“Gil - You are so inspiring, and I can't tell you how much it means to have such a great partner and ambassador supporting our work both here and around the world. All best and thanks again from one of your biggest fans.”

“Your many examples were brilliant in demonstrating a common sense approach to the creation of cities for people… links between walking, cycling and parks. You provided us with many new insights and opportunities, and have shown us the importance of active management of the places we create.”

“Gil has the strength for change, the ability of involving crowds towards better cities, better lives and better human kind. For the public agents of the City Hall of São Paulo, Gil’s presence was one of the most important happenings of the year.“

“Gil, A HUGE thank you on this end. You have inspired so many folks here already. Following your stay with us, we established the goal of closing 20+ miles of our main road, this would include 15 cities! We will look for many opportunities to bring you back this way.“

“Gil Penalosa brings a wealth of experience, knowledge and passion to the urban parks movement. He challenges us all to work together through partnerships and alliances so that parks and greenways are recognized as a critical component of healthy and vibrant cities.“

“I am truly impressed with how you (Gil Penalosa) have been able to use your excellent speaking skills and extensive experience on the topic, to influence our whole organization on how bikeways and parks can be designed and managed.”

“Gil, Your broad experience, clear-eyed analysis, infectious enthusiasm and amazing accomplishments make you a "global treasure" in the urban parks movement. Keep up your great work!“

“Your ability to articulate the importance of active transportation and its many benefits captivated our audience. Your enthusiasm and passion is contagious and I hope that this experience will change the outlook of the transit professionals in attendance for many years to come.“

“We can't thank you enough for being our Closing Keynote! Your talk was the perfect capstone to a very successful Symposium! It couldn't have been better! I have heard rave reviews. I heard one person say it was the best presentation they had ever heard.”

“Part of the solution in dealing with air quality problems, climate change, and the obesity epidemic is to design neighbourhoods around active forms of transportation, such as walking and bicycling. Gil clearly understands this concept and gives a passionate, inspired presentation on the importance of community design to support active transportation.”

“Gil, I truly cannot thank you enough for what you accomplished during your visit. You really succeeded in firing up our own (already-committed) troops and reminding them why our work at the ground level is so critical. And you raised the thinking and expectations of our city leaders to a new level. This is unprecedented.“

“Your keynote address laid out a series of very practical illustrations of how municipal leaders can take leadership to make our cities and towns more livable and sustainable. You are encouraging us to be bold in our leadership and prompt in our actions. We have received overwhelmingly positive feedback on your presentation from our conference delegates. Our thanks for setting such a constructive and action-oriented tone for the event.“

“Gil Penalosa is one of those charismatic leaders that needs to be heard. His contribution in many cities around the world in providing simple solutions to improve the liveability of cities makes him a very important player in this age of urbanisation. Gil, founder of 8-80 Cities is a man who can assist in taking other cities forward on the quest for liveability.”

“I have had the pleasure of working with Gil in my former role as Toronto’s chief City Planner and in my current role as a Director of Metrolinx, the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority. He is a passionate, creative and inspirational leader who has the rare ability to motivate large numbers of people to embrace new ways to think and act about transforming their own community. “