POST TRAVEL REPORT: ICLEI WORLD CONGRESS 2006, CAPE TOWN · World Congress 2006 was hosted by the...

F I N A N C E A N D G O V E R N A N C E C O M M I T T E E R E P O R T

Agenda Item 5.9

11 May 2006

POST TRAVEL REPORT: ICLEI WORLD CONGRESS 2006, CAPE TOWN

Division Sustainability & Innovation

Presenter John Tunney, Manager City Sustainability

Purpose

1. To report to Committee on Cr Brindley’s travel to Cape Town in February 2006 to participate in the International Council of Local Environmental Initiatives (“ICLEI”) World Congress and associated ICLEI Executive Committee meetings and activities.

Recommendation from Management

2. That the Finance and Governance Committee note this report and the attached summary of benefits and outcomes.

Background

3. The ICLEI World Congress is held every three years and provides local government officials and staff as well as representatives of peak international agencies and national governments with the opportunity to exchange information, share knowledge and build capacity on topics relevant to ICLEI Campaigns and the broader sustainability issues affecting local government. The ICLEI World Congress 2006 was hosted by the City of Cape Town, South Africa from 27 February to 3 March 2006.

4. Approximately 700 participants from 69 countries participated in the Congress which comprised a series of facilitated parallel sessions organised around the themes of Protecting Global Common Goods, Building Sustainable Communities & Cities, and Implementation Instruments. The Congress proceedings provided valuable input into ICLEI's 2007-2012 Strategic Plan: The Cape Town Plan, which was adopted by ICLEI's Membership on the final day of the World Congress.

5. The City of Melbourne played a significant role in the program and presented a total of three significant presentations as well as a poster display in the Congress exhibition. Cr Brindley was also a panellist in the final plenary session during the Congress.

6. Additionally, Cr Brindley participated in the ICLEI Executive Committee (“ExComm”) meetings and associated activities and was elected to the ICLEI Management committee.

7. Subsequent to the ICLEI World Congress, Cr Brindley attended the Velo Mondial (Global Cycling) 2006 Conference in Cape Town. This international conference, which promotes cycling and the benefits of lost cost mobility, was attended by a range of stakeholders including government employees, the cycling industry, advocacy groups and out-reach organisations.

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Attachments: 1. ICLEI World Congress: Activities Undertaken in Cape Town 2. ICLEI World Congress: Report by Cr Brindley 3. Velo Mondial (Global Cycling) 2006: Presentation of Conference Outcomes

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Outcomes and Benefits

8. Attachment 1 details the ICLEI World Congress activities undertaken in Cape Town, including activities by Cr Brindley and the Manager City Sustainability. Attachment 2 presents a summary of ICLEI World Congress conference proceedings, outcomes and highlights. Attachment 3 presents outcomes of the Velo Mondial conference.

9. Overall outcomes were:

9.1. Melbourne was prominent in the ICLEI World Congress 2006 proceedings and was the only Australian city to present at the Congress;

9.2. as well as being confirmed as a member of the ICLEI Executive Committee, Cr Brindley was also elected to the ExComm Management Committee; and

9.3. in addition to promoting Council’s innovative Water Sensitive Urban Design Guidelines, green event activities and sustainability reporting program, Council House 2 and the forthcoming Mayors Asia Pacific Environmental Summit were also promoted.

10. Participation in the ICLEI World Congress 2006 provided an opportunity to profile Melbourne sustainability promoting activities and will help position Melbourne as a globally significant sustainable city.

Cost of Travel

11. For Cr Brindley, the cost of the travel, including economy class airfares, accommodation, fees and other expenses, such as day-to-day incidental costs was AUD $3444.67.

12. The cost associated with the travel and related expenses of the Manager City Sustainability, was AUD $4547.44.

13. The costs of travel have been approved by Council and will be met entirely from the existing 2005/06 budget allocation.

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Attachment 1 Agenda Item 5.9

Finance and Governance Committee 11 May 2006

Travel Report

ICLEI World Congress 2006

Cape Town

26 February to 3 March 2006 Introduction

Objectives • To participate in the week-long ICLEI World Congress 2006 activities hosted by

the City of Cape Town; and

• To demonstrate Melbourne’s achievements, capacities and leadership in

sustainability.

City of

Melbourne

participants

Cr Fraser Brindley, Chair of Environment Committee

John Tunney, Manager City Sustainability

Background –

ICLEI World

Congress

The ICLEI World Congress is held every three years. It provides local government officials and staff as well as representatives of peak international agencies and national governments with the opportunity to exchange information, share knowledge and build capacity on topics relevant to ICLEI Campaigns and the broader sustainability issues affecting local government.

The Congress comprised a series of facilitated parallel sessions organised around the themes of Protecting Global Common Goods, Building Sustainable Communities & Cities, and Implementation Instruments. The final outcome of the Congress was the ICLEI 2007-2012 Strategic Plan: The Cape Town Plan, which was adopted by ICLEI's Membership on the final day of the World Congress.

The City of Melbourne played a significant role in the program and presented a total of three significant presentations as well as a poster display in the Congress exhibition.

