The Community Streetcar Coalition is a partnership of cities, transit authorities and architectural and engineering firms that supports establishing a Small Starts Program within the Federal Transit Administration. The coalition invites you to attend its semi-annual meeting to learn more about the coalition and participate in a discussion about current issues facing streetcar projects and advocates.

Jeffrey Boothe, Partner/Chair, Holland and Knight/New Starts Working Group, Washington, DC

Overview: Hear from community leaders who have learned what it takes to get a wide range of stakeholders moving in the right direction when it comes to creating livable communities. This energetic discussion will feature solutions for getting public partners, business interests and the community moving in the same direction around the important agenda of creating livable communities. A panel of prominent community movers and shakers will compare experiences and lessons learned -- while working together to achieve a common goal of creating vibrant communities that are less automobile dependent.

Moderator: Jack Stephens, Deputy Executive Director, South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, Pompano Beach, Florida
Ferdinand Belz, President, Cherokee Denver LLC, Denver, Colorado
Catherine Cox-Blair, Principal City Planner, City/County of Denver, Colorado
Maria Garcia Berry, CEO, CRL Associates, Denver, Colorado

Overview: Learn how a new federal policy makes it easier to create joint development and inter-modal projects. In February, the Federal Transit Administration issued new joint development policy guidance that offers greater flexibility and new opportunities for joint development and inter-modal facilities. The new policy makes it easier and more economically feasible to develop facilities with private sector operators and developers. Attend this session and hear what changes were made, what they mean for you and your community, and how joint development and inter-modal facilities can serve as a catalysts for transit-oriented development.

Moderator/Speaker: Jonathan Davis, Deputy General Manager and Chief Financial Officer, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, Boston, Massachusetts
Jayme Blakesley, Attorney-Advisor, Office of Chief Counsel, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC
Paul Marx, Interim Director of Planning Studies, Sacramento Regional Transit District, Sacramento, California

View Davis presentation (19 pages / 1.2mb)
View Blakesley presentation (24 pages / 0.7mb)

Overview: Hear how communities have made the complex decision of whether to create parking or TOD around their rail stations. Transit agencies typically face a dilemma -- whether to create parking or transit-oriented development -- when planning and designing rail stations along a corridor or as a system. The debate centers on whether transit parking or TOD better serves the transit customer. Several factors can help influence the decision, including land-use and parking policies by the region and local jurisdictions, political pressure from residents and businesses, station location and accessibility, and other factors. Listen to different perspectives on this issue from transit agencies in Portland, Denver and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Moderator: Jeffrey Tumlin, Principal, Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates, San Francisco, California
Rick Willson, Professor, Department of URP, Cal Poly Pomona, Pomona, California
Craig Lamothe, Manager-Facilities Planning, Metro Transit, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Bill Van Meter, Director of System Planning, Regional Transportation District, Denver, Colorado
Phil Selinger, Project Planning Director, TriMet, Portland, Oregon

View Van Meter presentation (16 pages / 0.9mb)

Overview: Livable communities don’t happen by accident – instead, they require thoughtfully applied plans, policies and deliberate actions. Building Livable Communities is a direct link between regional and local land-use decision making and the success or failure of creating livable communities. Well-considered land-use policies can facilitate successful TOD projects, making good use of local land-use policies that also maximize economic potential.

Moderator: Effie Stallsmith, Community Planner, Office of Planning & Environment, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC
Bill Dodd, Chair, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Napa County Board of Supervisors, Napa, California
Chris Zimmerman, Councilman, Arlington County Board, Arlington, Virginia
Katherine Perez, Vice President, Development, Forest City, Los Angeles, California

View Stallsmith presentation (14 pages / 0.1mb)
View Dodd presentation (20 pages / 1.6mb)
View Zimmerman presentation (105 pages / 5.2mb)
View Perez presentation (9 pages / 0.4mb)

Overview: Learn strategies for creating grassroots support and effective community involvement when it comes to rallying the troops for creating meaningful land-use and transportation changes. This session will address ways to explain to citizens and community stakeholders about the connection among transit, TOD, new urbanism and energy/global warming emissions. Participants will witness some of the best examples of urban revitalization and transit-oriented development that can be achieved. Get the tools you need at this important session to reframe the TOD issue in light of increased public awareness and concern about climate change.

