International conference discusses active, healthy and sustainable cities
The conference brought together national and international speakers with experience in various areas, with the aim of reflecting on the challenges and opportunities for transforming Lisbon into a more active, healthy and sustainable city.
The initiative aims to consolidate an integrated approach to the various services, programs and activities that already exist, in order to strengthen the role of sport as a driver of health, balance, well-being and social cohesion.
The Lisboa Ativa program, which this conference is part of, reinforces the municipality's commitment to creating conditions so that all citizens have access to opportunities that promote more active lifestyles.
The programme's strategic model seeks to respond to the current "pandemic" of physical inactivity, with a focus on an integrated approach that simplifies and organizes intervention into three axes:
Active spaces - upgrading and diversifying the city's sports offer to encourage physical activity, through parks, gardens, municipal and school sports facilities, or even the reorganization of green spaces;
Active communities - encouraging physical literacy in schools, promoting active school mobility, implementing health referral systems for community physical exercise programs, certifying and rewarding sports clubs, and encouraging local associations in conjunction with parish councils and health centers;
Active partnerships - involving internal and external partners, from municipal units to institutions such as the Faculty of Human Motricity, local clubs, IPDJ and associations, in a multi-level model based on citizen participation.
"Sport is fundamental to our health, our balance and our emotional and social well-being, just as it is for building and preserving communities of identity and solidarity," said Rui Cordeiro, Councillor for Sport.
Among the international speakers, the International Conference also featured James Sallis, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of California San Diego and member of the Global Observatory on Healthy and Sustainable Cities, who stressed the role of cities in combating inactivity and creating healthier and more equitable urban environments.