Cr Brindley was also a panellist in several plenary sessions during the Congress and participated in the ICLEI Executive Committee (ExComm) meetings and associated activities.

Supporting

Documentation

1. ICLEI World Congress 2006 Program (DM# 3711071)

2. Declaration of Commitment (DM # 3711061)

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2

ICLEI World Congress, Cape Town, 27 Feb – 3 March, 2006

Event No. 1 ICLEI Executive Committee Meeting

Date & Time Sunday 26 February 2006

Location Robben Island, Cape Town

City of

Melbourne

participants


Purpose Refer to Attachment 2 for a detailed report

Supporting

Documentatio n

Report by Cr Brindley (see Attachment 2)


Event No. 2 Regional Meetings

Date & Time Monday 27 February 2006

Location Cape Town International Conference Centre, Cape Town

City of

Melbourne

participants



Purpose To enable delegates from Australia and New Zealand to meet, receive a regional update and discuss issues or topics the region plans to champion at the Congress.

Background ICLEI operates several Regional Offices. Prior to the Congress commencing the Chairs and Directors of these Offices facilitate a meeting of delegates from their region.

Objectives The meetings give delegates the opportunity to meet, network and discuss opportunities for engaging in regionally specific programmes and campaigns

Outcomes Delegates from Australia and New Zealand met, received a regional update and discussed issues of relevance to the region.

Attachments Nil

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Event No. 3 Congress Plenary and Parallel Sessions

Date & Time Monday 27 February 2006 – Friday 3 March 2006

Location Cape Town International Conference Centre, Cape Town

City of

Melbourne

partic ipants



Purpose To contribute to the Congress objectives in particular the exchange of information and sharing of knowledge.

Background The ICLEI World Congress is held every three years. The Congress provides local government officials and staff and other parties the opportunity to exchange information, share knowledge and build capacity on topics relevant to ICLEI Campaigns and broader sustainability issues. The 2006 Congress comprised a series of plenary and facilitated parallel sessions organised around the themes of Protecting Global Common Goods, Building Sustainable Communities & Cities, and Implementation Instruments.

Objectives To provide ICLEI World Congress 2006 delegates with information on the City of Melbourne’s sustainability promoting activities, particularly, Council’s innovative Water Sensitive Urban Design Guidelines, green event activities, sustainability reporting program, and Council House 2.

Supporting

Documentation

PowerPoint Presentations:

Water Sensitive Urban Design Guidelines (DM # 3602094)

Commonwealth Games Environmental Program (DM # 3645351)

Council’s Triple Bottom Line Framework (DM # 3638617)

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ICLEI World Congress 2006 – Out of Africa: Local Solutions for Global Challenges

Cape Town, South Africa, 27 February - 3 March 2006 www.iclei.org/worldcongress2006

Report by Cr Fraser Brindley SUMMARY Being in South Africa was a strong and unavoidable influence on this World Congress. Over 200 of the 700 delegates were from South Africa itself and close to another hundred from other African countries, mostly Sub-Saharan. As well as providing a more international audience than a location where European and American attendance would predominate, it highlighted the more interrelated components of sustainability which were obvious in the city outside. Klaus Toepfer and Charles McNeill, from the UN Environment Programme and UN Development Program respectively, spoke in the opening plenary of the link between environmental c onditions and social well-being; the state of the ‘global common goods’. Both also spoke of the growing tide of urbanisation and how increasing important the role of Local Government is if this development trend is to be managed sustainably. As Mr McNeill said “Sustainability is not an abstract concept at local level” and “cities and municipalities are primary source of demand for ecosystem services”. Urban Planning A response to this which appears to be emerging in South Africa, and which is partly reflective of Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole, is the rise of urban planning focused on the ‘human scale’. An underlying thesis to the Congress was the opportunity in newly integrated and democratic countries to shake off city planning which caters to the few and to develop public transport, bicycling and pedestrian facilities which are sorely lacking. This trend in urban planning is the same the world over, but the social dimension is extraordinarily powerful in countries like South Africa. When people walk more than an hour or more each way to work because they can’t afford or don’t have access to alternative means of transport, there is extraordinary social progress to made by reorientating urban planning. Furthermore, the potential for increased mobility and street activity to help redress the security problems of metropolitan South Africa fuels hope and optimism so important to that country. Delegates spoke of the role of western countries in providing an ideal to aspire to and the impetus that can be derived from a redefining of the notion of success; if the western countries are seen to be creating sustainable cities focused on responsible consumption and the aspirations of developing countries follow, then a much more realistic and responsible pattern of development might emerge in rapidly urbanising environments. Sustainability Reporting As I presented in this area, I biased my participation at the Congress around the Sustainability Management stream , particularly on sustainability reporting. There was underlying debate within the Congress, which played out to some extent at the closing plenary, about how, what or if ICLEI should be auspicing any particular mode of sustainability reporting. ICLEI Europe has promoted ecoBudget as the sustainability reporting tool of choice. This method is more detailed and narrow that the Triple Bottom Line approach adopted by the City of Melbourne and being developed by the centre for Public Agency Sustainability Reporting. The presentations and workshops conducted by myself and Robyn Leeson were very influential to the outcomes of the conference and the discussion around sustainability reporting.

