Networking
Mpact Innovators Presents – Practical Self-Care: Elevate Your Workday
Horizons Rooftop Ballroom
Kickstart your morning with a revitalizing 30-minute session designed to recharge your body and mind—all from the comfort of your chair. We’ll guide you through simple, effective techniques proven to ease stress, boost energy, and add a bit more joy to your workday. No special gear is required—just bring yourself, whether in conference attire or whatever makes you feel comfortable.
Warning: Desk-based self-care may lead to unexpected bouts of meaningful productivity!
Facilitator: Shantelle Dreamer, 200-hour Certified Yoga Teacher / Assistant Vice President, Sustainable Fleets Program Manager, WSP USA, Boulder, CO
Plenaries
Tuesday Plenary – Missing Middle Neighborhoods: Keys from Philadelphia
Liberty Ballroom
Emcee – Diana Mendes, Corporate President, Infrastructure and Mobility Equity, HNTB / President, Mpact Board of Directors, Washington, DC
Video Address – Congressman Earl Blumenauer, 3rd District, Oregon / Mpact Board of Directors
Welcome – Christopher Coes, Acting Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy, Office of the Secretary, US Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Plenary Discussion – Missing Middle Neighborhoods: Keys from Philadelphia
Missing middle housing is all about promoting sustainable, walkable, transit accessible developments that are attainable for middle- and lower-income families. Everywhere, the questions are how to get more of it and how to hang on to what you’ve got! Philadelphia, a city of rowhomes (similar to townhouses), typifies a type of pre-war development that other places are attempting to emulate. As housing ages and communities struggle, policymakers in Philadelphia are working to build wealth, prevent displacement and reduce vacancy in “missing middle” neighborhoods. Hear from the leaders at work in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection. The programs and policies they have innovated and the lessons they’ve learned could seed solutions in your own community.
Moderator: Kevin Moran, Executive Director, Urban Land Institute (ULI), Philadelphia, PA
Nikil Saval, State Senator, District 1, Pennsylvania State Senate, Philadelphia, PA
Jamie Gauthier, Councilmember, District 3, Philadelphia City Council, Philadelphia, PA
James Leonard, Commissioner, Department of Records, City of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Housing, Zoning, 2024 Conference, Policy, Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).
Mobile Workshop
MW15-Center City’s Grand Public Spaces
$45
Explore two of William Penn’s original squares – Logan and Center – and the public spaces that tie them together. Along the way learn about 300 years of planning history and varying contemporary solutions to reinvigorating, accessing and managing public open spaces. Penn’s surveyor, Thomas Holme, laid out the street grid and five squares still evident in City Center Philadelphia. Today, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway cuts a traffic-laden swath through the northwestern corner of the grid even as it visually and physically links Fairmount Park and the Philadelphia Museum of Art to Logan Square (now a traffic circle) and City Hall (which occupies the original center square). Several new parks and open spaces line the Parkway: Sister Cities Park, Love Park (aka JFK Plaza), the Municipal Services Plaza and Dilworth Park. Recent efforts to reimagine these public open spaces – to encourage more activity and enhance the surrounding architecture, businesses, and transit – feature varying approaches to landscape design, public engagement, management structure, and funding. Learn from those who manage these places about efforts to make them more multi-modal and less auto-centric.
Architecture, Design, 2024 Conference, Public Space, Businesses, Community Engagement, Planning, Transit.
Mobile Workshop
MW14-A Refuge in the City
$65 includes lunch
Take regional rail to Southwest Philadelphia. The nearby John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, the first urban wildlife refuge in the nation, protects Pennsylvania’s largest remaining freshwater tidal marsh, with 1200 acres, ten miles of trails, a canoe ramp and opportunities to see birds, native wildlife and plants. End with Eastwick, Philadelphia’s lowest-elevation neighborhood. Redlined in the 1930s, the close-knit neighborhood nonetheless thrived into the 1950s, but then lost homes to eminent domain and airport parking. Today, the City of Philadelphia is working with Eastwick residents to address flooding, environmental justice and quality of life.
Updated description as of 10-14-2024.
Photo: John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum
Mobile Workshop
MW16-Kensington: A Misunderstood Neighborhood
$65 includes lunch
The Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia once was a center for textile manufacturing, an industry that generated more than 300,000 local jobs. But when factories closed after World War II, a long period of disinvestment followed. Today Kensington is notorious for its open-air drug market and the presence of transient drug users along commercial corridors and transit stops of the raised Market-Frankford line, known as the L. The housing stock is old and the poverty rate is 45%, yet the area has assets: its walkability, residents and businesses who care and strong neighborhood-based organizations. The transit line is another big asset, but also threatens residents with gentrification, as luxury apartment complexes shoot up along the Avenue. Hear from community members and leaders about their efforts to invest in human capital, affordable housing and resident health as well as efforts to resist displacement and maintain local control of property and businesses.
2024 Conference, Walking, Affordable Housing, Safety, Businesses, Health, Community Development, Transit, Corridor Planning.
Session
Land Use for Climate Action: Strategy, Funding, Impacts
The transportation sector is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. These emissions contribute to the global climate crisis. To meet our climate goals defined under the Paris Agreement, the US must eliminate nearly all greenhouse gas emissions economy-wide by 2050. Transportation electrification and fuel efficiency alone are not enough to reduce transportation sector emissions. We must provide for a future of compact development, human-centered design and a convenient, accessible transportation system for all. The US National Blueprint on Transportation Decarbonization provides a unified federal strategy that lifts up the criticality of smart land use as a climate solution, specifically through transit-oriented development, active transportation infrastructure and innovative system planning. Hear how it works, from strategy to implementation, through federal programs and funding opportunities from the US Department of Transportation and Department of Housing and Urban Development. We’ll also highlight analysis, modelling and evaluation of impacts led by the Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.
