The third day of Velo-city 2018 concluded with a stimulating discussion about “Advocacy for Inclusion”.

In a nutshell, the plenary explored how advocacy, through social entrepreneurship, can be a trigger to economic and social inclusion. The plenary used as a case study a project from Brazil and one from Mozambique, to discuss how the scalability of these projects can lead to more accessibility and a higher quality of life, particularly for populations of low-income and in rural areas. The plenary touched upon important topics such as social entrepreneurship, business impact, social transformation, reducing inequalities by bicycle and city rights.

The plenary was moderated by Clarisse Linke from ITDP Brazil.

The speakers for the plenary “Advocacy for Inclusion” were:

• Manuel Araújo, Mayor of Quelimane

Mr. Araújo talked to us about Mozambique, focusing on the case of Quelimane and presenting impressive figures of bicycle numbers in comparison to automobiles. His presentation provided interesting information in relation to what has been implemented in Quelimane in favour of cycling infrastructure and active mobility.

“Quelimane was the first city to introduce bicycle taxis. We have more bikes than registered people”

• Rui Mesquita, CEO of Mozambikes.

Mr. Mesquita presented the work of Mozambikes, its mission and necessity for the people in Mozambique.

“Let’s talk about access to a survival tool, the bike itself”

• Murilo Casagrande, Founder of Aromeiazero.

Presenting the case of Sao Paolo, Mr. Casagrande focused on how entrepreneurship can influence cycling infrastructure. He provided insight on the work and projects of Aromeiazero.

“Development should be measured on how much freedom people have and basic rights”.

During the plenary, each speaker gave an explanation with regards to the role of governments, companies and civil society in building a public policy environment conducive to cycling, in order to expand access to the city. After each speaker's presentation, and following the question of Ms. Linke, the plenary speakers discussed how to measure the social impact of investment in bicycle-friendly public policies, both in complex metropolises and in smaller cities. Given the plenary’s excellent and relevant content, it generated numerous questions from the audience.

The plenary “Advocacy for Inclusion” took place during Day 3 of Velo-city 2018; Thursday 14^th June 2018 at 16.40-17.40.