Presenters from winter cities all over the world are invited to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, 2-4 February 2016 to share bicycling and walking expertise. Keep reading for more details about submitting a proposal to #WCC16 or download the Call for Contributions.
A snowy day on the Midtown Greenway in Minneapolis. Photo by Ben Hovland.
How is winter defined?
This Congress defines “winter” as a season encompassing a full spectrum of weather – including a range of temperatures and types of precipitation. The Congress acknowledges that no matter the climate type, there are real and perceived barriers preventing people from realizing all the benefits year-round cycling and walking can support in terms of health, wealth and happiness for all. Bringing together people from various winter climates allows those who experience similar weather to learn from each other – especially in terms of maintenance approaches. While as a greater group it becomes possible to address the commonalities – for example morning and evening darkness and psychological barriers – that people who ride bikes and walk experience in every winter climate.
Congress Theme & Tracks
In acknowledgement of the rapidly evolving cycling culture in Minneapolis and Saint Paul and in cities across North America, this year’s congress will look at winter cycling through the lens of equity. How do we engage with a wide range of people to ensure everyone in the community has an ownership in bicycling and active transportation no matter the time of year, the neighborhood they live in, their age, ability or background?
With the intent of empowering and engaging more interested but concerned people to keep riding through the winter, the congress will look at bicycle and pedestrian planning from every angle. This will be an opportunity to discuss the policy, planning, engineering, design, maintenance, implementation, evaluation and encouragement necessary to creating a built environment and social context in which cycling is a safe, comfortable and convenient choice in July and January.
There will be three tracks at the congress, including the following.
- Build it – policy, planning, engineering and design for year-round cycling and walking
- Maintain it – implementing the plan and maintaining safe, comfortable conditions
- Bike it –evaluating winter cycling and encouraging health, economic and social benefits
This Congress will celebrate and respect the diversity of the North American cycling movement while also welcoming the inspiration, best practices and lessons bicycle-friendly communities from all around the world can provide.
Attendees
This is the fourth annual Winter Cycling Congress. Past congresses have attracted stakeholders and thought leaders from many areas, including bicycle and pedestrian planning, Safe Routes to School, civil and traffic engineering, public works, urban design, landscape architecture, public health, journalism, the arts and many other areas. In short, this is a Congress for anyone who lives in a winter climate and works with or rides bikes.
Presentation Formats
- Lectures: A 90-minute session with 3 lectures on related topics. You present your contribution in a maximum of 20 minutes. A moderator leads the discussion following the presentations.
- Workshops: A 90-minute interactive session that you lead together with another expert on the topic submitted. Tell us about your topic and the approach you suggest for the workshop in your submission form.
- Panel session: Together with other experts you join a panel around a common theme. Each panel member makes a short presentation. After, a moderator interviews the panel and engages the audience.
- Poster session: A number of topics and experiences are particularly nice to present through a poster. We supply the display space – size will be communicated in advance – and you bring the poster. A few dedicated time slots allow you to present your poster to an audience visiting the posters.
- Pecha Kucha: 20 slides, 20 seconds per slide, this is the formula for a Pecha Kucha presentation. A great format for succinct and entertaining presentations, Pecha Kuchas will be integrated into an evening program.
- Mobile tour: Do you know a great Twin Cities route that our visitors need to experience? Mobile tours should be planned with winter weather in mind!
- Exhibition: Would like to demonstrate your business’s products or services, your book or your art? No need to fill out the form. Please contact WCC co-Chair Tony Desnick directly by email at .
Information to include in your proposal
Proposals must be submitted using the online form. The form cannot be saved and completed later so it is best to assemble the required information in advance and complete and submit the form all at once. The form will not time out while you are completing it.
- Your bio (300 words maximum) and contact information: name, title, organization, mailing address, e-mail address, and phone number.
- What format are you proposing? (see “Presentation Formats” section above)
- The session for which your proposal should be considered? (see “Winter Cycling Congress 2016 Sessions” section above)
- Title of your presentation (be clear and specific)
- Keywords (3-5) list the words that best describe your presentation.
- Presentation abstract (750 words maximum). Describe the purpose and goals of the presentation(s), explaining why it is timely and compelling; provide as much detail as you can within the allotted space. Include specific information on resources, tools and examples. Convince the reader to accept/attend your presentation.
- Learning objectives (300 word maximum). One to two objectives per 20-30 minutes of presentation. A description of the learning objectives is required so that WCC can secure continuing education credits for planners, engineers, public health professionals and landscape architects in sessions where appropriate. State the objectives briefly using verbs such as define, describe, estimate, give examples, identify, predict, recognize, state, discuss, and learn.
The deadline to submit is midnight Central Standard Time on SUNDAY, 18 October.
