Gil Penalosa is passionate about creating equitable and sustainable cities where all people can live healthier and happier lives. Penalosa is the founder and chair of the Canadian nonprofit organisation 8 80 Cities. He is also ambassador of World Urban Parks. Penalosa has worked in over 350 different cities and in all continents. Before immigrating to Canada, Penalosa was commissioner in Bogotá, where he led the construction of over 200 parks and 100 kilometres of open streets. He holds an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a PhDhc from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in urban planning. Penalosa is one of Planetizen’s Top 50 Most Influential Urbanists and recently received the World Urban Parks Distinguished Individual Award in Australia.