The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Sustainable city bid for Perth backedby ex-Danish mayor
Traders, politicians and members of the public will be able to tune in next month to find out what steps could be taken to deliver Pe r t h into a sustainable future .
The follow-up event comes after policy-makers from some of Europe’s most sustainable cities held a conference about Perth’s direction.
Almost 400 delegates signed up to the digital event, which was addressed by the former mayor of Copenhagen Bo Asmus Kjeldgaard and FrenchColombian Professor Carlos Moreno, author of The 15 Minute City.
Bo Asmus Kjeldgaard has been involved in converting the Danish capital into a modern city with wind turbines, harbour swimming , bike lanes, 100,000 more trees, climate adaptation and an ambition to become the world’s first carbon-neutral capital by 2025, and earlier this year backed Perth’s ambitious aim of becoming Europe’s most sustainable small city.
He said: “This was an excellent conference. A sustainable transition is hard work but also a very positive, life-giving process.
“If you s e t - o ff on a successful path people will want to join and contribute. It becomes more attractive to be part of the process.
“I wish you good luck on your road to being the most sustainable small city in Europe.”
Other successful cities being examined under the microscope at the event included Danish city Aalborg, Ghent in Belgium, Fr e i b u r g in southern Germany, Amsterdam in the Ne t h e r l a n d s and Finnish cities Helsinki and Ii.
Workshops were held by leaders from 10 different European cities, including Lahti in Finland and Frederikshavn in Denmark.
From creating a “net-zero city” to “no-traffic zones”, each case study provided inspiration into which the delegates were able to tap and consider for Perth.
The conference wa s chaired by members of the newly-formed Perth City Leadership Forum: chairman Mike Robinson, chief executive of the Royal S c o tt i s h Geographical Society; vice-chairwoman Tricia Fox, chief executive of Volpa; and vice-chairman Steve Stewar t , communications director at Stagecoach, one of the UK’s largest sustainable transport providers.
The conference wa s organised by Perth City Leadership Forum, whose chairman Mike Robinson said: “This has been a difficult and uncertain year.
“The pandemic has pulled us apart, often quite literally, as we have entered into periods of social-distancing.
“However, tackling the climate crisis and sustainability represents a very real opportunity to bring people together, in a positive w a y, around common themes that we all have a role to help deliver.”
The second part of the conference will be held on December 4 and examine action and delivery.
The Perth City Leadership Forum will draw on this event to decide what immediate actions should be implemented, and shape its work programme for the year ahead.
Interested parties will be able to tune in again online.
Separate sustainability talks will also be held t o d a y, as Pe r t h and Kinross Council leader Murray Lyle joins Dundee and Aberdeen counterparts John Alexander and Jenny Laing at the digital Green Cities event.