Moderator/Speaker: Kathleen Osher, Executive Director, Transit Alliance, Denver, Colorado
Dee Leggett, Communications/Marketing Manager, Denton County Transportation Authority, Lewisville, Texas
Joan Isaacson, Senior Associate, EDAW, San Diego, California
Adam Burck, Executive Director, Edgewater Development Corporation, Chicago, Illinois

View Osher presentation (11 pages / 0.4mb)
View Leggett presentation (14 pages / 0.4mb)
View Isaacson presentation (23 pages / 1.2mb)
View Burck presentation (14 pages / 0.7mb)

Overview: You CAN have it both ways -- development-friendly transit facilities and great transit performance. Learn how to design transit for TOD and place making. Successful TOD starts with the earliest decisions on the shape and design of transit systems. Communities and developers are beginning to ask -- quite fairly -- that if TOD is expected to take a transit system into account, why shouldn’t transit systems be designed with potential development in mind? The session covers transit and place making, stations, parking, development-oriented transit and putting all the transit pieces in the right places. Come and probe the tricks of the trade in designing transit to help leverage development.

GB Arrington, Vice President, PB PlaceMaking, Portland, Oregon

View Arrington presentation (76 pages / 6.5mb)

Overview: Explore ways that communities are learning about and implementing environmentally responsible practices in TODs. As our knowledge and expertise in TOD continue to evolve, new challenges present themselves. In this era of concerns about climate change and global warming, TOD has a role to play in helping communities become more sustainable. While increasing the land use and transit connection through TOD embodies “green” principles, it’s just the beginning. Attendees will learn about a range of successful green TOD projects done at the site-specific, neighborhood and regional level.

Moderator/Speaker: Jennifer Henry, Director, LEED for Neighborhood Development, U.S. Green Building Council, Washington, DC
Lisa Padilla, Principal, CITYWORKS DESIGN, Pasadena, California
Darin Smith, Principal, Economic & Planning Systems, Inc., Berkeley, California

View combined presentations (55 pages / 3.4mb)

Overview: See how some jurisdictions such as Dallas, Denver and Montgomery County (Maryland) are undertaking a critical examination of the market reality of development regulations to ensure the vision is an economic and regulatory possibility. A myriad of interconnected -- but not necessarily coordinated -- land-use regulations tends to control the physical development of a project. But are these codes working together, or against one another, to produce the type of development envisioned by the owner, developer, transit agency or other interested community stakeholders? After negotiating through the regulatory maze, some developers conclude that their vision for the project just won’t pencil out, and the project is either scrapped or reworked into something other than what was promised.

Moderator: Charlie Siemon, Principal, Siemon & Larsen, P.A., Boca Raton, Florida
Lee Einsweiler, President, Code Studio, Inc., Austin, Texas
Peter Park, Director of Planning and Development, City and County of Denver, Colorado
Nkosi Yearwood, Senior Planner, Community Based Planning, Montgomery Planning Board, Silver Spring, Maryland

View Einsweiler presentation (38 pages / 2.8mb)
View Park presentation (108 pages / 12.5mb)
View Yearwood presentation (14 pages / 1.1mb)

Overview: Learn how to use a strategic approach in juggling multiple coordination efforts, development and funding priorities when planning your transit corridor. Planning and building a transit line to accommodate multiple origins and destinations, as well as dense transit-oriented development can be a challenge. In addition, there are coordination issues in working with several jurisdictions, multiple modes of access, land-use decisions and funding. However, all of this can be approached as an opportunity to work strategically and innovatively. See how regions in Florida, Texas and Minnesota have planned some complex high-capacity transit corridors with a minimum of hassles and a maximum of strategic thinking.

Moderator: Gary Thomas, President/Executive Director, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Dallas, Texas
T.R. Hickey, National Transit Planning Manager, Gannett Fleming Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Allan Zreet, Vice President, Carter & Burgess, Dallas, Texas
Donna Drummond, Senior Planner, City of St. Paul Department of Planning and Economic Development, St. Paul, Minnesota
James Cromar, Principal Planner, Broward County Urban Planning and Redevelopment Department, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

View Drummond presentation (32 pages / 10.5mb)

Overview: Get the latest thinking about how to integrate TOD design guidelines into standard local practices, codes and regulations. This core curriculum session will provide an in-depth discussion on how transit investments and high-performance development are mutual prerequisites for creating livable communities. This workshop will review the latest trends in developing TOD-related design guidelines that can integrate both form and function for all transit modes and all development intensities.

