IEN has been invited to give the keynote speech at the NZAAR international even series on "Natural and Built Environment, Cities, Sustainability, and Advanced Engineering". The title of the keynote speech is "Reclaiming our streets". The talk takes basis in the fact that a common denominator in the "Most Livable Cities" competition is that the winning cities deliberately have improved the cityscape for pedestrians and cyclists and deliberately have reduced car-based transport. Is such a development feasible in tropical Asian cities that are both rapidly expanding and have a hot and humid climate? The answer is yes, but it will not be easy. The talk explores some of the barriers to reclaiming the streets, which includes human/cultural barriers. The talk also points to some of the technical/planning solutions that make reclaiming the streets possible and when gives added benefits, not just in terms of making the city more livable, but also with respect to the socio-economic upside, particularly with respect to improving public health.
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