[For more information and to register, see the Carfree Portland site.]

Towards Carfree Cities VIII is an international conference being held
from June 16th to 20th, 2008 in Portland, Oregon, USA. This year is the conference's first in North America; Brussels will be the host in 2009.

Our theme this year is Rethinking Mobility, Rediscovering Proximity. The week offers a great chance to learn about the many facets of the emerging global carfree movement, meet people from all over the world who are at the cutting edge of sustainable transportation and livability efforts, and inform and inspire your own work to move your city or yourself away from automobile dependence.

To attend, please register now at carfreeportland.org/register. Registration fees are available on a sliding scale, and include a one-day rate. Contact portland@worldcarfree.net to ask about registration discounts.

Tuesday, June 17th is the conference's Public Day, which is open to the public and features a marketplace/expo, workshops on carfree family living, a session on Portland's historic battle against the Mount Hood Freeway, and our keynote speaker, Gil Penalosa. Donations are encouraged, but nobody will be turned away.

Conference attendees will:

• Learn from an exciting lineup of speakers and workshops
  (carfreeportland.org/program )
• Enjoy international carfree-themed mail art in City Hall and its parking area
• Watch carfree-themed movies during the film night
• Swing your partner to old-time square dance music, in the street, of course
• Help depave a parking lot and turn it into a community green space

Other exciting events occurring before, during, and after the conference include:

• June 12- 28 - Pedalpalooza, Portland's annual festival of 2+ weeks of bike fun
• June 22 - Sunday Parkways, Portland's first-ever ciclovia style street closure
• June 28 - Multnomah County Bike Fair, the culmination of all things bikey