Moderator: Steve Dotterrer, Principal Planner, City of Portland Bureau of Planning, Portland, Oregon
Ronald Stewart, Principal, Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Partnership, Portland, Oregon
Peter Albert, Manager, Long Range Planning, San Francisco MTA, San Francisco, California
Marcy McInelly, Architect, UrbsWorks, Portland, Oregon

View Albert presentation (13 pages / 0.8mb)

Overview: Learn how to navigate through the regulatory and legislative maze so that you can build effective federal agency partnerships. Winding your way through the legislative and regulatory maze can be a challenge for even the most experienced transit agency. This session brings in top-notch experts -- the FTA, APTA leadership, and consultants to explain the process. This panel provides the latest regulatory information on metropolitan planning, the New Starts program, and joint development guidance. The session is especially valuable to the transit development newcomer, but also can help transit veterans review the process.

Moderator: Rich Weaver, Senior Project Manager, Planning and Programs, APTA, Washington, DC
Richard Steinmann, Senior Advisor to the Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC
David Vozzolo, Senior Vice President, HDR, Alexandria, Virginia
Mariia Zimmerman, Vice President for Policy, Reconnecting America, Washington, DC

View Vozzolo presentation (7 pages / 0.5mb)
View Zimmerman presentation (11 pages / 1.0mb)

Overview: Experience a fast-paced dialogue among key transit agency officials as they discuss the who, what, when, where and why of the complex dynamics between TODs and transit agencies. There is much to discuss when it comes to the possibilities of connecting TOD and the work done by transit agencies. For example, how are transit agencies working to address TOD, and where does the TOD role fit within the organization? Other areas for discussion include whether transit agencies are being proactive enough about TOD and what policies and procedures are in place that address TOD. Finally, is TOD becoming more mainstream within transit agencies -- and if not, why?

Moderator: Bill Elfenbein, First Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Regional Transportation District, Denver, Colorado
John Spillman, Chief of System Planning, Miami-Dade Transit, Miami, Florida
Fred Arnold, Director of Real Estate, Sacramento Regional Transit District, Sacramento, California
Jeff Ordway, Manager of Property Development, Bay Area Rapid Transit District, Oakland, California
Tina Votaw, Transit Oriented Development Specialist, Charlotte Area Transit System, Charlotte, North Carolina
Jack Wierzenski, Director, Economic Development and Planning, DART, Dallas, Texas
Bill Sirois, TOD Manager, RTD FasTracks Team, Denver, Colorado

View Ordway presentation (33 pages / 2.2mb)

Overview: TOD creates value that can be captured by both the private and the public sectors and can be reinvested in community benefits. TOD can be all things to all people when it comes to getting a positive return on investment. It concentrates development, business activity and a tax base in a way that allows for focused value capture strategies – such as in increased fare box revenues, rents and leases, property and sales taxes, fees and licenses, assessment districts, tax increment financing, public-private partnerships and joint development. This value then can be reinvested in better design and building materials, in community benefits such as affordable housing and high-quality public space, and in the transit system in new stations and improved service. Learn how to capture and reinvest this type of TOD value in your community.

Moderator: Gloria Ohland, Vice President for Communications, Reconnecting America, Los Angeles, California
Catherine Riverbank, Development Director, City of Coral Gables, Florida
Neil Pogorelsky, Principal Economist, HDR Decision Economics, Inc., Silver Spring, Maryland
Nadine Fogarty, Principal, Strategic Economics, Berkeley, California
Bernard Weinstein, Director, Center for Economic Development and Research, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas

View Pogorelsky presentation (10 pages / 0.4mb)
View Fogarty presentation (16 pages / 0.2mb)
View Weinstein presentation (9 pages / 0.1mb)

Overview: Learn from a panel of experts about the advantages and disadvantages of using a master developer approach in transit-oriented development. The concept of using a master developer to implement TOD along transit corridors is gaining momentum in the U.S., as transit agencies seek creative approaches to fund capital projects and encourage transit-supportive development. Under a master developer approach, a single development entity – in partnership with the transit agency – is awarded development rights at stations in exchange for building (and sometimes financing) certain aspects of the transit project. But the master developer approach raises questions for transit agencies, such as whether it makes sense to bundle all real estate assets for a single development entity versus putting out choice properties for competitive bidding. Join this session for a thoughtful discussion about the pros and cons of the master developer approach.

Moderator: Lynn Flint Shaw, Assistant Secretary, Board of Directors, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Dallas, Texas
Eric Heffner, Senior Vice President, Windstar Communities, La Jolla, California
Craig Briner, Managing Partner, Greenhawk Partners LLC, Raleigh, North Carolina
Karl Zavitkovsky, Director of Economic Development, City of Dallas, Texas

View Heffner presentation (12 pages / 1.5mb)
View Briner presentation (11 pages / 0.3mb)

Overview: Streetcars have proven to be a magnet for high-quality high-density development. Find out why and the factors that ensure success. Streetcars have proven to be a powerful magnet for real estate development. A 2005 study of the Portland streetcar, for example, showed that prior to 1997 (when the streetcar alignment was announced) nearby buildings were constructed at only 30 percent of allowable density. After that, the numbers changed dramatically – to 90 percent of FAR within a block of the alignment, to 75 percent on the next block, and 40 percent at three blocks and further away. This phenomenon also has been experienced along the streetcar lines in Kenosha, Wisconsin; in Tampa, Florida; and in North Little Rock, Arkansas. What factors attract developers to streetcars, and why is this transit mode so successful in communities throughout the country?

