Internationally renowned urban consultant and advocate Gil Penalosa is the keynote speaker for the Oct. 1 Opening General Session of APTA’s Annual Meeting, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, in Chicago.

Penalosa is the executive director of 8-80 Cities, a Canadian-based nonprofit organization aimed at making cities more accessible, safe, and enjoyable through public transportation, walking, bicycling, and other modes of sustainable mobility.

As the former commissioner of parks and recreation for Bogotá, Colombia, he successfully led the design and development of
200 parks and initiated car-free Sundays, a program in which one million people walk, run, skate, and bike along 75 miles of the city’s roads every week. He serves as a senior consultant for Gehl Architects and is on the board of City Parks Alliance, USA, among many other affiliations.

APTA invites people to register for the Annual Meeting before Aug. 16 to qualify for early registration discounts. For details, click here.