Shaping streets that put people first
Description
Streets are the largest network of public space in our cities, yet for decades we’ve designed them mainly to move and store cars. Around the world, that’s changing fast. From Bogotá to Paris, cities are reimagining their streets as places to walk, play, meet, shop and breathe.
Drawing on lessons from the Global Street Design Guide and Designing Streets for Kids, this talk shares inspiring stories and striking before-and-after transformations from cities across the globe. It’s a celebration of what’s possible when we design streets for people, and an invitation to imagine what our own streets could become.
Lineup
Skye Duncan
Skye Duncan is the Executive Director of the Global Designing Cities Initiative (GDCI), an international non-profit dedicated to transforming streets around the world. GDCI creates practical, world-leading guidance on street design and works alongside cities to put it into action. Skye and her team created the award-winning Global Street Design Guide (GSDG), now endorsed by more than 130 cities, regions and organizations worldwide, and Designing Streets for Kids. GDCI has supported more than 70 cities to create streets that are safe, healthy, inclusive and sustainable, with better choices for how people get around. An urban designer with more than 20 years of experience across architecture, urban design, planning and transport, Skye has been recognized as one of TUMI’s Remarkable Women in Transport. In 2026 she was named to TIME’s TIME100 Next list of emerging leaders. Before GDCI, Skye worked as a Senior Urban Designer in the Office of the Chief Urban Designer at the New York City Department of City Planning, as an international urban design consultant, and as an Adjunct Associate Professor at Columbia University. She completed a Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design at Columbia as a Fulbright Scholar, and holds a Bachelor of Architecture with Honours from Victoria University of Wellington.
Agenda
- 6:00 pm
Nibbles and chat
- 6:30 pm
Main talk starts
A thank you to our sponsors
Cycle Wellington gratefully acknowledges the support of
Global Designing Cities Initiative (https://globaldesigningcities.org)
Isthmus (https://www.isthmus.co.nz)
Cycling Action Network (https://www.can.org.nz)
The Master of Urban and Regional Planning Programme at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington ( MURPlan )
Their support has helped bring together people from across the sector to share ideas, learn from one another, and collaborate on shaping the future of our cities, communities, and transport networks. We are thankful for their role in making this event possible.
Tickets for good, not greed Humanitix dedicates 100% of profits from booking fees to charity
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