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Benefits for the City of Melbourne ICLEI Oceania is probably the most successful branch of the organisation worldwide, taking into account the relative population of the region. The City of Melbourne’s association and hosting of the ICLEI Oceania office has obvious benefit. The City of Melbourne is also held in high esteem for its declarations and advocacy for sustainability. This is particularly so in light of the comparably lesser regard reserved for Australia in international environmental matters. My attendance helped confirm the City’s position and created links essential to my term on the ICLEI Executive Committee. However, I fear that our reputation is being rapidly superseded by the rate of progress and investment by European and American cities in attendance at the conference. Vancouver are now planning for urban sustainability within a 60-100 year timeframe. The International Society for Solar Energy recently moved from Melbourne to the City of Freiburg in part because of a more receptive National government, but also because of Freiburg’s extraordinary investment in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

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SCHEDULE OF ATTENDANCE Sunday 26 February 8H00-16H00 - Robben Island Orientation session for new ICLEI Executive Committee members Tour of former prison for political prisoners 19H00-20H00 Inaugural Meeting of the 2006-2009 ICLEI Executive Committee 20H00 Dinner with ICLEI Executive Committee & Klaus Toepfer, UNEP Monday 27 February 10H00-12H30 ICLEI Oceania Meeting Chaired: Cr Fraser Brindley ICLEI Oceania members introduced themselves and their roles in respective Council and/or ICLEI. Goals for the Congress were discussed, with particular emphasis on Sustainability Reporting and Biodiversity streams. 15H00-16H30 Global Challenges for Local Solutions Charles McNeill, Environment Programme Team Manager, United Nations Development Program

- State of the decline in global common goods and the implications for human well-being - Suggested that there needed to be a focus on local and urban solutions given the rate of urbanisation, and

that local governments had a large part to play Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme

- Rapid changes in ecological conditions in iconic areas - Rapid growth in cities around the world - Extraordinary disparity in wealth across the world - Cities are going to be at the forefront of sustainability because of increasing urbanisation

20H00 City of Cape Town’s Mayor’s Dinner

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Tuesday 28 February 11H00-12H30 Sustainability Management: Managing environmental sustainability through ecoBudget Johan Nel, Executive Manager, Centre for Environmental Management, Potchefstroom, South Africa

- Challenged local governments to question how their Sustainability Reporting works, and whether they’re addressing the things that they really need too, or just perceived issues

- Sustainability Reporting can be an exercise in ‘gloss’ and lose substance - Local Governments are often bamboozled by the number of report tools at their disposal - Are Local Governments managing the environment or managing people? Managing people, and their

impact on the environment, is the job of local government. - Have Local Governments demonstrated legal compliance? - Governance and/or regulatory measures are rarely used to address the issues raised by Sustainability

Reporting, which is at odds with the primary function of government - Are Sustainability Reporting tools assessed for their suitability to the entire cycle of a government process,

i.e. Are the principles of Sustainability Reporting, and Sustainability Screening, applied to the procurement and development phase of a project, as well as to the decision making phase?

- Are Sustainability Reporting tools applicable to the entire spectrum of a Local Government? - Sustainability Reporting tools often fall short on the implementation phase. - Are Sustainability Reporting tools providing a feedback mechanism; dependant on budget, or external

funding fluctuations; integrating the endeavour of sustainability? If not, then they need reviewing. Andrea Burzacchini, Officer Sustainability Management, ICLEI European Secretariat, Germany

- Alexis de Tocqueville: “Budgets are the meeting point of Governments and their Citizens” - ecoBudget imitates financial budgeting, but is not monetary in its measurement - Takes into account environmental indicators, targets, whole community and territory

Pamela Lama, International Project Coordinator, City of Bologna, Italy

- Important to integrate all environmental tools that you have - ecoBudget provides that and engages the political sphere from the beginning

Juanito Cambangay, Provincial Planning & Development Coordinator, Bohol, Philippines

- Poverty and the environment is inevitable linked, and livelihoods, health and vulnerability are all steeped in both

- Used ecoBudget to measure every city in the municipality to the extent that they can tell what’ 14H30-16H30 Sustainability Management: Sustainability & Triple Bottom Line Reporting Presentation: Cr Fraser Brindley Implementing a Triple Bottom Line framework: A case study of the City of Melbourne 19H00 Picnic Dinner at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens

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Wednesday 1 March 9H00-16H00 Urban Mobility Tour

- 5km bike ride around Roistborsch on one of the few bike paths around Cape T own. - Viewed planned rapid bus transit lane, which runs adjacent to a football stadium that is under a major

overhaul in preparation for the 2010 World Cup. - Tour of Cape Flats townships. These areas have improved dramatically since the fall of Apartheid. Most

areas are now powered, have reticulated water and there is a steady program housing construction. Nonetheless, there are over 2 millions people in Cape Town living in squalid conditions, in shanty huts, no bigger, or higher than a shipping container – with shipping containers often forming the ‘retail frontage’ along the streets for local grocers, barbers, mechanics, etc.

- MTN Sciencentre interactive science centre. Viewed a collection and the construction of various and unusual bike designs that have been collated to educate and to demonstrate bikes that are cheap and robust.

