Join or create the movement for Slow cities

June 30, 2026 Creative Director Economics, Flip the Script, FOOD, FTS Smarter Cities

As authors Paul Tranter and Rodney Tolley point out, “A great paradox of modern times is that the faster we go, the less time we have.” On the altar of speed brought about by a modern, high-tech, globalized society, we sacrifice not only our time, but also our personal, collective, social and ecological well-being. Higher speeds demand more energy consumption, produce more pollution, and militate against building human-scale communities. It’s time to slow down the pace of life, and there is a budding “slow movement” aiming to do just that. This ranges from slow food to slow money to slow cities and transport. Here we focus on cities and transportation. Quoting Trantner and Tolley again, “More time can be saved by slowing city transport than by speeding it up.”

Take action

  • Learn about and join the Citta Slow network, a worldwide organization whose goals include “improving the quality of life in towns by slowing down the overall pace, especially in a city’s use of spaces and the flow of life and traffic through them.”
  • Read the Manifesto for 21st Century Slow Cities, and urge your local government to adopt and implement this vision in your town or city.
  • To help both decrease the negative impacts of travel and enrich the experience for traveler and host, practice slow when setting off on your next sojourn. Learn more on the What is Slow Travel page of the Slow Movement website.

Get inspired

  • The Sloth Club in Japan promotes slow businesses, tourism, alternative currencies, and more. In his talk Slow is Beautiful, founder Keibo Oiwa describes how living at a slow pace is an essential part of place-based cultures, and necessary for well-being and happiness in the modern age, too.
  • Citizens of the California city of Berkeley, US, wanted slower streets, and the city’s Healthy Streets initiative is providing them. Two miles of streets have been barricaded on one side to reduce traffic and increase access for pedestrians and bicycles. Cars can still use a portion of the street, but can only travel at speeds of 15 miles per hour or less.

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