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Vancluysen Karen

Karen Vancluysen

General secretary of the Polis network
Karen Vancluysen was appointed as Secretary General of POLIS in September 2014, after serving as the network's Research Director for 10 years. Prior to that, she served as Network Manager at ACCESS-Eurocities and as Project Manager at Langzaam Verkeer, a Belgian center for mobility management. Since 1998, Karen has been involved in European urban transport networking and policy activities, as well as EU research and innovation projects covering a wide range of urban mobility topics.

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Desirability
How can we make local transport more attractive?

Transport challenges have become increasingly urgent, encompassing concerns about pollution, noise, air quality, and the looming threat of climate change. The weight of congestion further compounds these issues, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach to urban mobility. Historically, our cities have been built around car-centric planning, and addressing this legacy is paramount. The trend is shifting towards designing cities for people rather than cars, necessitating a profound reevaluation of how we allocate urban space. Cities built for cars must shift to a people-centered design, reallocating space for active travel and public transport. This shift, rather than new tech, will be transformative. It explains why the concept of the 15-minute city — the city of proximity — is gaining ground.

 

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