Workshop: What, if all impairments were put aside, would you address to improve urban mobility? Pascal van den Noort, Velo Mondial, Netherlands

- Bikes need to be attractive and need to integrate into people’s lives Roelof Wittink, Interface for Cycling Expertise, Netherlands

- City safety is a function of urban mobility as much as anything Andrew Wheelden, Bicycling Empowerment Network, Cape Town, South Africa

- Providing retrofitted bikes and cycling and maintenance lessons for underprivileged children - Impossible to meet the demand.

18H00-20H00 Cocktail Function 20H00-21H30 ICLEI Management Committee Meeting

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Thursday 2 March 12H30-14H30 Sustainability Management: Workshop on GRI Public Sector Sustainability Reporting Robyn Leeson, Public Agency Sustainability Reporting, Melbourne, Australia 14H30-15H30 Climate: Local Renewables Peter Richards, Renewable Energy & Energy Efficiency Part (REEEP), Austria

- Decentralised energy is important for security of supply - Most solutions have already been invented; they’re just not well known or understood - Using municipal networks for sustainable energy solutions

Dieter Saloman, Mayor City of Freiburg, Germany

- Anti-nuclear movement of the 1980s provided the catalyst for Freiburg’s environmental movement, and an alliance with farmers and viticulturists

- Led to a re-orientation of energy policy - Chernobyl crystallised the movement and Freiburg passed an energy supply plan the week after the

disaster - Energy provided a point of consensus for Freiburg - 1996 – Climate Protection Plan for 25% emission reductions of 2002 levels by 2010 - 10% of electricity from renewable by 2004 - Researching regional geothermal power station - Photovoltaic investment is private, but council provides financial support through the electricity provider - Roofs of public buildings are offered to private investors - International Society for Solar Energy moved from Melbourne to Freiburg

15H30-16H30 Sustainable Communities: Non-Motorised Urban Mobility Sandra Piriz, Geneva, Switzerland The transport package: process for employees of Geneva municipality

- Survey of mobility - Management of parking; introduced a parking fee and used revenue to reduce the cost of public transport - Promote use of public transportation; reduced the price of annual public transport by 40% - Brought 57 company bicycles - Encouraged car pooling amongst employees; brought tickets to car sharing businesses. - 10% employees renounced their parking space - Inspired other employees to develop mobility plans

Liesbeth Trip, Copenhagen, Denmark

- Copenhagen is a city for cyclists - Cycle traffic has doubled in 10 years; residents of Copenhagen travel the equivalent of 28 rotations of the

Earth each day; surveys show that 50% of residents use their bicycle each day - Bicycle account every 2 years that audits the amount of bike use and peoples perception of conditions - Builds on a tradition within the city; lots of cyclists in the 1940s; build up of cars in the 1960s, though some

kept cycling as the facilities remained; 2000s cycling is on the ascendancy again - To counter the invasion of cars, bicycle planning became systematic. - Goals in cycling policy

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- Bicycle account: Survey of cyclists every two years, including; how satisfied how they are with the maintenance of tracks; how satisfied are they with the amount of tracks;

- Cycling is trendy in Copenhagen; women and men in suits on bikes going to work - Communication of what the city is doing for cyclists; signs saying what work is being done and when it shall

be finished - Decline in accidents for all mobility, but especially so for cyclists, even given the increase in bicyclist use;

Car drivers are cyclists themselves, so their attitude is one that understands the mindset of a cyclist www.vejpark.kk.dk/CityOfCyclists Gert Sanders, Planning, City of Tilburg, Netherlands

- 30% Bicycle users, with a high student population - Decreasing use of bicycles in the last 10 years - Build new infrastructure, and improve quality of existing infrastructure. - Survey of bicycle users said that lack of maintenance was a major issue. - Extend parking facilities and reduce bicycle theft; bicycle theft is a major deterrent to use - Promotion among specific target groups - Bicycle plan - Strong ‘union’ of cyclists in the city - Public inquiry of 2000 cyclists in 2004 - Led to widespread support for the plan - Special programs for immigrant population; ‘bike girlfriend’ programs that seeks to make immigrants feel

more comfortable about cycling - Distinctive colour for paths and smooth surface layer. - Lighting provides improved conditions for bikes riders - Bicycle parking facilities, with a parking fee - Traffic lights for bikes that indicate how long there is to wait.

