GIL PENALOSA
Founder and Chair | 8 80 Cities

Gil Penalosa is passionate about cities for all people. Because of his unique blend of experience, pragmatism, and passion, many cities worldwide seek his leadership and valuable advice. He has worked in over 350 cities.

 Gil is the Founder and Chair of the successful Canadian non-profit organization  8 80 Cities and founder of Cities for Everyone. In 2022 Gil ran for mayor of Toronto. In 100 days, he got 100,000 votes, and changed much of the conversation. 

Currently Gil is an academic chair at the Norman Foster Institute for Sustainable Cities, as well as Expert Advisor to the International Society for Urban Health, and to the Danish based world initiative, Cities for Better Health. He hosts his bi-weekly webinar series with over 30 countries connected. Gil also runs his consultancy, Gil Penalosa & Associates.

Gil was elected twice as chair of World Urban Parks. He holds an MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, received a Doctorate Honoris Causa from the Faculty of Urban Planning at Swedish SLU. In 2023 Gil was voted to Planetizen’s Top 100 Most Influential Contemporary Urbanists, at #13.