Gil
Penalosa
Helping You Create 8 & 80 Cities, for Everyone
Gil’s
Call to Action
Good Intentions are not Enough.
Cities should make
living healthier and happier
the easy choice.
Neighborhood-Cities that are
sustainable, equitable, and
playful, to attract and retain
people and businesses.
Who is Gil
Gil (Guillermo) Penalosa has a unique blend of experience, knowledge and pragmatism that has taken him to work in over 350 cities around the world.
In Bogotá, Colombia, he led the construction of over 200 parks, and transformed a small program called Ciclovia into the world’s largest ‘linear park’, over 120 km, where every Sunday and Holiday over 1.5 million people of all ages and backgrounds come out to walk, bike, run, shop, and mostly, to enjoy the presence of each other.
He’s a sought-after keynote speaker in multiple topics, for his capacity to inspire, open minds, get people moving from talking to doing. He is a Certified Professional Speaker.
Gil’s Main Topics
Services
Offered by Gil
The 8 80 Cities Connection
Gil is the Founder & Chair of 8 80 Cities. After many years running the organization as Executive Director, he now serves as Chair of the Board of Directors.
8 80 Cities, Gil Penalosa & Associates, and Cities for Everyone, work closely on some projects when they require the strengths of more than one organization.
Gil’s Cities
Because of Gil’s unique blend of experience, pragmatism and passion, many cities and organizations worldwide seek his leadership and valuable advice.
He has worked in over 350 different cities in all continents. His work intersects with. a number of fields such as transportation, public health, urban planning, parks and recreation, environment, education, and economic development.
Testimonials
From the webinars
Last Child in the Street? Building the case for cities that truly put kids before cars
The movement for more child-friendly cities is growing fast, with local schemes numbering in the thousands, alongside multi-million-dollar global philanthropic programmes, and a handful of trailblazing municipalities including Paris and Barcelona. Yet despite this progress, the vast majority of the world’s children are set to be reared in captivity, in car-dominated places.
Tim argues that this will only change if we fundamentally reframe the way we think about cars, streets and neighborhoods.
Aging Playfully: Reimagining the Possibilities
Play isn’t just for children. It encourages physical activity, sparks creativity, builds community cohesion, combats loneliness, and even fights ageism. So why don’t we design communities that facilitate play for all age groups and that support the health and well-being of rapidly aging populations?
Streets Reimagined: for People and Planet
Streets Reimagined: for People and Planet explores the powerful role urban streets play in shaping human and environmental health and well-being. Led by Skye Duncan and Fabrizio Prati, this session highlights how streets—our single largest network of public space—represent one of the greatest untapped assets for cities.