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Originally published on railvolution.org. Rail~Volution is now Mpact: Mobility, Community, Possibility.
It’s hard to keep up with the number and variety of challenges coming at us these days. Rising prices. Housing affordability. Impacts of extreme weather caused by climate change. Safety. Individual rights. A lot of these intersect with mobility and development, with the work of cities and regions, transit and mobility providers, everyone involved with community and economic development.
The very fundamentals of our work are in question. When will transit ridership rebound and what will that look like? How do we model changes amidst so much uncertainty? How can we attack the housing crisis and extend the benefits of economic development to all residents?
Is this a Blip or the Dark Energy Spiral of Craziness?
The upcoming Rail~Volution conference in Miami will be a place to get into the thick of these conversations, to learn how leaders from across the spectrum are making adjustments and keeping their eyes on the prize. As one National Steering Committee member said at a conference planning meeting in July, “The vibrant places we are creating are going to continue beyond this blip (aka Dark Energy Spiral of Craziness).”
Two years ago, when Rail~Volution was last in-person in Vancouver, new transit agency CEOs had no idea they’d be facing severe drops in ridership or fundamental resets of how and when people travel. Some challenges were pretty clear even then, however.
The need to weave equity into all aspects of our work was already front and center, and this urgency is as strong as ever. We need to keep refining our approach, so that major transit and development projects engage with and deliver meaningful benefits for existing residents. In 2022 as in 2019, Rail~Volution is the place to hear about tools to combat displacement in collaboration with community.
The effect of climate change on infrastructure and on people’s livelihood has become even more stark, with more communities feeling first-hand the impacts of fire, flooding and heat. Rail~Volution 2022 in Miami takes us to a region working on sea level rise amidst an economic boom and growing inequality.
Doom and gloom, right? Wrong!
At Rail~Volution we look at the full complexity of challenges and find collaborative solutions. Because fundamentally, communities built around access to affordable mobility – with transit at the core – are the best and most sustainable places to live. These facts have not altered during these years of unprecedented change.
At Rail~Volution you’ll hear the case studies and meet the people making change for people.
It makes sense to continue to work hard to deliver transit priority.
It makes sense to invest in transit stations so that local residents have access and feel safe, heard and served.
It makes sense to build more affordable housing near transit and to go to the mat for innovative ways to make the pipeline easier and more equitable.
It makes sense to look closely at capital projects and transit system redesign with community benefits and economic development as the goal.
None of this is easy.
It takes changing minds and changing practices, keeping the community outcomes foremost in mind. It means helping everyone visualize themselves on the bus or on a bicycle. It takes showing how these decisions deliver a higher quality of life. It takes figuring out funding.
And make no mistake – this moment calls for courageous rethinking. Are we approaching transit in the best way? With all the money for infrastructure, can we get more for transit and deliver on what riders want – more frequency, more reliability, no matter the mode (BRT or bus or rail)? Can we connect communities and set them up to thrive?
How do we build the will? How can transit be a catalyst for each community to meet its own goals? At a time when many transit agencies are worried about survival and cities and regions are buffeted, can we bolster innovation and a sense of possibility? What needs to change to do that?
What we need is a vision of transit-oriented communities that fits our times. And who knows? We might discover that it was the better vision all along.
These quotes from Steering Committee members capture some of the ideas in play:
“The commuter model for transit was never sufficient. It wasn’t meeting the needs of families getting kids to school. We now have the opportunity to push past that and do something better.”
“Equitable transit-oriented development is very important. It’s a response to transit being seen as a gentrifier. It’s a pathway to affordable housing with benefits to the region and long-term bottom line.”
“Taking the lane for bus or BRT saves time for transit riders. Every second counts. The rationale and value systems are changing. ”
“Transit and mobility has to rethink itself around people’s experience: the interaction between humans and how they get around and where they live. The tools for measuring have to shift.”
Digging in and having some fun.
Rail~Volution 2022 in Miami will dig into these conversations and deliver a lot of in-depth know-how from practitioners, leaders and advocates. Learn how to implement the vision, sell it to the naysayers, create the political and financial structures. See what peers are doing to both respond to and bring about change. And, as always at Rail~Volution, there will be a little zaniness along with the learning, thanks to the New Rail~Volutionaries.
The conference also will be a chance to see first-hand how Miami – one of the most auto-dominated places around– is working to shift the conversation about mobility, by expanding transit and drawing on technology and innovation. It will be a chance to recognize and support and learn from the people working to expand access to opportunity for everyone, regardless of race, economic background or gender identity.
Get the real stories – from the podium and in the casual conversations that follow – at Rail~Volution 2022 in Miami. Bring home the knowledge about what it takes, not only to deliver projects but to build great places to live around transit – for everyone.