INDIANAPOLIS (BRAIN) — The second annual PlacesForBikes Conference takes place this week here. Organized by PeopleForBikes, the conference kicks off Tuesday afternoon and runs through Thursday.
The conference brings together about 300 attendees, ranging from city officials and advocates to bike industry leaders and retailers to focus on the challenges and opportunities for building better bike infrastructure. The agenda is centered around PeopleForBikes' four-part formula for building better biking: Plan, Build, Engage and Measure. Topics like planning complete bike networks, finding funding, building more equitable communities and making the business case for bicycling, among several others.
Keynote speakers include Valerie Jarrett, former adviser to President Obama and a senior distinguished fellow at the University of Chicago Law School; Manuel Calvo, mastermind of Seville, Spain's bicycle network, and sustainability senior consultant for EstudioMC; Doug Gordon, writer and producer of BrooklynSpoke.com; and Toks Omishakin, assistant commissioner and chief of the bureau of environment and planning at the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
More than 35 other experts will speak throughout the conference about building connected infrastructure, fostering political leadership and more.
Conference attendees will also have the opportunity to experience Indianapolis' Cultural Trail, which is regarded as one of the most visionary urban bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects in the country. The 8-mile-long decorative brick path connects visitors to hotels, restaurants and other attractions. The $63 million investment has garnered international attention as a model for urban revitalization, and led the city to implement the Indiana Pacers Bikeshare program in 2014. The program has 250 bikes available for locals and visitors to explore Indianapolis. The city aims to add three additional protected bike lanes in 2018.
PlacesForBikes is a PeopleForBikes program to develop, connect and celebrate great places to ride. It focuses on accelerating bike infrastructure improvements, inspiring local decision makers and building political leadership to make bicycling better for everyone.
To learn more about PlacesForBikes, visit placesforbikes.org.