Program Note: The Tuesday afternoon session, Town Hall: Perspectives on the USDOT Blueprint For Transportation Decarbonization, is a follow up to this session, but also stands on its own
Moderator: Liya Rechtman, Policy Advisor, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Ann Shikany, Deputy Assistant Secretary – Transportation Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Kera Package, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Community Planning and Development, US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, DC
Christopher Hoehne, PhD Moblility Systems Research Scientist, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO
Land Use, 2024 Conference, Bicycling, Walking, Micromobility, Federal Funding, Planning, Climate Resilience, Policy, Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).
Session
Selling Good Jobs in Transit: Engaging Stakeholders in Solutions to Workforce Gender Gaps
The majority of transit riders are women. Yet, even before the pandemic, the transportation sector was composed of only approximately 15% female-identifying workers. The gender gap remains, driven by changing cultural and political environments, generational composition of the workforce, preferences in work environments and more. Who’s working to change this picture – and where? Get an overview of efforts underway to balance the gender gap in our transportation workforce. Then break into small groups to focus on “low-hanging” and long-term solutions. How can we fill roles in a gender-equitable way, especially as care-givers (often women) re-examine flexible work environments? How can we accommodate the needs of multiple generations in the workforce? How do recruitment, employee development and management need to adapt? What are we overlooking? Let’s mind – and overcome – the gender gap!
Moderator: Bridgette Beato, CEO and Owner, Lumenor Consulting, Board, WTS International, Washington, DC
Api Appulingam, Chief Development Officer, Philadelphia International Airport, Philadelphia, CA
Inez Colon, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, Chief Human Resources Officer, Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT), Pittsburgh, PA
Emmanuella Myrthil, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Philadelphia, PA
Alanna Strohecker, Senior Vice President, AECOM, Philadelphia, PA
Women, 2024 Conference, Safety, Workforce Development, Transit, Policy, Transit Riders.
Session
Historic Train Stations to Modern Mobility Hubs: Intentional Transformation
Next stop: Transformation. Across the United States and Canada, century-old train stations are morphing to meet present-day needs, becoming dynamic epicenters of civic life and community space, while also preserving transit operations. Take your seat and discover the intentionality behind the evolution of these modern transit hubs. See the role of community in design and development and how train stations can serve as hubs for all forms of transportation and other uses. These projects seek to preserve the historic essence and community value of the stations while reimagining how they can better serve previously underserved communities and overall vitality.
Moderator: Katie Hearn, Senior Vice President, Redgate Real Estate, Bethesda, MD
Christine Nichols, Senior Development Director, Balfour Beatty, Baltimore, Maryland
Nzinga Bryant, Senior Vice President, Transaction and Delivery Strategy Advisory Services, WSP USA, Washington, DC
Kristen Mitchell, Director, Transit Oriented Development, New Jersey Transit (NJ TRANSIT), Newark, NJ
Economic Development, Station Design, 2024 Conference, Equity, Transit, Mobility Hub, Placemaking.
Session
Unlocking Data for Equitable Transit: The Toolbox for Practitioners and Decision Makers
How are analysts using public data to better align transit service to customer needs, across modes and at local and regional scales? It takes special skill to turn raw data into real insights that lead to implementable solutions. Four unique evaluation methods illustrate how to use data to focus on specific problems your agency or community wants to solve. You may want to measure low income fare subsidies. Or evaluate gender equity in service and fares. Or assess regional mobility using location-based data How about assessing not only access to jobs, but to jobs that are important to particular populations? How can data help target investments in expanding transit? And how do customers and potential riders feel about transit – how can you know? Settle in as we parse the data to drive better decision-making.
Matthew D. Crooks, Strategic Planning Advisor, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Washington, DC
Dalia Leven, AICP, National Planning Lead, Cambridge Systematics, Inc., Bethesda, MD
Alanna McKeeman, Vice President, Senior Project Manager, Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning, Washington, DC
Zach Hernandez, Director, Client Engagement, AlphaVu, Washington, DC
Jacqueline Nowak, Transit Planning and Analytics Lead, SRF Consulting Group, Minneapolis, MN
2024 Conference, Women, Fare Policy, Equity, Transit, Data, Transit Riders.
Session
BRT B-Side: Agencies Getting in Tune with Street Owners and Operators
Transit agencies develop bus rapid transit (BRT) projects on streets owned or administered by the city, the county or the state. Inroads must always be made – to understand and find solutions amidst competing interests and possibly different outcomes desired. Together, let’s take a look at tensions and tradeoffs in BRT project design and the varying perspectives of street owners and operators. How can we be better partners at the BRT table? What should be “in” and “out” of a BRT project? How can negotiating be a platform for agreement from all parties about what to expect from BRT?
Moderator: Thomas Brennan, Director of Strategy, Nelson/Nygaard Consulting, Portland, OR
Haley Peckett, Deputy Director, Policy and Planning, Department of Transportation, Montgomery County, Maryland, Rockville, MD
Ashley Lickliter, P.E., Senior Vice President / Transit Practice Leader, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc, Richmod, VA
Maribeth Feke, AICP, Director of Programming and Planning, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority, Cleveland, OH
Station Design, Design, 2024 Conference, Transit, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Corridor Planning.
