Cooperation. It’s the fundamental concept of a shared world, and it’s in evidence all over Portland, Oregon today as the 2016 International Open Streets Summit kicks off.

The Open Streets Project is an advocacy project led by The Street Plans Collaborative, and Portland was chosen to host its third Open Streets Summit this year. (The first was held in Los Angeles in 2014, and last year Atlanta, Georgia hosted one.)

The four-day conference is happening this year through a partnership between Street Plans, which is based in Miami with offices in San Francisco and New York, 8–80 Cities based in Toronto, Ontario, and locally the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation, IBPI and TREC. All are organizations dedicated to the idea of livable cities.

It was also supported through the sponsorship of Metro, Transit Center, People for Bikes, Uber and Alta Planning + Design.

The Portland Summit has drawn attendees from five continents, who work in varied areas including research, practice and advocacy. The common ground? All of them are dedicated to creating and nourishing Open Streets initiatives: programs which temporarily close streets to automobile traffic, so that people may use them for walking, bicycling, dancing, playing, and socializing.

TREC and IBPI are proud to be hosts and partners for the event. It's thrilling to see people and organizations of all stripes working together to create a common future.