Host: Sam Adams, Commissioner, Office of Transportation, City of Portland, Oregon
Christine Burdick, President, Downtown Tampa Partnership, Tampa, Florida
Winsome Bowen, Senior Transportation Planner, HDR/S.R. Beard & Associates, Phoenix, Arizona
Keith Jones, Regional Transit Director-West Central Region, URS, Dallas, Texas
Lilia Medina, Assistant Transportation Coordinator, City of Miami, Florida

View Adams presentation (38 pages / 3.3mb)
View Bowen presentation (63 pages / 6.2mb)

Overview: Mixed use has morphed into high demand; learn what ingredients are needed to cook up a spectacular mixed-use project in your community. With the call for today’s urban centers to become more vibrant places, mixed use has become the norm rather than the exception when it comes to redevelopment. What makes a mixed-use development successful and how is it measured? How important is transit to a successful center? And what mix of retail types is the key to creating a successful mixed-use development? Hear from three successful South Florida developers about their successes and challenges.

Moderator: Neisen Kasdin, Shareholder/Former Chair, Akerman Senterfitt/Beacon Council, Miami, Florida
Michael Hammon, Managing Partner, Ram Real Estate, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Jeff Koons, County Commissioner, District 2/Board Member, Palm Beach County/South Florida Regional Transportation Authority, West Palm Beach, Florida
Michael Masanoff, Chairman, RDJ Group, Boca Raton, Florida

Overview: Learn how to bring the right partners into a transit planning process at the right time to produce the best results.Engaging a diverse group of stakeholders with competing interests from a project’s beginning to end is critically important to success. But is that easier said than done? Not necessarily. Learn how three regions engaged disparate parties and established long-lasting partnerships for project support. South Florida, Maryland and Denver experts will present their case studies, lessons learned and long-term approaches and tools for the success of future projects.

Moderator: Kathy Albert, Community Outreach Program Manager, Sound Transit, Seattle, Washington
Pauletta Tonilas, Public Information Manager, Public Involvement, RTD FasTracks Team, Denver, Colorado
Martha Baker, Community Planner, Office of Planning, Maryland Department of Transportation, Hanover, Maryland
David Dahlstrom, Project Manager, South Florida Regional Planning Council, Hollywood, Florida

Emcee: GB Arrington, Vice President, PB PlaceMaking, Portland, Oregon

Announcement of the Julie Hoover Scholarship Fund

Invitation to Rail~Volution 2008 in the San Francisco Bay Area

Lynette Sweet, President, Bay Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors, Oakland, California
Bill Dodd, Chair, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Napa, California

FTA’s Perspective on Transit's Value to the Development Community
Sherry Little, Deputy Administrator, Federal Transit Administrator, Washington, DC

Developers Are Making a Difference in Our Communities
This plenary session focuses on one of the most critically important partners in shaping livable communities -- the development community. Without the expertise, innovation and chutzpah of developers, there are many transit-oriented development projects that would lie fallow -- becoming merely unfinished dreams with great intentions. Hear what national experts are saying and thinking about new markets and trends in TOD, about how communities can and should overcome their timidity about supporting mixed-use projects, and about how the development community is stepping boldly forward to build successful projects that support transit and progressive land-use policies.

Oscar Rodriguez, Vice President of Development, The Related Group of Florida, Miami, Florida

Rail~Volution’s highly successful TOD Marketplace matches developers with TOD development opportunities in a forum that has become the ultimate discussion of the “art of the deal.” Three case studies of RFQs and RFPs will be presented to a panel of national developers, each of whom will provide a perspective about what the market wants and how these opportunities can be restructured to attract maximum interest from developers and investors. Case studies include Denver’s Decatur station, South Florida’s West Palm Beach station and Miami-Dade Transit’s master corridor development agreement. After a stimulating panel discussion, meet at break-out tables to find out how developers and investors look at your prospects.

