Walk 21 Vienna 2015: XVI International Conference on Walking and Liveable Communities

The City of Vienna will be hosting the Walk21 conference from 20 to 23 October 2015. The conference uses the motto “stepping ahead” to promote activities and innovations towards the future of more resilient cities and healthy living environments.

Walk21 champions the development of healthy, sustainable and efficient communities where people choose to walk. Through the conference series and the International Charter for Walking, Walk21 are realising a vision to create communities where people want to and are able to walk as a way to travel, to be healthy and to relax.

The Walk21 international network seeks to support and inspire professionals, politicians and the community to evolve the best policies and implement the best initiatives that create and promote environments where people choose to walk.

The Walk21 conference series provides a global forum to:

• Highlight and promote the importance of walking at political, policy and community levels to gain international impetus for and commitment to walking
• Disseminate new research, good practice and successful promotion measures for walking as part of everyday life
• Showcase city success stories and support the host city, the local business community, and stakeholders in taking bigger steps towards a more walkable future
• Illustrate how to prioritise and integrate walking across all relevant policy areas including traffic, spatial planning, health, public space, tourism, recreation, art and community engagement
• Celebrate the global momentum for more walkable, sustainable communities, the daily joys of walking and achievements around the world
• Identify emerging ideas, the need for future research and opportunities for funding.

International delegates attending a Walk21 conference have the opportunity to explore these themes in action through walking tours and visits arranged in the host city.

Vienna is one of the most liveable cities in the world and host city of Walk21 2015. Together with experts from around the globe we will share insights and expertise on how to step ahead in urban development and on how to be a walkable city. 

The four main conference themes for the Vienna conference are:

• Walking towards new public spaces
• Walking towards resilient cities
• Walking towards safety and health
• Walking together

For more information, please refer to the Walk21 Vienna Conference Program 2015.