By Pascal J.W. van den Noort

New York and Amsterdam, like many other global cities, face challenges regarding mobility and requiring immediate solutions. An urgent look at necessary changes in mobility is the objective of the symposium  ‘Global trends in sustainable mobility.’ How did Amsterdam and New York get to where we are now with regard to mobility and what analyses can we bring to the table? What are the systematic differences in urban planning between New York and Amsterdam? Do these differences only exist in the field of mobility or has it other psychological and cultural backgrounds? What makes cities not only livable, but attractive to live in, and what good can mobility bring or bad by making things disappear? Can cities live with less or no petrol cars at all and what does such an idea do to the economy? How will public transport play a role in the triangle with emission rich mobility and more sustainable modes of transport?

These and other questions will be discussed in the Symposium & Salon: Global trends to Sustainable Mobility

The New Amsterdam Bike Slam is a live debate “battle” between two teams with competing visions for how to dramatically increase sustainable mobility in New York City in the years to come, and how to plan the New York Harbor District as part of this achievement. The New Amsterdam Bike Slam is organized from 10 till 13 September 2009. The ideas generated by the competition - and other activities organized during these days - will be heralded as strategies to achieve Mayor Bloomberg’s stated PlaNYC goals to increase bicycling and achieve a “greater, greener NYC” in 2030. Spread over four days, the New Amsterdam Bike Slam is a live design battle, a dance party, a world-class transportation summit, a bridge across the Atlantic, and a path forward.