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Friday 3 March 9H30-11H00 Municipal Leaders Forum Presentation: Cr Fraser Brindley Melbourne’s experience with Triple Bottom Line reporting 14H00-17H00 ICLEI Council Business Session & Closing Plenary Tasneem Essop, Minister for Environmental Affairs & Development, Western Cape, South Africa

- Triple bottom line is important and the conference reinforced this Fernando Carrion Mena, Deputy Mayor, City of Quito, Ecuador

- If urban networks are global - Instead of closing, there is a lot of questions on the table - What is the relationship between sustainability and democracy - Democracy must be linked to sustainability - Music is reflective of conditions in which you can solve sustainability, and South seems to have those

conditions Josep Roig, Secretary General, World Association of the Major Metropolises (Metropolis)

- Global sustainability policies must be rooted at the local level - Sustainability must be put on top of metropolitan agendas

David Cadman, President ICLEI, Councillor, City of Vancouver, Canada

- Cape Town is an example of the newly emerging human and environmental conditions - This century the planet will undergo an urban revolution and sustainability is paramount within this change - Cities need to build resilience to extreme events

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ICLEI World Congress 2006 Highlights Report Out of Africa: Local Solutions for Global Challenges

From Monday 27 February until Friday 3 March 2006 approximately 700 participants from 69 countries gathered in sunny, mountainous Cape Town where the Atlantic and Indian oceans meet. The Congress goals of inspiring lively discussion and fruitful exchange were facilitated between participants by a series of parallel sessions of topics of relevance to both ICLEI campaigns as well as broader issues of relevance to local government and their sustainability agendas. The goals were also facilitated by a series of extraordinary social events that showcased the beauty of Cape Town and included an ‘African Feast’ on the Speir Wine Estate in Stellenbosch. This event was generously hosted by the City of Johannesburg and Mayor Amos Masondo, the outgoing President of the 2003-2006 ICLEI Executive Committee. Of note was also a visit to the famous Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, an exotic evening arranged by the Congress Cape Town hosts. Situated on the eastern slopes of Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch is internationally acclaimed as one of the great botanical gardens of the world. Participants were given time to wander the Garden prior to the start of the evening program. Opening on Day 1 On Monday the Congress officially opened with some impressive speakers including the Executive Mayor of Cape Town Ms. Nomaindia Mfeketo, Executive Mayor of Johannesburg Mr. Amos Masondo, and senior representatives from UNDP, UNEP, and the World Conservation Union. The Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, South Africa, Mr. Marthinus van Schalkwyk, made the following remarks in his speech: “Local action for sustainable development is about much more than environmental issues. In a developing country like South Africa, it is an expansive terrain inviting innovation, investment, and entrepreneurship. The responsibility to ensure that sustainable and responsible alternatives are developed lies as much with local government as it does with states and nations.” Keynotes on day 1 also included Charles McNeill, Environmental Program, United Nations Development Program (UNEP), Mohammed Valli Moosa, President, World Conservation Union (IUCN) and Klaus Topfer, Executive Director, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) who all gave various perspectives on the role of local government in creating local solutions to worldwide sustainability challenges we all face. Progress since Athens Congress While the day was an opportunity to start to look towards the future, it also highlighted progress since our last congress in 2003. ICLEI’s Secretary General Konrad Otto-Zimmermann reported on the 15 years since ICLEI was launched in 1990, with all of the regional offices and Secretariats reporting on their accomplishm ents and membership base. Wayne Wescott, CEO of ICLEI-A/NZ and the Oceania Secretariat outlined the growth in this region since the last World Congress in 2003 that has expanded its Membership base from 59 to 99, and their staff contingent has grown from 21 to 45. Cities for Climate Protection (in Australia) and Communities for Climate Protection (in NZ) are the flagships of ICLEI-A/NZ’s work. In Australia, the program has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by over five million tonnes so far – which (at the current trading rate in the European carbon emissions trading regime) is worth between 100 and 150 million Euros. The Water Campaign has 72 participants, which make up 50% of Australia’s population. It is expanding in WA, SA and Victoria and will have the same impact as CCP in terms of coverage and potential for quantified local action. ICLEI-A/NZ’s new Centre for Public Agency Sustainability Reporting is a collaboration with the Global reporting Initiative, the City of Melbourne and the State of Victoria. This Centre will set the standard for sustainability reporting across the public sector and this will be a key feature of the sustainability debate over the coming decade.

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The ICLEI-A/NZ office continue to do a range of other work including triple bottom line training with individual Councils, leadership development, sustainable consumption piloting and development of a regional presence (currently in three States in Australia and an office in Wellington). At ANZ, the focus is on proving the triple bottom line business case for local sustainability action and constantly quantifying the benefits of ICLEI’s work. Day 2 Sessions The second day of the Congress consisted of breakout sessions revolving around three key themes: Protecting Global Common Goods, Building Sustainable Communities & Cities, and Implementation Instruments. This was of particular relevance to the campaign and project work being undertaken by Aust and NZ councils with CCP and Water Campaigns, as well as the new and growing work being undertaken sustainability reporting and Triple Bottom Line approaches, being profiled. These themes would continue on Thursday where more discussion on applications and strengthening of cooperation between cities and local governments occurred. These sessions produced ideas and insights then inputted into ICLEI’s longer term direction through a consolidated sub-plenary, drawing strategic conclusions to bring forward to the 2006-2009 Strategic Plan. Technical visits A highlight of the congress was the technical field visits undertaken mid week where a series of topics were explored. Overall these tours provided a great opportunity for the participants to better comprehend the challenges facing Cape Town, many of which are similar challenges in their own jurisdictions back home. Participants got to choose from eleven tours, which were: • Energy and Climate Change; • Saving Water is a Way of Life; • A Trail of Two Cities: Responsible Tourism; • Cities Enjoy Bicycles and Sustainable Transport; • Biodiversity T reasures along Table Bay; • False Bay Biodiversity Hotspots; • Health for all through Partnership & Capacity Building; • Contrasting Coasts; • Wise up on Waste; • The City in Transition - Integrated Human Settlements; and • Resilient Cities and Communities. World Congress - a Green Event The ICLEI World Congress 2006 was a Green Event and this was particularly profiled on the Energy and Climate Change Tour. The Green Event approach by ICLEI entailed hosting the event in a responsible way by making environmentally, socially and economically responsible decisions when organising, managing or participating to ensure that the additional stress placed on the local communities by the large numbers of people gathering for the event are minimised. While some associated areas of events are positive, usually translated into economic benefits, ICLEI is also conscious that some impacts can have negative environmental and social consequences. A Green Event approach aims to reduce those negative impacts on the host region and along the way increase awareness regarding the importance of sustainable development in Cape Town and that a positive greening legacy will be left behind. Of particular note was the Climate Legacy Project established by ICLEI to financially compensate for the carbon dioxide emissions caused as a result of participants travelling to ICLEI events around the globe. The carbon offset payment of 50 Euro was included in the congress fee and were put towards financing a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project in Cape Town known as Kuyasa. This aims to retrofit houses in a low-income settlement with solar water heaters, insulated ceilings and energy efficient lighting.

