BEST’s Living Streets program manager Isabel Garcia was recently interviewed by Pedestrian Space founder Annika Lundkvist as part of the Global Walkability Correspondents Network as the Metro Vancouver Correspondent! Isabel has a wealth of practical walkability advocacy experience as well as awareness and understanding of car-dependence in regions around the world and was excited to speak with Annika about walkability in Vancouver.
Pedestrian Space is a media and advocacy project that documents and explores walkability as a central aspect of sustainable urbanism. The platform is also dedicated to inspiring and engaging in dialogue about the reduction of car dependence as a critical and global issue. Here’s what Isabel had to share with Pedestrian Space:
I used to be an airport engineer in Spain. Now I am a full-time mom and part-time walkable city advocate. I have always believed in and promoted safe and comfortable environments for people to move.
I live on the unceded ancestral lands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) Nations, now known as Vancouver, BC, Canada. The main issue of the region is that in the last several decades it has been developed in a car-centric way. Now, this is intrinsic in the culture and it is difficult to switch to more sustainable mobility behaviour.
We all “walk”. Walking/rolling, described as the most simple form of movement that we are able to perform, should allow us to have a daily routine independently and freely. The need to depend on a vehicle on a daily basis adds a stress, cost and ability factor that shouldn’t be imposed on everyone. Regular walking brings better physical and mental health. Also, it’s probably one gentle way to tackle the climate crisis we are living.
To learn more about the excellent advocacy work being done by Annika and Pedestrian Space, check out their website and blog. Annika regularly interviews advocates, key players, and citizens across the world for their insight and experiences with walkability.
Thank you, Annika, for taking the time to chat with us and share Isabel’s story with the world!
