Episode 46: New Solutions to New Challenges
On our latest podcast, we get to know Rail~Volution’s new CEO, Tamar Shapiro.
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“Rail~Volution has been excellent at sharing solutions that are out there. Rail~Volution can and should be part of working with its partners to find new solutions to new challenges. And that’s the piece I’m really excited about. How can we develop partnerships to take on the hard challenges, push the boundaries and come up with new solutions that can meet the very strange world that we find ourselves in today.” — Tamar Shapiro
Shapiro talks about her first weeks on the job – part whirlwind, part intense listening – and the kinds of issues and projects she’s worked on in the past, from affordable housing to new mobility. She shares her love of cities: the residential and commercial density of central Philadelphia; the shop owners and commercial main streets of Edinburgh; the bike, transit and pedestrian parade following a soccer game in Leipzig. Talking about the moment we’re in, she sees opportunities to rethink public investment, to create systems that work for everyone and deliver community wealth.
What are the biggest challenges to livability? Repairing a transportation system deeply shaped by racism and inequity. And addressing climate change. “The impact of carbon intensive transportation falls on the same communities that tend not to have access. It’s imperative to tackle both.”
Listen to the podcast to her Shapiro’s thoughts about busting silos and redefining success in transportation and land use.