Happy Friday Jr. folks!
Today I’m in Aspen for the Sister Cities’ Aspen Garmisch-Partenkirchen 60th Anniversary Summit.
The event welcomes delegates from both Aspen + Garmisch-Partenkirchen to celebrate its 60th year of friendship.
Sister Cities is unique because it connects two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial relations.
Today, conversations covered the two cities’ unique history, how they manage tourism, and how sports impact the health of a community.
And I was thrilled to hear comments regarding the common problem of traffic congestion.
This is why I’m digging into this organization.
As I think about the problems with transportation, it’s evident they can be very local issues. Landscape, demographics, density, tourism, access to recreation - all of these variables influence the interworkings of transportation systems.
And here’s a great example: Queenstown, New Zealand - one of Aspen’s sister cities - is building an aerial tram to tackle its ever-growing traffic issues.
The developer recently announced it raised $150M to push the project forward. I’ll be sure to keep an eye on the Queenstown Cable Car project.
I even heard a rumor that an architect in Aspen developed an aerial tram system in the 80s, but failed to gain community support.
And technically, an aerial tram is a flying car - it just has a cord ;)
Things are happening.
Slowly, then all at once.
But before you go, I encourage you to check out Sister Cities International! You never know what community your hometown is connected to!!