Session
First/Last Mile Connections: Co-creating Solutions via Community Partnerships
C02
Sidewalks, bike lanes and crosswalks aren’t just infrastructure but symbols of a community’s identity. This recognition is part of a paradigm shift in the way transportation projects engage with communities, especially when there is a history of disparities and neglect. Let’s dig into an example of first/last mile planning that puts community and community-based partnerships first. Find out about project charters and participatory activities, such as walk and wheel (bike) audits, walking interviews and storytelling. These practices nurture trust and open pathways for those directly impacted by a project to co-create solutions. Guidelines are now in place – an a model to follow – about how to foster safe, accessible and dignified pathways to transit.
Moderator: Monica Villalobos, PhD, AICP, Senior Practice Leader, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc, Los Angeles, CA
Allison Mannos, Senior Manager, Office of Equity and Race, Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (METRO), Los Angeles, CA
Gemma Jiminez Gonzalez, ACT (Art, Civic Engagement and Transportation) Coordinator, Public Matters, LLC, Los Angeles, CA
Neha Chawla, Senior Manager, First/Last Mile, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (METRO), Los Angeles, CA
Bicycling, Walking, Project Management, 2024 Conference, First-Last Mile, Equity, Transit, Community.
Session
Planning for TOD by Beginning at the End
It can take many partners, a lot of coordination and a series of small miracles to turn a transit system vision into reality. In the case of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD), laying the groundwork for developments that won’t be brick and mortar for 10 years or more requires partnerships between the transit agency, community, city, developers and others. But what does that look like? And what does it take? TOD experts representing different major cities have examples and stories to tell. Hear how they developed partnerships in the early stages of planning to ultimately implement the vision for TOD.
Moderator: Timothy Thornton, Principal Financial Consultant, HDR, Inc., Boise, ID
Tracie Roberson, Project Manager, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), Atlanta, GA
Tim Bates, Senior Project Manager – Transit-Oriented Development, Sound Transit, Seattle, WA
Guy Benn, Program Manager, Transit-Oriented Development, TriMet, Portland, OR
Session
Housing Now! TOD and the Housing Crisis
Liberty Ballroom
Toronto, like many fast-growing cities, faces a housing affordability crisis, with one in five households in need of some form of housing assistance. At the same time, a generational investment in rapid transit infrastructure is underway, connecting neighborhoods and opening up new opportunities for housing. To meet the need and the moment, the City of Toronto and Province of Ontario launched ambitious transit-oriented development programs. Toronto’s Housing Now program includes 22 sites at existing stations and will create 16,500 new homes, while the Province’s Transit-Oriented Communities program aims to create over 30,000 new homes across 14 new stations.
Similar to Toronto, Austin has experienced rapid growth in housing costs. To address this problem, the City passed landmark land use changes earlier this year that are tied to transformative investments in a new light rail system in Austin, and shape the explosive growth underway with a focus on affordable housing development.
Hear the details about these programs and about the challenges, from building consensus to integrating TOD into transit planning and design.
Moderator: Paul Kulig, Principal Urban Design and Transit, Global Co-Lead of Urban Design, Perkins + Will, Toronto, ON
Yunfei Zhang, M.A.Sc., P.Eng. (BC, ON), Section Lead, Network Policy Planning, HDR, Inc., Vancouver, BC
Greg Canally, Executive Director, Austin Transit Partnership, Austin, TX
Awais Azhar, Executive Director, HousingWorks / Chair, Project Connect Community Advisory Committee, Austin Transit Partnership, Austin, TX
Affordable Housing, Housing, Equitable Transit-Oriented Communities, 2024 Conference, Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).
Mobile Workshop
MW17-American Street: The Road to Green and Complete Streets
$45
American Street in the heart of North Philadelphia tells a story of a corridor in transition, from an era of factories to disused blocks of vacant lots to a new generation of transit-supportive green and complete streets. It’s also a story of collaboration between city streets and water departments, the transit agency and state and federal partners. Completed in 2021, the two-mile streetscape project now manages over 50 acres of storm water with green infrastructure, includes wider sidewalks and grade separated bike lanes and serves buses, freight and changing communities. Walk the corridor with practitioners involved to hear first-hand about coordinating complex elements, lessons learned and the ways this right-sized corridor impacts forthcoming Trolley Modernization and Vision Zero investments.
Photo: American Street with green stormwater infrastructure. Credit: City of Philadelphia
Design, 2024 Conference, Bicycling, Walking, Transit, Climate Resilience, Corridor Planning, Street Design, Sustainability.
Networking
Mpact Innovators Presents – Walking Tour: Color Me Back at Suburban Station
Meet in Lobby
Learn about an innovative partnership between SEPTA and Mural Arts Philadelphia to bring public art to transit stations through “Color Me Back,” a same day work and pay program that provides opportunities for work to Philadelphia’s economically insecure population. Walk less than a half-mile to Suburban Station and grab lunch before visiting Mural Arts’ studio space. Hear about the Color Me Back program’s successes for community members and the transit system. Then tour the art at the station concourse itself, the first of several locations of murals in SEPTA stations produced through this program.
Meet in Lobby. Limited to first 25.
Al’Lee Floyd, Manager, SEPTA Store & Experiential Design, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Philadelphia, PA
Emily Crane, Color Me Back Program Manager, Mural Arts Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Networking
Mpact Innovators Presents – Walking Tour: Hub of Hope
Meet in Lobby
Go behind-the-scenes at Hub of Hope, an innovative community-oriented space that provides social and health care services to people experiencing homelessness. Located in the Suburban Station Concourse –one of the core SEPTA stations and part of the Center City Commuter Connection – the 11,000-square-foot facility offers meals, health care services and help finding a permanent home, among other services. After the tour, get lunch together at Reading Terminal Market, Philly’s oldest public market with more than 30 eateries.
