Walk the City 2023 Conference

Among the speakers, we are pleased to welcome:

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  Janette Sadik-Khan

  A founding principal with Bloomberg Associates and one of the world’s foremost authorities on transportation and urban transformation, New York City’s transportation commissioner during the administration of Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

  Janette Sadik-Khan is one of the world’s foremost authorities on transportation and urban transformation. She served as New York City’s transportation commissioner from 2007 to 2013 under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, overseeing historic changes to the city’s streets—pedestrianizing Broadway in Times Square, building nearly 400 miles of bike lanes, seven rapid bus lines and creating more than 60 plazas citywide. A founding principal with Bloomberg Associates, she works with mayors around the world to reimagine and redesign their cities. She chairs the National Association of Transportation Officials and Global Designing Cities Initiative, implementing new, people-focused street design standards, which have been adopted in more than 150 cities across the United States and around the world. She is the author of the internationally regarded “Streetfight: Handbook for an Urban Revolution.”

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  Mike Lydon

  Internationally renowned urban planner, designer and advocate of living cities. Director of Street Plans (USA) and founder of the Open Streets Project.

  Mike has long influenced thinking about public space and is one of the most influential urban planners internationally. He is co-author of Tactical Urbanism: Short-term Action for Long-term Change, which has been recognized as one of the best urban planning books of the last decade. Mike lectures and conducts workshops and training on smart growth, tactical urbanism, public space and active transportation.

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  Alice Ferguson

  Co-founder and Director of Playing Out in Bristol.

  Alice has long been involved in the environmental and voluntary sector. Since becoming a parent, she has been actively engaged in community life and efforts to create a more pleasant place to live. Her focus is on children’s mobility and creating the conditions for their independence. The main vision and focus of her work is simply opening up the streets, called “PlayStreets”, for play and free time. She likes to talk about open streets with anyone who will listen and share this idea further. Following her example, thousands of people in the UK have already become actively involved in creating their own Playstreets and open neighbourhoods.

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  Stefano Ragazzo

  Architect and urban designer, project manager and the operational lead of the Piazze Aperte (Open Squares) program in Milan, Italy.

  Stefano works in the management of the urban planning and public space section of the Agency for Mobility, Environment and Territory of the City of Milan (AMAT), specialising in innovative projects in public space and urban design. In the framework of the implementation of the Milano 2030 City Plan, he is involved in projects such as Open Squares, Open Streets or Public Space Design Guidelines. Under his leadership, dozens of Italian squares and streets have already been opened to the people and public life. In 2010 he founded orizzontale, an architecture practice based in Rome, whose work crosses the field of architecture, urbanism and public art. Through the years he has developed and built placemaking projects in many European countries.

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  Petra Marko

  Architect and urbanist, co-founder of Marko&Placemakers in London and Bratislava.

  Petra Marko is an architect and urbanist with over 15 years experience in placemaking and design advocacy. She believes that walkable cities and inclusive public spaces are a catalyst for people-oriented urban regeneration. Her practice based in London and Bratislava is involved in urban design, high street regeneration, masterplanning and place shaping projects including Florenc21, a central city quarter in Prague. Petra has led think tanks at The London School of Architecture; co-authored VeloCity, a strategic vision solving critical issues facing rural areas today and Meanwhile City, a how-to-guide for temporary interventions. She sat on the inaugural UK National Infrastructure Commission Young Professionals Panel and is a member of Westminster Council’s Design Review Panel providing independent advice on major developments and public realm projects that will shape the future vision of central London. Petra grew up in Bratislava, studied architecture in Vienna and Stockholm, and Creative Entrepreneurship in London.

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  Simon Battisti

  Architect and urban planner, director of Qendra Marrëdhënie (Relationship Center), Tirana. Advocate of school streets, active mobility for children and community life.

  Simon studied architecture and design at the Southern California Institute of Architecture and the Harvard Graduate School of Design. His work focuses on creating healthy conditions for children in cities. QM has worked with the city of Tirana since 2018 to mainstream early childhood health into the city’s street design and maintenance practices, as well as leading a city-wide school streets implementation program. In addition to their work in Tirana QM is currently piloting a school streets program in Prishtina, Kosovo, and contributing to child-friendly streets work in Bratislava, Slovakia.

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  Daniel Brýdl

  Mayor of the City of Litomyšl.

