VCU news

By Tiff Murray-Robertson
L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs

Although the eyes of the world will be on Richmond during the UCI Road World Cycling Championships from Sept. 19 to Sept. 27, Damian Pitt, an assistant professor of urban and regional studies at the Virginia Commonwealth University Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs, is even more excited about the days to follow.

On Sept. 28 and 29, Bicycle Urbanism Symposium II, an international conference aiming to promote the use of bicycles as an alternative mode of transportation, will be hosted by the VCU Wilder School at the University Student Commons.

Pitt said the conference is designed to engage practitioners, academics, policymakers and advocates, along with “regular folks” who are interested in reaping the environmental, economic and health benefits of cycling.

“I really see the excitement and attention generated by the UCI as an important opportunity to generate a long-term discussion about mainstreaming the use of bicycles among ordinary citizens. And in Richmond, these discussions are well underway,” Pitt said.

He cited plans to improve the city’s existing bicycle infrastructure through the construction of 12 new bike lanes over the next four years, as well as four new bike boulevards similar to the recently constructed Floyd Avenue project as evidence of a growing bicycling culture in metro Richmond.

Nonetheless, Pitt added, “We need more citizens and a diverse array of public service professionals at the table to realize these goals, not just in Richmond but in cities all over the world.”

The two-day symposium will feature keynote addresses by U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, founder and chairman of the Congressional Bike Caucus, and Ralph Buehler, Ph.D., associate professor of urban affairs and planning at Virginia Tech’s Alexandria Center. Session discussions will focus on issues of health and safety, innovations in urban design and new policies and programs designed to promote the use of bicycles as a primary mode of transit.

The event will kick off with a presentation by Blumenauer on Sept. 28 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the University Student Commons that is free and open to the public. Registration fees for the full symposium start at $150 but a special student rate of $50 is available. Bicycle Urbanism Symposium II is made possible in part by the generous support of Bike Walk RVA and the University of Washington.

You can find a complete agenda online and more information about the event at go.vcu.edu/bikeurbanism. For more information, contact Shirley McDaniel at 804-827-0867 or srmcdani@vcu.edu.

A version of this story first appeared at http://www.wilder.vcu.edu/news/bicycleurbanism2.html.

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