Meet in Lobby. Limited to first 10.
Lunchtime Opportunity
AARP Lunchtime Conversation – Funding Quick Action Projects through the AARP Community Challenge
The AARP Community Challenge grant program is part of the nationwide AARP Livable Communities initiative that helps communities become great places to live for residents of all ages. The program is intended to help communities make immediate improvements and jump-start long-term progress in support of residents of all ages. Join us for a conversation on the impact the AARP Community Challenge is having in local communities and learn how you can use the AARP Community Challenge Grant Program to fund tangible community improvement.
Networking
Lunchtime Conversation – Lenape History and Culture
Salon 3/4
Bring your lunch for an informal and open discussion about Lenape history and culture in the Philadelphia region, with the Chief Keeper of Culture for the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania. Hear about the “Walking Purchase,” through which the sons of William Penn acquired Lenape land in the 1730s, as well as a re-enactment of it in 2019: a Walking Purchase Healing Journey. Touching on past transportation modes – canoes and horses – the conversation will include time for questions.
Chief Barbara Bluejay Michalski, Chief Keeper of Culture, Vice President, Tribal Council, Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania
Mobile Workshop
MW09-Suburban Riverfront TODs
$45
Explore transit-oriented developments (TODs) along the Schuylkill River northwest of the City of Philadelphia in the growing borough of Conshohocken and its adjacent development areas, Whitemarsh Township and Spring Mill. Find out how Montgomery County’s Transit-Oriented Development Model Ordinance guides municipalities in adding appropriate building typologies and station-area features to their zoning codes for use around rail stations. Hear from local practitioners and leaders – from Montgomery County, SEPTA and local municipalities as well as property owners – about factors for successful developments.
New Date and Time This Mobile Workshop, originally scheduled for Monday, October 21 at 1pm, is now Tuesday, October 22, 12:30pm – 5:15pm. Updated 7/18/2024.
Photo credit: Montgomery County Planning Commission
Station Design, Zoning, 2024 Conference, Community Development, Planning, Policy, Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).
Mobile Workshop
MW18-Transit-Oriented Communities: Urban and Suburban
$45
Please note: Due to changes in train schedules, Mobile Workshop 18 now starts at 12:45 pm (not 1:00 pm as originally stated).
One of the great things to see and experience at the conference is Philadelphia’s deep history as a transit-oriented region. But, as in many cities around the country, there’s demand for more housing near transit. SEPTA recently launched a Transit-Oriented Communities program to work with cities and developers to find solutions that fit suburban and urban locations. Hear about a couple of projects. In small town Ambler, the main street developed in response to trains that have been running since 1855. A TOD project on a parking lot offers the opportunity for a mixed-use, multimodal development that strengthens what makes Ambler special. Back in the city, where space is tight, find out how the Archdiocese of Philadelphia converted their property near a subway station for a new walkable development – part of the Yes in God’s Back Yard (YIGBY) movement.
Photo: Transit-oriented development at Broad and Ellsworth.
2024 Conference, Affordable Housing, YIGBY Movement, Mixed-Use Development, Station Design, Joint Development, Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).
Mobile Workshop
MW19-Transforming Philadelphia’s Central Delaware Waterfront
$65
Bicycle approximately 8.5 miles along the Delaware River and learn about the Master Plan for the Central Delaware River, which guides policy and investment strategies for 6 miles of riverfront. See some of the changes since the plan’s adoption in 2012: six waterfront parks, three connector streets and nearly three miles of the Delaware River Trail. Construction also is underway for the $329 million Park at Penn’s Landing, which will consist of a cap over Interstate 95, linking the waterfront to historic Old City. These improvements, together with a Waterfront Transit Study, have sparked $1.1 billion in adjacent private investment since 2014. Learn about the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation and partnerships involving the City of Philadelphia, PennDOT, SEPTA and other stakeholders. See how the mixture of economic and community development makes the waterfront a treasured public amenity for residents and visitors alike.
Economic Development, Land Use, 2024 Conference, Bicycling, Highway Capping, Trail-Oriented Development, Community Development, Street Design.
Mobile Workshop
MW21-New Connections to the Navy Yard
$45
The U.S. Navy’s former Philadelphia shipyard is now one of Philadelphia’s fastest growing employment centers and a unique part of the city, with biotech and fashion companies amidst historic buildings, riverfront open space, and big ships. It’s a leading model for repurposing military and industrial assets for a diversified and inclusive modern economy. But it’s a mile from the end of SEPTA’S B Line (aka Broad Street Line) and separated from the rest of the city by I-95. With an additional 8.9 million square feet of commercial and residential development still to come, more transit access (building on the current shuttle buses) will increase the number of people who can work in and enjoy The Yard. To this end, SEPTA and the Navy Yard worked together to develop a plan for regional transit connections and the Navy Yard is piloting a new autonomous shuttle. See the Navy Yard and hear from the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), the public-private economic development corporation that manages the Navy Yard, about how transit is part of its ambitious expansion plans.
Autonomous Vehicles, Economic Development, 2024 Conference, Transportation Demand Management, Transit.