  After studying at the Faculty of Law of Charles University in Prague, Utrecht and Budapest, Daniel Brýdl worked for twenty years in the private sector. Since 2018, he has been the mayor of Litomyšl, a Czech town of 10,000 inhabitants, called the metropolis of modern architecture. As mayor, he follows his predecessors in preserving the continuity of the development of the city’s public space, sensitively combining modern and historical architecture and, above all, with a vision of a healthier city for all its inhabitants. In Litomyšl he is known as the ” Mayor The Walker” and with his approach to an active lifestyle he is gradually transforming the whole city.

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  Petr Ondráček

  City architect of Trebic.

  Petr Ondráček is a graduate of the Czech Technical University in Prague and currently works as the city architect in Třebíč. In his work he focuses on public spaces, prepares conceptual materials and commissions new city projects. He is the author of the Manual of Public Spaces of the City of Třebíč, which serves to cultivate the appearance of restaurant front gardens and advertising in the city centre. Alongside the mayor of the city Mgr. Pavel Pacal, he contributes to initiating changes in the public space in the centre of Trebic with the aim of creating a more welcoming place for everyday life.

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  Petr Návrat

  Urban planner with a focus on participatory processes, head of the ONplan Consultation Company.

  Petr Návrat has long been active in the field of strategic planning and urban development. His work focuses on public involvement in decision-making processes. He gained his experience during his studies of urban planning at University College London and also during several years of working abroad. At the Institute of Planning and Development of the Capital City of Prague, he worked in the field of urban planning. He founded the Office of Participation and designed the Manual of Participation in City Planning for the city, which helps public administration representatives in setting up participatory processes.

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  Blanka Klimešová

  Coordinator of the Safe Routes to School and Walking to School projects and Vice-Chair of the organization Pěšky městem, z. s.

  Blanka works with schools to map their surroundings, identify dangerous places and propose solutions that promote safe and independent transport for children. She promotes walking as a healthy way of everyday travel and is involved in the analysis and interpretation of data from traffic behaviour questionnaire surveys.

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  Karin Marques

  Director of Primary School „ZŠ Solidarita“ in Prague.

  Karin Marques came to the school four years ago with a vision of an open community school that connects learning with real life around the school. She is developing a school built on the values of solidarity, respect for diversity and responsibility. Under her leadership, the school has grown by a third and encourages pupils to actively engage not only in their learning but also in the life of the school and their neighbourhood. The ongoing project to transform the space in front of the school and create a ‘school street’ fits perfectly into her vision.

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  Kristýna Kočová

  Cultural Manager at Creative Prague organization, coordinator of the project of temporary transformation of Mariánské náměstí in Prague from a cultural perspective.

  Kristýna graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. She has work experience in private, non-profit and public sector organizations dedicated to culture and city development. Among her important work experience she has several years of engagement in the Office of Public Space of the Center for Architecture and Metropolitan Planning of the Capital City of Prague, where she had the chance to be part of several projects of temporary transformations of Prague’s public spaces with an emphasis on activities that can take place in them. Currently she works at Creative Prague, where she focuses on cultural management, communities, culture in public space and international partnerships in the cultural and creative industries. What she appreciates about working for the city is its diversity and liveliness. Kristýna loves to make the city she was born in better.

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  Jakub Zuzula

  Architect and urban planner from the Public Space Office of IPR Prague.

  Jakub graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University in the studio of architect Jiří Klokočka. During his studies, he focused on the creation of public spaces and completed a study stay at the Faculty of Architecture in Ljubljana, where he returned after his studies as part of a work placement in the Dekleva Gregorič studio. Currently, he is a member of the Public Space Office at the Institute of Planning and Development of the City of Prague (IPR), Prague’s main conceptual workplace in the field of architecture, urban planning and urban development, where he is involved in various projects ranging from the revitalization of the Troja Basin to the reconstruction of streets and squares to Prague’s underpasses and improving conditions for active mobility.

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  Karolína Klímová

  Department of Transport developement of the Prague City Hall.

  Karolína graduated in geography and cartography at the Faculty of Science of Charles University with a specialization in landscape ecology. She worked at the Agency for Nature and Landscape Conservation of the Czech Republic and later as a volunteer in pre-school and environmental education. At the Transport Department of the Prague City Hall, she is focusing on the development of pedestrian transport, removing barriers in public space and promoting sustainable mobility. She is the methodological guarantor of the school street project in the conditions of the capital city of Prague.

• and more…