We continue our mini-interview series with the Velo-city 2019 Keynote Speakers! #VC19Keynote #MeetTheSpeakers #CyclingForTheAges

Lucy Saunders is a public health specialist, urbanist and transport planner.

She created the Healthy Streets Approach, an evidence based-framework for decision making at every level to embed public health in city transport, public realm, and planning. Building on her success in London she now shares her expertise with cities and regions globally.

Her highly influential work put health at the heart of city policy in London. Healthy Streets is the framework of the Mayor’s 25-year Transport Strategy, a pillar of the London Plan (spatial plan) and part of all the Mayor’s statutory strategies.

She developed bespoke Healthy Streets tools to enable practitioners to apply the Healthy Streets Approach in horizon scanning, case making, design, implementation, and evaluation. She has trained over 500 practitioners in the UK and overseas.

She is a Fellow of the UK Faculty of Public Health and has masters degrees in geography and public health.

What does cycling for the ages mean to you?

Our streets are our precious public spaces and everyone should feel welcome in them. If we are going to tackle the twin public health challenges of inactivity and loneliness then everyone needs to feel that cycling is an easy and enjoyable way to get around. It creates a virtuous circle whereby more people cycling makes our streets more welcoming to more people (to cycle).

How will the city of the future look like taking into consideration the gaps in the developing and developed world?

I am working to shape the cities of the future to have Healthy Streets. This means streets which are pleasant to walk, cycle and spend time on. To make this happen we have to turn the current priorities for streets upside down and put human health and experience first. I am optimistic that we can do this, we have 70 years of experience showing what happens if you put cars first and now cities like London are spending huge sums to undo the mistakes of the past. Other cities can get ahead by changing how they invest now.

What do you expect from Velo-city 2019 Dublin?

My first Velo-city in Copenhagen in 2010 had a huge impact on me, it was a really exciting and energising experience and that wasn't just the effects of the glorious sunshine and huge cakes that were served in the breaks! I feel that over the last decade we have been successfully making the case for cycling as an essential ingredient for liveable cities and I am looking forward to sharing experiences of this with comrades from around the world.

Lucy Saunders is a speaker in the third plenary session of Velo-city 2019 Dublin, entitled “The Importance of Being Happy & Healthy” to take place on Wednesday, June 26th 2019 at 9.00-10.00.
For more information on the Velo-city Programme, Exhibition and Registration go to: https://www.velo-city2019.com 
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