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As well a carbon offset fund from the European Members Congress in Tilburg, the 2nd (UK) National Councils' Climate Conference in Nottingham, the recent Fourth Municipal Leaders Summit on Climate Change in Montreal, and the ICLEI World Congress 2006 in Cape Town, have all four financially contributed to the Kuyasa. To recognize this, the cities of Tilburg, Nottingham, Montreal and Cape Town were presented with certificates of appreciation, and met a family of one of the retrofitted homes. It was very moving for all ICLEI participants to visibly see how they are affecting change in South Africa. Members Meeting The final day of the Congress was important for the governance of ICLEI, as it was the afternoon session when ICLEI Members voted on ICLEI’s strategic plan for the coming three years. Participation levels were high – it was so encouraging to see so many participants remain throughout the whole event. It was important for those participants who were engaged throughout the Congress theme sessions to ensure that their thoughts and ideas had been adequately captured by ICLEI staff, and conveyed in a succinct way to ICLEI’s overall membership. The day also included the Mayor’s Panel which gave the political representatives attending the Congress a forum to provide their political views on sustainable development, and to declare their continuing commitment. Local Initiatives Awards Following that session, the Local Initiatives Awards were presented to the ICLEI Member participants. The recipient of the Judy Walker Memorial Prize was Charles Sturt, Australia, for its Cities for Climate Protection Business Energy Partnership Program and Ms Dianne Vivian the project manager was present to receive the award. The recipients of the Cities Enjoy Bicycles Awards of Excellence were Cape Town, for the Bicycles Recycles Project, and Geneva, Switzerland for its Transportation Package and Promotion of Mobility Plans for Business. All of these three exemplary examples of local government initiatives will be written up as ICLEI case studies in the coming months. The final session also mentioned that ICLEI will invite expressions of interest by host councils for the next ICLEI congress to be delivered in 2009.

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Velo Mondial – Towards Prosperity Cape Town, South Africa, 5-10 March 2006

Report by Cr Fraser Brindley Summary Velo Mondial (Global Cycling) 2006 was the third such international conference promoting cyc ling and the benefits of lost cost mobility. Attendees to the conference included employees of government, the cycling industry, advocacy groups and out-reach programs. Conference delegates were passionate about cycling, be it for transportation, health or social equity reasons. The spectre of climate change and oil shortage formed part of the opening plenary, but presentations tended to focus on the local benefits of cycling to the cities and the communities that were represented. Technological benefits were acknowledged and accepted, but this conference focused on the need for changes to be behavioural. Transportation benefits were an obvious theme of the conference, but so too were the equity and safety benefits. Being in Africa, many delegates spoke about the potential benefits of cycling to provide mobility to communities otherwise isolated or dependant on motorised transport beyond their financial means. From a more European and American perspective, the health benefits, both physical and mental, were a recurring theme, and the importance of cycling as a way bring a human scale to cities. The worldwide movement for the promotion of cycling is growing rapidly and is starting to become coherent across government, industry and advocacy groups. The importance of public perceptions about cycling was best encapsulated by the anecdote related of American League of Cyclist’s representation to President Bush. Bush stated the ‘laugh factor’ was a major reason for him not publicly embracing cycling, despite his personal enthusiasm as a recreational cyclist. More importantly is the message this sends to the developing world that success can only come with the adoption of the motor car. The financial and social status of many cities in the developing world could turn on a shift in this attitude.

