Lively imaginations: Penang and its consultants look out to 2066

There are few things as fascinating as seeing what people in the past have dreamed about the future.

While the lively imaginations of a fair slice of Penang’s politicians, engineers, publicists, developers, lobbies, accountants and salivating eventual suppliers and partners are dreaming up images of a future fifty long years from today, 2066 to be exact according to the latest unvetted SRS proposals, it is perhaps a good moment to consider past failures to conjure up meaningful image of how things are going to look such a long time into the future.

Government, Civil Society and The Commons

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
— Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Democracy in the 21st century.

To what extent can a “temporarily elected government” dispose at their will of large swaths of the natural, historical, environmental, cultural, social, economic, etc. , patrimony — “The Commons”, as it is well known —  in order to put some pennies (or billions) into the government coffers, or those of their contractual partners, to do with what they want during their short time in office.

Support World Streets — and get her home safely and dry

Why does she have to wait for the bus. It is 2016 isn’t it

– – – > Click to World Streets to lend a hand

Penang: Peer exchange on PTMP tasks and accomplishments to date

We hear once again from Mr. Teoh Huey Hooi who comments on July 23 on the following graphic issued by the SRS team with government support. He tells us that “this comparison is obvious, Halcrow just a conceptual guideline, Penang Forum just opposing and did nothing. SRS is the most professional one.”

Interesting interpretation, but let’s have a closer look.

Moldova Challenge Dialogues: Getting around here

From: https://sustainablemoldova.wordpress.com/

We try to make this site a friendly and efficient way to get around in what is already a considerable body of materials and tools, and which will only continue to grow as the program moves ahead. Here is what we have done.

The keys to getting efficiently into the growing content of this site are basically two: (a) the top menu and (b) the left working menu. Let’s look at them in order:

The Penang NGO Challenge Dialogue

The goal of this section of the S/P supporting websites is to provide easy access to anyone from within Penang or beyond in order to get a clear understanding of what is going on in the at-times painful path of contradictory  and withheld information on the topic of how best to go about creating a sustainable, efficient and equitable mobility system for all in Penang. It works like this.

Sustainable Transportation – 101 Things You Have to Keep Your Eye On

One of the reasons why such a small proportion of the world cities are working on having more sustainable transportation systems has to do with the fact that these are literally “complex systems”, a category of social and economic interactions which is far more complicated than laying down additional meters of concrete.

A complex system is filled with nuances and surprises, as a result of the fact that all of the bits and pieces that constitute them interact with each other, and all too often yields contradictory results which are quite opposite from what the initial practitiones or policymakers may have wished to bring about.  The classic example of this is of course the discredited “predict and provide” approach to transport which famously creates a mindset which consistently favors more traffic.  So even with all of the goodwill and hope in the world, many of these policies or approaches achieve results which are contrary to the initial expectations and often deleterious.

* BETTER * CHEAPER * FASTER Penang Transport Master Plan . Media release of 13 July 2015

World Streets supports Sustainable Penang Transport Initiative

Last Minute News from Penang – 13 July 2016. 10:00 local time:

1.  Penang Forum today launched : Better, Cheaper, Faster Penang Transport Master Plan

2. Start with the sharp (hilarious) 2 minute introduction : https://youtu.be/6B9o1baUaP8

3. Now World Streets reader please sign  petition at www.bettercheaperfaster.my/votebcf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•  Click here to make your voice heard – www.bettercheaperfaster.my/votebcf

Penang – A Sustainable Transport Primer for a Battle of Ideas

Introduction

In the coming weeks we are going to be presenting here coverage of a highly interesting public discussion of differences of perspectives, values and finally of interests, which have at its core the same concerns of World Streets and our readers: namely the challenges of sustainable development, sustainable transportation and the context of the politics of transport in cities.

But let’s not try to get into the interesting details and ongoing work in this first editorial; instead let’s see if we can present a quick canned history of this small South East Asian city that is facing some hard choices that are important for the immediate future but also for the long term. There is a lot of passion surrounding these issues and differences, so in this we shall do our best to maintain what our friends over at Wikipedia so deftly call, NPOV – a neutral point of view.

Is World Streets doing its job? (USA)

* We asked 100 international experts for their views.  101 have responded.

Professor Elizabeth Deakin wrote…

I am a regular reader of World Streets. I also pass along articles from the website to my graduate students.

The work is of high quality and it puts us in touch with other researchers and practitioners in the field of sustainable development and transport.

