Cycle City Active City 2022: Call for Papers – cities in transition

The 8th Annual Cycle City Active City conference and exhibition will return on 5-6th July at Sheffield City Hall, supported by Department for Transport and hosted by Sheffield City Council and South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority

Cycle City Active City is the UK's most popular networking event for active travel professionals.  In 2022, the event will focus on cities in transition to more resilient, more active and more inclusive futures. 

Cycle City Active City 2022 will bring together Government, local authorities and the professional sector as they respond urgently to scale-up decarbonisation, levelling up and inclusivity strategies.  

Cycling and walking can deliver against all three areas, and as such is in the spotlight like never before.  

The groundwork is in place: 2022 will establish Active Travel England to take forward the commitments laid out in Gear Change and the Transport Decarbonisation Plan, as well as the forthcoming Cycling & Walking Investment Strategy 2.  

Says Dan Jarvis, Mayor, South Yorkshire MCA: In 2019 I appointed Dame Sarah Storey as the first Active Travel Commissioner for the region and ever since we have worked closely together to build a transformational programme to improve conditions for walking and cycling in South Yorkshire, including making the network much more accessible for disabled people. It is a mark of our progress and a great honour that Sheffield will host Cycle City Active City 2022.

What’s great about the conference is that you can have your say in shaping the content and topics for discussion – submit your abstracts before 11th February to raise the points which matter the most to you...

Call for papers

We would like to hear from you!

The plenary, breakout and workshop sessions will run alongside Department for Transport-led sessions on delivering LCWIPs, CWIS2 and the role of Active Travel England.

Contact Juliana O'Rourke to suggest content for the programme.  Please limit your abstracts to 500 words and submit no later than Friday 11th February. 

Cycle City Active City will showcase:

• Re-booting planning and masterplanning for resilience and activity

• Designing, funding and embedding influencer / behaviour change schemes

• Collaboration between transport planning, health and urban development initiatives

• Active travel solutions for smaller cities, towns and rural areas 

• Neighbourhood level planning for activity and wellbeing

• Locking in active travel to future mobility and net zero strategies

• Investment in / funding for active travel

• Building the evidence base: data, scheme monitoring and evaluation 

• Managing vehicle-based travel demand

• Community engagement

Plus lots more...

We welcome other ideas and suggestions for talks, workshops, site visits, masterclasses, panels and debates.

The event will also provide a range of outdoor activities, including study visits, tours, walk and talks, cycle demonstrations and try-outs.  Plenty of time will also be provided for social and networking events around the city.  

Says Dame Sarah Storey, Active Travel Commissioner, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority:

I am absolutely delighted that Cycle City Active City, the National Active Travel Conference, will be taking place in South Yorkshire in 2022. 

Since my appointment as Active Travel Commissioner in 2019, the region has made significant progress in both standards of infrastructure and the ambition to prioritise active transport. This year more active travel infrastructure will be delivered than ever before and a strong pipeline of future schemes is also being fleshed out.  

I hope hosting the conference in July will be a celebration of active travel in the region and enable more people to engage and understand the benefits than ever before.

Working with the Department for Transport...

Says Rupert Furness, Deputy Director, Active Travel, Department for Transport:

Cycle City Active City 2022 is supported by the Department for Transport as its annual active travel summit, and the conference plenaries, breakout and workshop sessions will run alongside Department for Transport-led sessions on delivering LCWIPs, CWIS2 and the role of Active Travel England.

‘After almost two years of digital meetings, workshops and conferences I am looking forward to the opportunity of meeting friends both old and new at this year’s Cycle City Active City conference in Sheffield to talk about  building on the exciting initiatives for Active Travel that have been a silver lining during the pandemic’ 

With the support of local leaders....

Says Cllr Terry Fox, Leader of Sheffield City Council:

We are delighted that Sheffield will host the Cycle City Active City Conference in July and we look forward to working with the DfT to develop and deliver a memorable event.  Active travel is a key priority area for Sheffield City Council - from infrastructure to the health and wellbeing benefits for our local residents and those that work here. 

This will be a fantastic opportunity to showcase our developments and share our ambitions for the future. Embracing the great outdoors is an important part of our culture, influencing so much about life in Sheffield. We look forward to sharing best practice, learning from others and welcoming all delegates to our Outdoor City.

Says Cllr Douglas Johnson, Executive Member for Climate Change, Environment and Transport, Sheffield City Council:

As a council we are committed to encouraging walking and cycling and getting Sheffield moving.  Our own health and wellbeing is greatly improved by active forms of travelling, but this is also a critical contribution to tackling climate change and air pollution. The more people who can switch to walking and cycling for at least some of their journeys, the healthier the whole city becomes.

I am very proud that Sheffield has been chosen to host this year’s event.  It reflects the enormous interest in cycling in Sheffield and the commitment of so many people in the city.  It will also help to encourage business interest in the cost benefits of switching to pedal-power, especially for local deliveries. Hosting this event reflects our city’s dedication to encouraging sustainable travel and sets an example to others across the country.

Exhibition and sponsorship packages

Live exhibitions are back and we're pleased to provide the entire Ballroom at Sheffield City Hall for organisations that wish to exhibit their products and services.  Meet with delegate face-to-face for the first time in nearly two years.  

Please contact Daniel Simpson to discuss your requirements on 0207 091 7861 or email daniel@landor.co.uk