Gil
Penalosa
Helping You Create 8 & 80 Cities for Everyone
Gil’s Vision
is creating
‘Neighbourhood-Cities’
that are Equitable, Sustainable and fun, where everyone, especially Children and Olders, live Healthier and Happier.
Who is Gil
Gil (Guillermo) Penalosa has a unique blend of experience, knowledge and pragmatism that has taken him to work in over 350 cities around the world.
In Bogotá, Colombia, he led the construction of over 200 parks, and transformed a small program called Ciclovia into the world’s largest ‘linear park’, over 120 km, where every Sunday and Holiday over 1.5 million people of all ages and backgrounds come out to walk, bike, run, shop, and mostly, to enjoy the presence of each other.
He’s a sought-after keynote speaker in multiple topics, for his capacity to inspire, open minds, get people moving from talking to doing. He is a Certified Professional Speaker.
Gil’s Main Topics
Services
Offered by Gil
The 8 80 Cities Connection
Gil is the Founder & Chair of 8 80 Cities. After many years running the organization as Executive Director, he now serves as Chair of the Board of Directors.
8 80 Cities, Gil Penalosa & Associates, and Cities for Everyone, work closely on some projects when they require the strengths of more than one organization.
Gil’s Cities
Because of Gil’s unique blend of experience, pragmatism and passion, many cities and organizations worldwide seek his leadership and valuable advice.
He has worked in over 350 different cities in all continents. His work intersects with. a number of fields such as transportation, public health, urban planning, parks and recreation, environment, education, and economic development.
Testimonials
From the webinars
Going for Zero:
Decarbonizing the Built Environment on the Path to Our Urban Future.
Decarbonizing how buildings are designed, constructed, and operated is a sea change that is already altering professional principles and practices.
Rethinking Smart Cities.
Leaving no-one behind.
Any smart initiative must improve quality of life, equity and inclusion, not merely gather data or cut costs. All city sizes and budgets can get ‘smarter’ with high‑, low‑ or even no‑tech solutions.
Nature Based Solutions for Managing Stormwater:
Creating Parks & Urban Resilience.
As storms become more intense and unpredictable, our infrastructure must adapt. Green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) manages runoff naturally, reducing the physical damage, health effects, and restoration costs of flooding. As the largest natural spaces in cities, parks hold great potential for GSI, but often go underutilized due to various challenges. Building GSI in parks can also enhance biodiversity and reduce urban heat, all while creating new green amenities as well as workforce development opportunities to address concerns about green gentrification.