Session
Transit Rider Perceptions: Understanding and Taking Action
Transit ridership and travel behavior patterns and destinations all are changing. Some of this change predates the pandemic but post-pandemic it’s clear that reaching and understanding riders is key. Key to rebuilding ridership, to responding to changing mobility needs, to addressing inequities and to positioning transit as core to the way communities move in the future. How are different agencies designing, testing and refining their efforts to reach different subsets of riders? What methods are working – from tactical outreach to advanced data analytics to advocacy? And how are insights shaping action, to build rider trust and recalibrate service, short and long-term? Take a seat for a fascinating journey about where transit is headed next.
Moderator: Naomi Renek, Senior Advisor, Federal Policy, NYS Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) – New York, New York, NY
Alanna McKeeman, Vice President, Senior Project Manager, Foursquare Integrated Transportation Planning, Washington, DC
Jonathan Rewers, Chief Strategy Officer, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), San Francisco, CA
Tariem Burroughs, Chair of SEPTA Citizen Advisory Committee, SEPTA Citizen Advisory Committee, Philadelphia, PA
Melissa Kim, Program Manager, Strategic Planning, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), Washington, DC
2024 Conference, Community Engagement, Equity, Transit, Data, Transit Riders.
Session
Wagon Road to Transitway: BRT Tradeoffs in Legacy Urban Corridors
Bus rapid transit (BRT) needs space, not just for buses to run quickly and reliably, but for stations, supportive multimodal infrastructure, stormwater treatment and other features. This space is never easy to come by, especially in “legacy cities,” where road rights-of-way were first established for carts and wagons and hundreds of years of urban development has risen up around them. Hear how three major metro areas are developing BRT in constrained, historic, urban corridors. How are they negotiating priorities and allocating limited dollars? What’s the decision-making approach when space is tight and everyone’s needs and wants can’t be met? How is future mobility finding a path?
Moderator: Joana Conklin, CPM, Manager II, Transit Development, Advancement, and Innovation, Department of General Services, Montgomery County, Rockville, MD
Phillip Cherry, Senior Project Manager, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), Boston, MA
Dustin Khuu, Assistant Director – Bus Priority, Department of Transportation, City of New York, New York, NY
Tyler Peter, Senior Transit Planner, Department of Transportation, City of New York, New York, NY
Andrew Simpson, Complete Streets District Manager, Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability, City of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Walking, Micromobility, Legacy cities, 2024 Conference, Bicycling, Planning, Transit, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Street Design, Sustainability.
Session
Mpact LAB Presents – Activating ETOD in HI and PA: A LAB Exercise
Equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD) is a marathon, not a sprint. But how do you even get started? Let’s explore Honolulu, HI, and Pottstown, PA, two very different places facing the same challenges of how to implement ETOD from the ground up. Come ready to listen, learn and contribute your ideas. After an introduction, split into groups for a series of lively discussions designed to engage your imagination and spark your curiosity – and help these two communities plan out their next steps. You’ll also get a glimpse of Mpact:LAB and its work to ignite place-based coalitions that work on transit, land use and community development.
Jennifer Sabas, Executive Director, Move Oahu Forward, Honolulu, HI
Howard Brown, Senior Program Officer, Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation, Pottstown, PA
Sarah Rudolf, Associate Director, Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution), Minneapolis, MN
Mpact:LAB, Equitable Transit-Oriented Communities, 2024 Conference, ETOD, Building Leadership, Capacity Building, Transit, Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).
Session
Community Engagement: The Key to Advancing Equitable Infrastructure
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, passed early in the Biden Administration, unlocked historic amounts of transportation funding. It also included ambitious directives for involving communities in the planning and implementation of projects. These directives that dovetail with a growing effort among planners to center equity and repair past harms. What tools and tactics are emerging? Learn from case studies of meaningful engagement. Then divide into groups to design engagement for typical transportation projects. What metrics will you use? Are you thinking about historical and cultural context? How about client and project team relationships? Dive in, especially if this is new to you.
Moderator: Marisa Denker, Chief Executive Officer, Connect the Dots, Philadelphia, PA
Rochelle Brahalla, Chief of Staff, Transit Development, Department of Transportation, City of New York, New York, New York, NY
Anne Krassner, Senior Program Manager, Department of Transportation, City of New York, New York, New York, NY
Jessica Stanton, Principal, Stanton Global Communications, Bend, OR
Shoshana Akins, Manager, Public Participation Planning, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), Philadelphia, PA
2024 Conference, Community Engagement, Equity, Federal Funding, Transit, Data.
Session
Improving Bus Stops: First impressions to Lasting Appeal
Bus riders are the most loyal and reliable customers for transit. And the bus stop is the front door, the first impression. Recognizing this, agencies around the country are focusing more intently on the bus stop experience. Hear about the factors that go into developing and prioritizing investments for bus stops, from Americans with Disability Act (ADA) compliance to social equity and more. Learn how to navigate the complicated environment around who owns and maintains stops and the keys to ensuring successful coordination between cities, transit agencies, advertising agencies and private property owners. Hop on board to understand what leads to lasting appeal.
Moderator: Carl Green Jr., Director, Civil Rights Division, Regional Transportation District (RTD), Denver, CO
Corentin Auguin, Manager of Special Projects & Analysis, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), Atlanta, GA
Sara Moulton, Transit Planner, Regional Metropolitan Transit Authority of Omaha (METRO), Omaha, NE
Lance Oishi, Contract Administrator, Bureau of Street Services, City of Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, CA
Bus, ADA, Bus Stops, 2024 Conference, Equity, Transit Riders.