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SCHEDULE OF ATTENDANCE Monday 6 March 09H15-11H00, Plenary Session 1 Official Conference Opening Enrique Penalosa, Former Mayor of Bogota, Columbia (via Video)

- Cars came to cities only 80 years ago and shouldn’t be thought of as a permanent part of the landscape - A city that is friendly to cars is less friendly to pedestrians and cyclists - Safe mobility is a basic human right - More pedestrians and cyclists are killed in Columbia each year that people in their Civil War - Bogota residents who use a bike instead of a car save the equivalent of 2 months wages per annum - Cycling needs to and is becoming a political issue - Streets should be designed first for pedestrians and cyclists, and then if there is room, for cars - Cycling is not just a discussion about transport, but a discussion about transport equity - Bogota started a ‘car free day’, which was established by referendum - Bogota has one of the best bus based transit systems in the world

09H15-11H00, Plenary Session 2 International Co-operation – Global Progress Since 2000 Oliver Hatch, Velo Mondial, England

- The cycling industry and campaign groups are working together closer that ever to form a strong voice for the benefits of cycling

- Professionals in planning and engineering circle now understand the importance of cycling and there is improved recognition of cycling in cities

- There are many opportunities for cycling networking worldwide. Andy Clarke, League of American Bicyclists, USA

- 126 year old organisation that is more active than ever - Give people the skills to get cycling going - A delegation from the cycling industry recently met with President Bush, who acknowledged that the

‘credibility factor’ was a major barrier to political adoption of cycling as a campaign Rudolp Wittink, Interface for Cycling Expertise, Netherlands

- Mission to have all cities in the world include cycling in their city planning Tasneem Essop, Minister for Environmental Affairs & Development, Western Cape, South Africa

- The objectives of the Triple Bottom Line are an opportunity to mainstream sustainable development - The Western Cape have introduced a Provisional Special Development Framework aimed at providing the

opportunity for cities that are friendly to non-motorised transport Hans van Vliet, Shimano, Netherlands

- People don’t want to ride bicycles for a number of reasons, but quality of mobility is a central issue - Mobility also needs to be related to an elderly and aging population

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What is the Role of Government? Tasneem Essop

- Mobility is not a ‘cute’ issue; it’s a matter of life and death in South Africa - A paradigm shift is needed political thinking to accommodate this fact - Cape Town has had water and electricity outages, and forest fires, all of which are providing wake up call to

government about the interrelatedness of our environment - If non-motorised transport is not made relevant to the poor, then an opportunity to create sustainable cities

with is lost Susanne Holsle

- Important for South Africa to address the cultural barrier that cycling is backwards; it is a problem if developing countries aspire for the motor car because it is perceived as success

Tasneem Essop

- There is a need to redefine what modern is so that developing nations don’t feel inferior not being able to adapt motorised transport, and that they might feel superior for adapting cycling as a big part of their infrastructure

Susanne Holsle

- There is a need to promote what the majority can afford, i.e. foot paths, cycle paths Rudolp Wittink

- Don’t tell people to use the bicycle; ask people what sort of future they want and what sort of government they want to make it happen

Andy Clarke

- In the USA, 13% of deaths on the road are pedestrians or bicycles, but only 2% of the funding for road safety are directed at pedestrian or bicycles

14H00-14H45, Market Place 1 Can Road Pricing increase cycling in urban areas? London Congestion Charge Dr Paulo Camara, Borough of Merton, England

- Initially opposed the charge on social equity ground, but now concedes it’s working - The charge is just one piece of the broad aim to reduce congestion and reduce conflicts between cars and

other modes - 30% reduction in cars, 15% increase in cycling - Accident have decreased and air quality has improved - People are not ‘parking and riding’ from the boundary near as much as expected, but are instead

undertaking a modal shift across their entire journey - Courier costs within the charge area have decreased because travel time has reduced - There is a plan to double the size of the congestion area to the east, with the provision of a charge-free

through route for cars 14H45-15H30, Market Place 1 Eberg, Trondheim – a story of a successful cycle training field in Norway Erik Jolsgard, Norwegian Public Roads Administration, Norway

- What town is this in and how big is it? - Established a cross sectional department 15 years ago - 30M€ has been spent on cycling in the last 15 years - Modal share of cycling has grown from 5% up to 22% in summer months in the last 15 years - Despite this, cyclists have very few road rights in this town

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- A program was started with the aim of educating children about traffic behaviour - Eberg Traffic Yard was built over a 15000km2, at a cost of 800,000€ - Surveys are undertaken of schools, pupils, parents and users to guide the program

www.trafikkgarden.no 16H00-17H30, Plenary 3 Environment & Health - Cleaner Air, Healthier Living Peter Lipman, Sustrans, England (via Video Link)

- Transport is becoming the single biggest source of CO2 emissions - The Model T Ford was more efficient than today’s standard model Ford; although there are benefits in

technology, there is no silver bullet; the solutions need to be behavioural - Retailers often perceive that the success of their business is dependant on the number of cars when the

opposite is most often true; retail occupancy often has a negative correlation with car use Dr Carlos Dora, World Health Organisation

- It is difficult to establish definite proof of the relationship between cycling and health; it might be masked by cyclists being people who already tend towards being active

- What is known is that less particulate matter in the air is correlated with better health - Passion drives action more than anything else

Wednesday 8 March 8H30-10H00, Plenary Session 6 Cycle Successful Cities Maria Streuli, Traffic Planner, City of Copenhagen, Denmark

- Copenhagen, and all of Denmark, are relatively flat, which contributes to their success as a cycle city Ian Ker, ARRB Transport Research, Australia

