Velo-city is a conference series of cycle planning conferences that started in 1980 in Bremen, where advocates, cities, decision makers, academics, researchers and industry leaders meet to shape the future of cycling.
As annual flagship event of the European Cyclists’ Federation, Velo-city plays a part in promoting cycling as a sustainable and healthy means of transport for all.
Hosted in a different city every year, the conference offers a knowledge-exchange and policy-transfer platform through its programme to more than 1600 Velo-citizens from over 60 countries involved in the policy, promotion of cycling, active mobility and sustainable urban development. In addition, the conference exhibition showcases the latest innovations for a better cycling experience. Answering the growing demand for expertise in cycling from cities, ECF has decided to hold an annual Velo-city conference in 2010.
Selection process The European Cyclists’ Federation conducts international bidding processes, encouraging cities committed to sustainable and active mobility to apply for future conferences. After a period when public and local authorities are allowed to bid, ECF Board is in charge of assessing the proposals of cities for the title according to criteria specified in candidacy.
Every year, a host city is chosen for the edition coming in a three years time.
History
Hosted in a different city every year, the conference offers a knowledge-exchange and policy-transfer platform through its programme to more than 1600 Velo-citizens from over 60 countries involved in the policy, promotion of cycling, active mobility and sustainable urban development. In addition, the conference exhibition showcases the latest innovations for a better cycling experience.
Answering the growing demand for expertise in cycling from cities, ECF has decided to hold an annual Velo-city conference in 2010.
List of host cities Velo-city editions have been held in these locations with the following themes:
Year City Country Theme 1980 Bremen 1984 London 1987 Groningen Planning for the urban cyclist 1989 Copenhagen How to make people use the bicycle 1991 Milan The bicycle: improving mobility and the environment in our cities 1992 Montreal 1993 Nottingham 1995 Basel The bicycle, symbol of sustainable transport 1996 Fremantle Bicycles: A Global Solution to Local Problems 1997 Barcelona Rediscovering the bicycle – strategies for a new mobility 1999 Graz MariborGraz Austria and Maribor conference The bicycle crossing frontiers 2000 Amsterdam The versatile approach 2001 Edinburgh GlasgowEdinburgh and Glasgow conference Partnership for Change 2003 ParisParis conference The bicycle as an essential tool for winning the city back 2005 Dublin Delivering the vision 2007 MunichMunich conference From vision to reality 2009 BrusselsBrussels conference Re-cycling cities 2010 Copenhagen Different Gears, Same Destinations 2011 SevilleSeville conference The Cycle of Life 2012 VancouverVancouver conference Cities in Motion 2013 ViennaVienna conference The Sound of Cycling – Urban Cycling Cultures 2014 AdelaideAdelaide conference Celebration of Cycling 2015 NantesNante conference Cycling: Future Maker 2016 TaipeiTaipei City conference Evolution of Cycling 2017 Arnhem and NijmegenArnhem and Nijmegen conference Freedom of Cycling 2018 Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro conference Access to Life 2019 DublinDublin conference Cycling for the Ages 2021 LisbonLisboa conference Cycle Diversity 2022 LjubljanaLjubljana conference Cycling the Change 2023 LeipzigLeipzig conference Leading the Transition 2024 Ghent Connecting through Cycling 2025 Gdańsk Energizing Solidarity 2026 Rimini Delivering the Urban Dream 2027 Ehime Prefecture Kyōsei: Co-creating a Future with Cycling2028Geneva
Programme Velo-city conferences feature a large programme composed by plenary sessions, parallel sessions, an exhibition of cycling innovations, the popular bike parade, technical visits and several social and side events.
Plenary sessions often involve high-level speakers such as influential voices in the fields of urban planning, local and national policy-making and cycling innovations. Parallel sessions offer a smaller scale setting for attendees to get actively involved in workshops, discussions, and practical activities. The Velo-city exhibition is the meeting point for industry actors and policymakers, showcasing the latest solutions in cycling infrastructure to better equip public spaces for cycling.
The bike parade is a public event organized during each Velo-city conference, gathering thousands of Velo-citizens and local residents to cycle together through the host city. Bike parades have often included entertainment along the parade's route, such as free concerts and shows to celebrate urban cycling.
Technical visits are organised by the host city to showcase the progress and challenges present at the local level. Such visits generally include a bike tour guided by a local expert and focus on innovative city infrastructure, on the use of data and technologies, or unique features of the host city.
Gallery
References
External links
Velo-city Global 2014 Velo-city Global 2016 – CI/VI Velo-city Global 2016 – website