Session
First Class For Everyone: Transforming Commuter Rail into Regional Rail
For a long time, North America’s commuter rail systems followed a tried and true model: provide reliable, high-quality, amenity-rich service to the legions of white-collar commuters heading to office jobs. Even before the pandemic and work from home trends took a bite out of the 9-5 commute, some commuter systems were envisioning a different model. And now, more systems are taking similar steps, figuring out everything involved in making a switch to a regional rail framework. The goal is to use much of the same infrastructure to serve a wider cohort of riders, to see the rail system as part of a more equitable regional connectivity solution for all kinds of trips during the day and on weekends. That’s a huge but exciting pivot. It requires rethinking a lot, from capital investment plans to service plans, and fare structures to the basic understanding of potential riders and their needs. Hear from three systems at different stages of making the pivot. The shift from first class for commuters to service for everyone is on-going story.
Moderator: James “Abe” Zumwalt, Economist & Planner, David Evans and Associates, Inc, Seattle, WA
Isaac Greenfelder, Rail & Transit Operations & Planning Leader, Sound Transit, Seattle, WA
Melissa Flores Saxe, PMP, Sounder South Project Development Director, Sound Transit, Seattle, WA
Jody Holton, AICP, Chief Planning & Strategy Officer, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Philadelphia, PA
Michael Muller, Executive Director of Commuter Rail, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), Boston, MA
Fare Policy, 2024 Conference, Regional Rail, Transit Riders.
Session
Participatory Budgeting: Give the People What They Want
When it comes to budgeting public money, every dollar comes into question. What if taxpayers could provide input on how their money was to be spent? What if diverse stakeholders could come together and agree on how to jointly achieve the public’s goals? What if there was a way to build consensus before spending the taxpayers’ money? It’s actually happening. Get the story and insights from agencies that are engaging the public and stakeholders in participatory budgeting to align expenditures with the desires of taxpayers and a vision of the future.
Moderator: George Fotinos, Chief Financial Officer, Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO), Houston, TX
Elaine Clegg, Chief Executive Officer, Valley Regional Transit, Meridian, ID
Janneke Strause, Associate Transportation Planner, Transportation Agency for Monterey County, Salinas, CA
Steve Crosley, Transit Integration Program Manager, King County Metro Transit, Seattle, WA
Session
Town Hall: Local Perspectives on the USDOT Blueprint For Transportation Decarbonization
Find a good seat for a Town Hall with USDOT and other industry leaders focused on the Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization. Speakers will take questions about discretionary grant programs and discuss the federal role in accelerating decarbonization outcomes, addressing equity disparities and providing incentives for carbon-friendly growth. Hear on-the-ground insights from state and local climate advocates and coalitions as well as audience members who represent the perspectives of future federal climate grant applicants. The floor will be open for you to share your experiences, too.
Program note: This Town Hall is a follow-up to the Tuesday morning session, Land Use for Climate Action, but also stands on its own.
Ann Shikany, Deputy Assistant Secretary – Transportation Policy, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, DC
Muhammed Patel, Midwest Transportation Advocate, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Chicago, IL
Breanna Horne, CHMM, ENV SP, WEDG, WELL AP, Director of Resilience, STV Incorporated, New York, NY
Adelee Le Grand, AICP, Senior Vice President Mobility+Engineering, Intellectual Concepts, Atlanta, GA
Corrigan Salerno, Policy Manager, Transportation for America, Washington, DC
2024 Conference, Equity, Federal Funding, Climate Resilience, Policy.
Mobile Workshop
MW20-Old City Vision Plan in Action
$45
2026 marks America’s 250th birthday. To get ready, Philadelphia’s Old City neighborhood, home to the oldest continuously inhabited residential street in the nation and the church where George Washington and Ben Franklin worshipped, began a visioning process. The result, Vision2026, sets goals for optimal private development and defines the elements of a high-quality public realm. Goals include fostering civic life through great places, reoccupying vacant buildings, protecting neighborhood-serving retail, better connecting to nearby neighborhoods, and encouraging car-free travel as peoples’ first choice. Implementation is already underway, via changes in zoning and parking policy as well as physical improvements, such as raised bike lanes on Market Street and new and reimagined parks. If your city has historic districts, this could help shape your game plan.
Bicycling, Walking, 2024 Conference, Urban Place Management, Businesses, Economic Development, Zoning, Community Engagement, Climate Resilience.
Mobile Workshop
MW22-Sustainability Goals: Inspiration and Action
$45
Hear about two approaches to understanding and enacting sustainability goals, within communities and in systems and practices. The Global Philadelphia Association works with local partners to fund and create murals focused on United Nations Sustainable Development goals. Each project brings grant dollars to local nonprofits, educational institutions and artists, building local engagement with what sustainability goals mean in context. As you walk from mural to mural, also hear about SEPTA’s Sustainability Playbook, which defines and measures progress toward 13 goals across 3 pillars: natural environment; healthy communities and workforce; and economic vitality. Expanding transit and transit-oriented communities is inherently sustainable, but there are ways to change practices to reduce waste and consumption, lower emissions, increase green acreage, lower costs per passenger and make spending decisions in ways that bolster a more diverse workforce. From the visionary to the specific, get the Philadelphia story and think about your own.
Photo credit: Global Philadelphia Association
Session
Riding Together: Forging TOD and TOC Partnerships
Maybe you’re working on a transit-oriented development (TOD) master plan. Or you have a transit corridor where you want to integrate TODs with different stations and neighboring communities and commercial districts. You’re likely working with different levels of government, plus the private sector, plus local nonprofits to develop a vision. How do you bring these various stakeholders together, especially when there are various levels of expertise and experience. Dig into specifics of stakeholder alignment. It’s the bricks and mortar of making a TOD plan into a fully integrated transit-oriented community (TOC).
