosted    and presented by members of ITDP staff as well as other transportation experts.

Ricardo Giesen of the BRT Centre for Excellence led a discussion on rapid and reliable            buses.

Daniel            Ernesto Moser of TUMI explored the Future of Research and Capacity Building.

Transit-oriented development workshop discussed how to create access to destinations where            people can walk, cycle, and take transit.

Participants shared ideas that they would bring back to their organizations.

Workshops gave participants to deep dive into topics and themes that had recurred throughout            the event.

Workshops included knowledge and capacity building in the field of urban development and            transport.

Much            of the MOBILIZE experience is the opportunity to work among the world’s leading experts in            transportation and development.

A            “walkshop” focused on experiencing the city from the perspective of a child or caregiver.

Workshop participants were able to use a ‘periscope mask’ to see the city from the            perspective of children – giving them insight into the city’s design and how it affects            children, toddlers, and babies.

One            workshop on the final day explored BRT operations and how to improve reliability.

Participants discussed the ‘how’ of transit oriented development and how to achieve those            goals within cities.

Workshops on the final day gave participants opportunities to put into action what was            discussed.

A            workshop on BRT operations discussed methods and incentives to increase reliability of            transit services.

Bernard van Leer Foundation sponsored an immersive VR experience showing the viewer what a            city would look like from 95 cm (the average height of a 3 year old).

Bernard van Leer Foundation sponsored an immersive VR experience showing the viewer what a            city would look like from 95 cm (the average height of a 3 year old).

Attendees participated in interactive workshops focused on a variety of topics.

Interactive workshops gave participants an opportunity to put to practice many of the themes            and topics discussed during the sessions,

Cultural Exchange

The            first evening of MOBILIZE, the attendees enjoyed an outdoor reception and forró music, a            type of traditional music to the Northeastern region of Brazil.

Musicians playing forró, a genre of music typical to the northeastern region of Brazil,            performed on the first night of MOBILIZE.

Attendees enjoyed their time in Brazil, particularly in Fortaleza in June when the weather            is nice and warm.

MOBILIZE offers the ITDP staff a chance to meet during the year.

Some            participants even enjoyed caipirinhas, the national cocktail of Brazil along with other            typical food of the region.

Speakers and attendees enjoyed the many evening activities at MOBILIZE..

Participants got to show off their fancy footwork on the first evening.

Those            who were not well versed in the dance moves got tutorials from local performers.

Revelry was abundant throughout Mobilize evenings.

MOBILIZE attendees managed to enjoy themselves after a day of discussions and learning.

Festa            de São João performers gave MOBILIZE attendees one of many spectacular arts performances of            the evening.

Local            São João performers and musicians gave quite the performance for attendees.

The            São João Festival coincided with the dates of MOBILIZE, giving attendees a great performance            typical of that region.

Dancing into the evening, performers joined attendees to celebrate summer solstice and            sustainable transportation.

Line            and group dancing was enjoyed by all.

People            danced into the evening, enjoying an opportunity to listen to fantastic live music in a            great setting.

MOBILIZE 2020

On the final day of MOBILIZE, Pune, India was announced the winner of the 2020 STA and Jakarta, Indonesia was    given an honorable mention. Pune was chosen for its work in public transport, with a robust BRT, increased    pedestrian infrastructure, parking policy, and strong commitment to improving mobility. Pune is a leader    among Indian cities and will host the 2020 MOBILIZE summit. Read more about Pune .

Michael Kodransky, of ITDP and who directs MOBILIZE, thanked Fortaleza for its hospitality            during the preceding days.

Patricia Macêdo, the Secretary of International and Federal Affairs of Fortaleza, thanked            the many attendees of MOBILIZE for their enthusiasm during the events

Heather Thompson, ITDP CEO proudly announced that Pune, India is the host for MOBILIZE in            2020.

Shreya            Gadepalli. ITDP South Asia Director and Pranjali Deshpande, Senior Programme Manager with            ITDP India, applauded as Pune was announced.

As was            typical of Fortaleza’s MOBILIZE, the announcement of Pune and farewell address were            accompanied with musicians.

Participants themselves couldn’t hold back from moving their feet to the local rhythms.