The Seventh Session of the World Urban Forum (WUF7) was attended by 22,000 people last month in Medellin, Colombia and overall it was described as a complete success. ECF was there, presenting cycling on the world stage and starting the buzz about the World Cycling Alliance.

Medellin Metrocable

 

The World Urban Forum is  organized by UN-Habitat and focuses on urban issues. WUF7 took place in Medellin, Colombia, a city that has undergone vast transformation in the past decade. Bringing experts from around the world, WUF7's core theme was Urban Equity in Development. And Medellin is a great example; it has prioritized accessible mobility and inclusive governance for vulnerable communities and has also established more public spaces and green areas.

Accessible mobility goes hand in hand with cycling. ECF Secretary General Dr. Bernhard Ensink, President Manfred Neun, and Events Manager Marcio Deslandes went to Medellin to experience WUF7, introduce the World Cycling Alliance and represent cycling on the world stage. ECF's booth was very busy, with a great amount of ideas exchanged and a lot of interest shown in the World Cycling Alliance and Velo-city conference.

Using the public bike share system in Medellin, Marcio Deslandes was relieved not to have to depend on the public transportation system to go from the hotel to the forum everyday. The bike share system offered bicycles to forum participants for free for 1 hour - and with a station right outside the entrance to the forum, cycling was made to be a convenient option. The bike share system was not automatic, meaning there was someone sitting by the bicycle all day to register the users.

Bicycle parade

 

The 'ciclovias' or bicycle paths in Medellin tended to be used more as sidewalks, but Marcio noted that with some behaviour change the coast will be clear (of pedestrians) for the cyclists of Medellin. Aside from the daily commute to the forum, ECF also participated in a bicycle parade. Organized by Bellocicleta, Pedaling Soul and SiCLas, local cycling advocacy groups, the bike parade covered 20km with over 6000 people cycling through the best and worst areas in Medellin.

On the forum side of things, cycling played a central role in discussions about sustainable and accessible mobility, for example at the 'Sustainable Transport and Just Cities' event. ECF's event at the WUF7 - 'Cycling is a City Changer' - was a huge success. Filled to capacity, with more people waiting outside, the workshop looked at equity, accessibility and liveability of cities, and the role of cycling in development of urban spaces.

Medellin ciclovia

 

Furthermore, Dr. Bernhard Ensink and Manfred Neun discussed with UN-Habitat Executive Director Dr. Joan Clos about promoting cycling as an accessible means of transportation at a global level. It was in Medellin where UN-Habitat and ECF signed a Memorandum of Understanding on this topic, an agreement engages both parties to advocate for better recognition within city plans and policies of the importance and benefits of cycling as a mode of transport and will collaborate through sharing expertise to achieve a mutual goal of improving urban mobility patterns worldwide.

With the team back from Colombia, and Velo-city Global 2014 around the corner, ECF continues to push for cycling to be recognized as the changing force it is on the world stage. Want to join the conversation? It's not too late to register for Velo-city 2014 in Adelaide!