Moderator: Georg Josi, PhD, PE, Partner, DIALOG, Edmonton, AB
Matthew Pearce, Principal Engineer, Mott MacDonald, Vancouver, BC
Sheba Ross, Global Practice Director, Cities & Communities, HKS, Atlanta, GA
Rennie Elliott, Senior Project Manager, Sound Transit, Seattle, WA
Businesses, Project Management, Station Design, Community Development, Capacity Building, Corridor Planning, Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).
Session
Growing the Next Generation of Transit Riders
Students making the transition from childhood to their teenage years are developing world views and habits that can last a lifetime. Recognizing this, transit agencies and community organizations are engaging with young people, helping them to become more independent and capable transit users as well as advocates for transit within their communities. Learn the specifics of different initiatives and hear from a youth advocate for transit. No homework but plenty of key take-aways about how to engage with a diversity of students and with schools, as well as ways to cultivate program champions.
Rachel DeCordoba, Program Manager, King County Metro Transit, Seattle, WA
Theresa Thompson-Nix, Program Manager, Move Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN
Asher Polsky, Student, Lower Merion School District, Philadelphia, PA
Facilitator: Eric Tunell, Senior Urban Planner, Arcadis, Los Angeles, CA
2024 Conference, Community Engagement, Transit, Transit Riders.
Session
Downtowns and Cities Post-Boom: What Will They Look Like?
City life has transformed. Remote work, e-commerce, delivery services and streaming media bring daily needs to our doors. Yet, this convenience, fed by technology, is taking a toll – and not only on retail and restaurant districts, which depend on in-real-life interactions. Studies show that isolation is affecting our mental health and social fitness, as well as perpetuating divisive social trends. How are large and mid-size cities countering these trends? Let’s look at approaches to creating healthy and vibrant places through station activation, small business support and synchronization of technology with human social contact. Are these the seeds of renewed commercial districts and downtown revitalization? Let’s talk – IRL!
Moderator: Cassie Branum, Principal / Global Urban Design Practice Chair, Perkins + Will, Atlanta, GA
Art Pearce, Director of Policy Planning and Projects, Portland Bureau of Transportation, City of Portland, Portland, OR
Clint Randall, Vice President of Economic Development, Center City District, Philadelphia, PA
Urban Place Management, Businesses, Downtowns, Health, 2024 Conference, Placemaking.
Session
Community-Led Urban Design: Implementing in Sync with Transit Projects
Urban and landscape design offer creative approaches to bringing community vision into transit projects. Learn about ways to do this within the constraints of a typical infrastructure project, which has stringent functional requirements and procurement processes along with pressure for speedy delivery. Several examples from around the country demonstrate success in a variety of settings, urban and suburban. All are based on recognizing how transit corridors shape communities and that each location has a distinct identity to those who live there. See how inventive engagement, design and placemaking can shift perceptions about transit, limit adverse impacts and heal communities – on time and in scope!
Krista Nightengale, Managing Director, Better Block Foundation, Dallas, TX
Klaudia Biala, Senior Associate Architecture and Urban Design, SvN Architects + Planners, Toronto, ON
Jeffrey A Fahs, PLA, ASLA, OALA, LEED AP, Vice President – Director of Landscape Architecture, HDR, Inc., Chicago, IL
Shannon Simms, ASLA, Associate Principal/Landscape Architect, Mayer/Reed, Inc., Portland, OR
Project Management, Design, 2024 Conference, Transit, Placemaking.
Session
The Power of Community: Case Studies for Building a Sustained Action Base
Transportation project timelines and cycles present challenges for authentic community engagement. How do you build the sustained relationships necessary to really hear and understand community needs and views, especially those of under-represented, low income, non-English-speaking or BIPOC segments of the population? Three case studies offer different pathways. In one location, an existing Ambassador program focused on new immigrants and asylum seekers – a group for whom transit access is crucial. Another location changed work pipelines to determine, design and develop projects with input from under-represented communities. And in a third location, with a history of underinvestment and lack of trust, a “Slow Engagement Pilot” sought to build relationships outside of project cycles. Consider how these approaches might help tap the power of community in your locale.
Moderator: Rosanne Lubeck, Principal, Drive Engineering, Philadelphia, PA
Tariq Moore, Community Liason, Do Moore Good, Philadelphia, PA
Theresa Carr, AICP, Senior Principal, Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, Inc., Boston, MA
Thom Stead, Assistant Manager, Office of Mobility, Analysis and Planning, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), Philadelphia, PA
Project Management, 2024 Conference, Community Engagement, Equity, Transit.
Session
It’s Not Just a Dream: The Joys and Struggles of Realizing a Transit-Oriented Vision
Odds are you’ve been part of the process of creating goals and visions for transit-oriented communities around existing and new transit lines. How often does the vision get bogged down? When zoning or other requirements to implement the vision are not actually developed or adopted? Or when politics or other unforeseen circumstances get in the way? Is there hope? Let’s get some perspective, drawing on the experiences of the past 35+ years about the steps necessary to realize the transit-oriented vision. Hear about tools and strategies, along with some relatable stories. One fundamental to realizing the vision: creating an environment that sees taking transit as a joyous experience not an arduous trek. Are you ready?
