Opening Plenary, Thursday, April 26, 5:15 pm, The Nonprofit Center, Boston
Through education, awareness, systems change and capacity building, a group of cross‐sector organizations have been working towards bike equity in Boston. They focused their efforts on under-resourced neighborhoods with a higher burden of chronic disease. The group hosted a Neighborhood Bike Forum, bringing together more than 100 residents to connect, share, learn and envision what bicycling could be in our neighborhoods. They have promoted and increased access to the city’s bikeshare system by advocating for a low‐income membership and engaging community in system expansion. Additionally, the group has supported three multicultural non‐white women to become League Cycling Instructors and created a lending library of bicycles to be used by community organizations and leaders to increase opportunities for bicycling in Boston’s neighborhoods.
This multi‐level approach to change has built momentum for active transportation throughout the city. The success of these initiatives uplifts the power of cross‐sector partnership and resident driven work. Our panelists will elaborate on the successes and challenges of their innovative and collaborative approach.