- Facility provision has increased in Australia, but this is not necessarily translating into modal shift - There is a generation of non-cyclists who are passing on their perceptions of road use - Good Australian cities: Perth, who are implementing their bicycle plan; Adelaide and Melbourne who have

undertaken a reasonable level of facility provision - Perth & Melbourne succeeding because travel demand is being addressed at the same time - Cycling maps have transmuted from cycling maps to transport maps

Why are cycle cities successful cites? Andy Clarke, League of American Bicyclists, USA

- Growth cities have had cycle planning embedded in new development - Portland has been community led. - Having community activism, local government support and a plan

Maria Streuli

- In both Copenhagen and Amsterdam, bike use declined when cars entered the city in the 1950s, and both are now undergoing a resurgence of cycling

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Ian Ker - Continuity through changes of government is important for the success of cycling - Staged implementation usually involves three stages

o remove barriers o remove hazards o detailed design

- Opportunism is important; chances need to be taken when they come along 10H30-11H45, Market Place 4 Encouragement through information: www.nrvp.de – the website of Germany’s national cycling plan Tilman Bracher, DIFU (German Institute of Urban Affairs), Germany

- The German Cycling Master Plan was approved by national cabinet in 2002 inspired by the work in the Netherlands

- It was guided to a large extent by cycling advocate groups - Cycling was seen as a systems approach, and it’s success matter of communication and encouragement - Increase in funding of bicycles routes along the federal road network - Website discussion has 10,000 visitors per month

11H45-13H00, Market Place 4 Town planning & cycling William Nederpelt, Fietserbond, Netherlands

- Runs an advocacy group trying to ascertain what the barriers are to cycling in the Netherlands - New railways and motorways often cut across existing cycling tracks - Inadequate parking facilities are a deterrent; large investment needs to be made in parking sheds - Cycling tracks need to be planned and built into new developments - It’s Important to create shortcuts for cyclists through new railways and motorways

15H30-17H15, Plenary Session 7 Economic Impact - Cycling for all Thursday 9 March 09H00-10H45, Plenary Session 8 Innovative Transport Planning - New Priorities, Finding a Balance Barbara Southworth, City of Cape Town, South Africa

- Inequity and inaccessibility are key issues in Cape Town - In both wealthy and poor areas, there is still a focus on services for the motor car - No consideration is given to providing for pedestrians in the redevelopment of townships; entrenchment of

motorised transport also occurs in wealthy redevelopments - In 1999 a plan was developed focusing on places where people spend a lot of time - Multi-use public spaces were created that don’t monopolise space for one purpose - Reclaiming some inner city, at-street car parks into public spaces - Moving away from cul-de-sac style developments, streets for cars, towards streets for people

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Dr Walter Hook, Institute for Transportation and Development Policy - There is a breadth of change happening in the way cities think about public space and designing roads that

is almost revolutionary - Bus rapid transit systems and cycle lanes have proliferated the world over in recent years

Sandeep Gandhi, TRIPP, Indian Institutive of Technology, Delhi, India

- 300km of public transport and bike lanes planned - Bright orange bike lanes

11H30-12H15, Market Place 6 Simulating Bicycle Ride Dynamics – general safety of bicycles in road traffic Phillip Heuberger, Heuberger Pipsoft Informathematics, Switzerland

- Using simple, body representations to understand and demonstrate the physics of riding a bicycle - Calculates the velocity and momentum of the impact during collisions - Analysis works effectively for bikes and for establishing how bike interact with other traffic in different lane

scenarios 12H15-13H00, Market Place 6 Car Dependence – how Groningen averted it, and how Reno hopes to reverse it Peter Manchetti, Reno Bike Coalition, USA

- Reno’s land area has grown 54% since 1990 - Conversely, Groningen has grown less than 5% in the same period - Growing up in Reno, everyone moved around in a car - Bought first car at 16 - As a pizza driver, and on top of personal use, spent most of his money on a car - At 21, decided to sell car and live car free - Basic needs were all within a 5km radius - Big Box stores arrived in Reno, with 10 opening on the edge of town, on the hillsides outside Reno, causing

most of the local small businesses, which were within riding distance, to close - This then precipitated an exodus of other small businesses to within proximity of the big box stores such

that most of the Basic needs were out of the 5km radius - A lot of the Big Box stores have convoluted bicycle entry routes - In Groningen, retail enterprises have been regulated to ensure they are not constructed in the wrong areas. - Groningen town planning segmented the city into 4 quadrants which discouraged car based planning

14H00-16H00, Plenary Session 9 The Way Forward Riann Manser, Adventurer, South Africa

- Circumnavigated Africa via the coast over 808 days Cr Fraser Brindley Presentation of Conference Outcomes

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Agenda Item 5.9 Finance and Governance Committee

11 May 2006

FINANCE ATTACHMENT


The costs of travel have been approved by Council and will be met entirely from the existing 2005/06 budget allocation.

Joe Groher Manager Financial Services

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Agenda Item 5.9 Finance and Governance Committee

11 May 2006

LEGAL ATTACHMENT


There are no legal implications arising from the recommendation to this report.

Kim Wood Manager Legal Services

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