It provides a much-needed service and cuts through the media overload to the essentials.

And in 2016, seven years after the appearance of its first edition in spring 2009, it’s as needed as ever.

Elizabeth Deakin, Berkeley CA USA
Professor Emerita of city & regional planning and urban design
College of Environmental Design. University of California, Berkeley
First co-director of UC Berkeley Global Metropolitan Studies Initiative  and first Director of the University of California Transportation Research Center
URL: http://ced.berkeley.edu/ced/faculty-staff/elizabeth-deakin

Is World Streets doing its job? (The Netherlands/UK)

* We asked 100 international experts for their views.  101 have responded.

World Streets needs to catch on before my feet get wet.

– Dirk van Dijl
Serial innovator
Founder City Car Club
Enterprise Britain
The Netherlands/UK
http://www.enterprisebritain.com
dirk@enterprisebritain.com

A Think-Tank is Neither to Tarnish nor Burnish <—

* Civil society under attack in Penang Malaysia: This letter to the editor in response to warning issued to civil society by Penang’s Chief Minister

– By TK Chua, 8 July 2016 m.malaysiakini.com

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is under a lot of pressure lately. However, his advice to Penang Institute, the think-tank funded by the state government, not to tarnish but burnish the image of the state government, needs some comments.

I think the purpose of a think-tank is neither to tarnish nor burnish the image of the state government. Both would be wrong.

Is World Streets doing its job? (Chile)

* We asked 100 world experts for their views – – and 101 responded

Dr. Lake Sagaris

World Streets offers an excellent information and exchange service to busy professionals and citizens’ organizations.

We follow its postings closely and translate those most relevant into Spanish, for circulation on our Latin American network of sustainable and active transport enthusiasts, professionals and activists, with excellent results.

Thanks very much to the team responsible. This is an extremely important initiative, with a truly global impact, well worth supporting.

Dr. Lake Sagaris

BFA, MSc., PhD urbanismo y participación
Investigador y Profesor Asociado Adjunto

Centro de Desarrollo Urbano Sustentable (CEDEUS)
BRT Centre of Excellence, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
President. Ciudad Viva (Living City). http://www.ciudadviva.cl

Is World Streets doing its job?(USA)

* We asked 100 world experts for their views – – and 101 have already responded.

I had some time and read through the World Street site yesterday at some length.

What a great wealth of information and effort. I applaud your originality, energy and organization skills.  Congratulations, you are a force.

You are the Darwin of transportation and sustainable streets/towns.

Donald H. Brackenbush
Architect, city planner  and engineer
Los Angeles California

Penang: Chief Minister warns Civil Society to serve the State

Guan Eng Warns Penang Institute Over Safeguarding State Government Image

Kuala Lumpur, 7 July 2016: Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has warned members of the state think tank, Penang Institute, not to tarnish the image of the state government.

Is World Streets doing its job? (Canada)

* We asked 100 world experts for their views – – and 101 responded

Chris Bradshaw of Ottawa, comments:

I met Eric 20 years ago at the OECD Sustainable Transportation Conference in Vancouver. His passion and links to the other passionate and informed people was impressive from the start.

The fact that this field continues to grow is in large part a tribute to his energy and insights into the many components that make it up.

His choice of a focus on streets brings the local scale into focus: a trip is a trip; we all must ensure its ‘footprint’ is no larger than necessary. The car too often is the enemy of this perspective; the solution is a seamless network of walking&rolling options. Our travels should always connect us to the places we are in.

Chris Bradshaw, Ottawa, Canada.

Planner, activist and social innovator

Founder, Vrtucar, Ottawa’s Carsharing Provider

The KyAUTO*WALK Project;

Hearth Health – Building the Walkable Fabric of Communities

Regional Municipality Planning Department (retired)

http://hearthhealth.wordpress.com

Email: hearth@ties.ottawa.on.ca

Question to members of Penang Transport Council reviewing and evaluating SRS master plan documents

ON CYCLING:

CYCLING: We have been exchanging in our several group fora in support of the Sustainable Penang project thoughts about plans and actions in favor of more, better and safer cycling for all in Penang. And of course by this we mean specifically cycling for day to day transport, cycling for men, women and children getting from their particular A to B in all parts of Penang. (though it will be interesting as well to know of their coverage of leisure and touring cycling, etc.)

So, against this background we respectfully ask the following  . . .