Moderator: Ryan Kelley, Community Development Manager, Hennepin County, Minneapolis, MN
Rick Williams, Partner / Architect-Urban Designer, Van Meter Williams Pollack, San Francisco, CA
Megan Reineccius, Associate II, Opticos Design, Inc., Chicago, IL
Kersten Elverum, Community Development Director, City of Hopkins, Minnesota, Hopkins, MN
2024 Conference, Project Management, Zoning, Planning, Transit, Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).
Session
Building Focused Coalitions – Moving Transit Forward
Philadelphia North
Coalitions evolve in response to common concerns and interests. For transit coalitions, what does that look like? Let’s hear about two advocacy efforts focused on improving transit riders’ access and experience as well as preserving transit service. The aspirations of these coalitions align with those of transit agencies: both want riders and communities more invested in transit. How could agencies and advocates work better together? Let’s dig into specific campaigns and find the lessons to keep advancing the goals of accessible and safe transit-oriented communities.
Moderator: Sarah Rudolf, Associate Director, Mpact, Minneapolis, MN
Connor Descheemaker, Coalition Manager, Transit Forward Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Chloe Mohr, AICP, Principal Planner, Montgomery County Planning Commission, Norristown, PA
Anne Dicker, President, Board of Directors, West Mount Airy Neighbors, Philadelphia, PA
Lauren Alden, Director, Liberty Resources, Inc, Philadelphia, PA
Kwanesha Clarke, Independent Living Specialist, Liberty Resources, Inc, Philadelphia, PA
Walking, ADA, Funding, Bus Stops, 2024 Conference, Safety, Bicycling, Community Engagement, Transit, Transit Riders.
Session
Tales from Two Cities: Empowering Communities with Resources to Achieve ETOD
Actually delivering equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD) takes intentionality. Let’s see what that means by looking at the specifics of programs in two cities. In one, a new grant program focused on partnerships with local cities and community-based organizations (CBOs) includes several features: updating city policies to implement ETODs, bolstering CBO capacity to take on affordable housing development, addressing barriers that have limited equitable engagement and improving the public realm around transit. In the other city, a new grant program targets pre-development costs. It pairs these funds with technical assistance for developers of color working on projects in historically disinvested neighborhoods. Listen to these experiences and take home lessons about how to change the story of ETOD in your community.
Moderator: Emily Laflamme, Senior Analyst, Center for Neighborhood Technology, Chicago, IL
Melissa Cerezo, Transit-Oriented Communities Program Manager, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), San Jose, CA
Adriano Rothschild, Transportation Planner, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc, San Jose, CA
Jessica Nepomiachi, Director of Special Projects, IFF, Chicago, IL
Phil Beckham, Managing Director, P3 Markets, LLC, Chicago, IL
Affordable Housing, Funding, Equitable Transit-Oriented Communities, 2024 Conference, Public Space, Community Development, ETOD, Capacity Building, Transit, Placemaking, Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).
Networking
Mpact Innovators Presents – The Mpact PK Slam
Bok 1901 South 9th St, Philadelphia, PA (entry doors at 800 Mifflin Street)
Don’t miss this Tuesday night tradition – the one everybody talks about! Creative, candid, energetic, the PK Slam features stand-up presentations in the style of PechaKucha™. This year’s venue: a former technical high school turned workspace for Philadelphia makers, businesses, nonprofits and artists – as well as a gathering space for the Philly community and beyond. Read our post about Bok!
Bok, 1901 South 9th St, Philadelphia, PA
Entry doors at 800 Mifflin Street
Small group tours will be available starting at 7:00 pm and 7:30 pm, max 15 people for each. Note: For Philly residents or conference-goers who come early or stay late, Bok offers tours every Wednesday at 5:00 pm, other than on nationally recognized holidays.
Getting to BOK
From Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown:
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via Bus: Walk to Arch Street and South 8th Street to catch the 47 bus southbound to 8th Street & Mifflin Street.
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via Train: Walk to Race-Vine Station to catch the B (Broad Street Line) southbound to Tasker-Morris or Snyder subway stations. Walk to Bok.
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via Bike: Just under 3 miles, via Race Street and South 10th Street. Bike parking is available on the west side of the building by the 1901 S 9th Street entrance. Bok also has an Indego bike share station at its northeast corner.
Note: In addition to transit and bike options, free mini-buses will run a continuous shuttle loop from 7:00 pm to 11:30 pm between the Sheraton and Bok.
Kelechi Chibuikem, Community Development Planner, Regional Metropolitan Transit Authority of Omaha (METRO), Omaha, NE
Thatcher Imboden, Director, Community Development, Sound Transit, Seattle, WA
Christine Mondor, Principal, evolveEA, Pittsburgh, PA
Erica Blonde, Equity and Engagement Manager, HNTB Corporation, Boston, MA
Elijah Hughes, Transit Planner, HDR, Inc., Pittsburgh, PA
Jaime McKay, Deputy Director, Transit Services of Frederick County, Frederick, MD
Muhammed Patel, Midwest Transportation Advocate, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), Chicago, IL
Tim Chan, Group Manager – Station Area Planning, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART), Oakland, CA
Mary Kate Morookian, Transit Planner, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc, Raleigh, NC
Emcee: John Heaton IV, Sustainable Transportation Planner, WSP USA, New York, NY
Emcee: Trinity Ek, Program & Partnerships Associate, Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution), Dallas, TX
Emcee: Corrie Parrish, Senior Planner, Kittelson & Associates, Inc, / Chair, Mpact Innovators, Portland, OR
