ADVISORY: “Active Cities, Healthy Cities” Contest to be Launched This Week

WHAT:

A ceremony to launch an international contest to identify and celebrate cities in Latin America that have made changes in their man-made surroundings that promote physical activity and improve overall public health.

The winning projects will be selected in three categories:

(1) Sustainable Transportation and Environment;
(2) Public Space, Safety and Security; and
(3) Recreation and Physical Activity.

To qualify, city projects or programs must have at least one year of operation and current support from the local government.

The contest is coordinated by the Pan American Health Organization, CTS-Mexico (a member of the EMBARQ network), US Centers for Disease Control, Georgetown University, and the Fundacion Ciudad Humana. This is the third edition of the contest, which occurs roughly every two years.

Past winners of the contest have included Belo Horizonte, Bogota’s TransMilenio, Quito’s Ciclovia and the program Academia da Cidade in Recife, and Balcarce in Argentina. Nominations may be made by any current city employee.

WHEN:

4:00 PM (UTC-3), February 14, 2008. The winning city will be recognized during the IV International Congress on Sustainable Transport in Mexico City in October 2008.

WHERE:

At the World Conference on Development of Cities on the Central Campus of Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre, Brazil (predio 7, Auditorio 2G).

WHO:

• Luiz Carlos Bueno, Secretary of Mobility of Federative Republic of Brazil
  
• Dr. Nancy Kete, Director, EMBARQ – The Center for Sustainable Transport at the World Resources Institute
  
• Dr. Michael Pratt, Section of Health and Physical Activity, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, United States Centers for Disease Control
  
• Dr. Enrique Jacoby, Regional Advisor on Nutrition, Unit of Non-Communicable Diseases, Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO)
  
• Gerard Martin, Research Director, The Colombia Program, Center for Latin America Studies, Georgetown University
  
• Diana Castro Benetti, AVINA Foundation Adriana Lobo, Center for Sustainable Transport CTS-Mexico
  
• Dr. Toni Lindau, Director, Center for Sustainable Transport CTS-Brasil
• TBD, Fundacion Ciudad Humana

WHY:

With more than half of the world’s population now living in cities, and air pollution, accidents, and other aspects of urban life contributing to chronic diseases, the world needs to find new solutions to create healthy cities. This contest will identify and promote those solutions by recognizing the best of what has been done in the last two years.

Contest information and rules at www.ciudadesactivas.org

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Established in May 2002, EMBARQ - The World Resources Institute Center for Sustainable Transport - acts as a catalyst for socially, financially, and environmentally sound solutions to the problems of urban mobility. EMBARQ receives support from its global strategic partners the Shell Foundation and the Caterpillar Foundation.