Moderator: Shelley Poticha, President and CEO, Reconnecting America and the Center for Transit Oriented Development, Oakland, California

Jeff Ordway, Manager of Property Development, Bay Area Rapid Transit District, Oakland, California
Craig Briner, Managing Partner, Greenhawk Partners LLC, Raleigh, North Carolina
John Carroll, Principal, Carroll Investments, Inc, Portland, Oregon
Fred Harris, Senior Vice President of Development, AvalonBay Communities, New York, New York
Marilee Utter, President, Citiventure Associates LLC, Denver, Colorado
Michael Hammon, Managing Partner, Ram Real Estate, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Art Lomenick, Managing Director, Trammell Crow Company, Dallas, Texas
Katherine Perez, Vice President, Development, Forest City, Los Angeles, California

Overview: Join this session for an exploration of how transit improvements often follow local development decisions -- for better or for worse. This core curriculum session will provide an overview of how different communities are successfully implementing new transit modes and stations in existing neighborhoods. It will provide an overview of commuter rail, streetcar, and bus rapid transit planning in established communities and how those systems respond to local needs and desires. It also will provide a good introduction to other core curriculum sessions that focus on specific case studies in this area.

Moderator: Jean Sanson, Senior Planner, URS Corporation, Denver, Colorado
Al Raine, Vice President/National TOD Practice Leader, DMJM+Harris, Boston, Massachusetts
Franklin Conaway, Redevelopment Consultant, Franklin B. Conaway & Associates, Chillecothe, Ohio
Darrel Babuk, Senior Associate, DLK Civic Design, Chicago, Illinois

View Raine presentation (33 pages / 3.8mb)
View Conaway presentation (29 pages / 1.5mb)
View Babuk presentation (24 pages / 2.6mb)

Overview: Learn about what works and what doesn’t when it comes to economic development around streetcar and light rail lines. This workshop addresses the many unique challenges and opportunities for economic development that are created by streetcars and light rail. Topics for discussion include an inside look into what developers think about economic development and these transit modes, a look at what incentives cities should offer (or not) to get the right type of development to follow, and critical analyses of existing economic development projects that have occurred around street cars and light rail. A panel of transit experts, developers and economists will address the issue.

Moderator: Paul Marx, Interim Director of Planning Studies, Sacramento Regional Transit District, Sacramento, California
Bernard Weinstein, Director, Center for Economic Development and Research, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
Nadine Fogerty, Principal, Straftegic Economics, Berkeley, California

View Marx presentation (16 pages / 0.4mb)

Overview: See how your community can create a system of streets that works for motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians and people of all ages and abilities. Too many streets are designed only for speeding cars and not for everyone else -- children and senior citizens, motorists and bicyclists, pedestrians and wheelchair users. This session examines how communities can change that. Responsible communities across the country are asking their planners, engineers and designers to build road networks that welcome all citizens. The presentation will focus on creating elements of complete street policies, as well as presenting design elements for complete streets.

Moderator: Rich Weaver, Senior Project Manager, Planning and Programs, APTA, Washington, DC
Scott McCarey, Transportation Planner, Charlier Associates, Boulder, Colorado
Robert Hastings, Project Architect, TriMet, Portland, Oregon
Jana Lynott, Strategic Policy Advisor-Transportation and Livable Communities, AARP Public Policy Institute, Washington, DC

Overview: The media can be an important tool for getting the word out about your transit project -- attend this workshop and learn how to work effectively with the media on your messaging. In this interactive workshop, participants will work together to develop a message campaign aimed at passing a hypothetical referendum on transit funding. Along the way they will learn about new electronic tools for organizing allies and spreading the word, techniques for working with the news media, and new insights into message development (including ways to anticipate and counter likely critics).

Moderator: David Goldberg, Communications Director, Smart Growth America, Decatur, Georgia
Jason Jordan, Program Director, Center for Transportation Excellence, Washington, DC

Overview: Learn how to stare fears of density in the face – and help your community understand that good design can quell their misgivings. Local jurisdictions and transit agencies often argue for higher density development around transit stations to create vibrant places and increase ridership. But yet the fear of density -- especially among residents and policymakers -- often results in long delays, lowering of density and, in some cases, the collapse of a project. The best antidote is often good design, although careful attention must be paid to the scale, context and economic issues faced by higher density projects. While every situation is different and requires a customized response, this workshop will explore ways to overcome the fear of density and gain support for these types of projects.

Moderator: Kim DeLaney, Growth Management Coordinator, Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council, Stuart, Florida
David Dixon, Principal-in-Charge of Planning & Urban Design, Goody, Clancy and Associates, Boston, Massachusetts
Paul Zykofsky, Director, Center for Livable Communities, Local Government Commission, Sacramento, California

View combined presentations (192 pages / 15.7mb)

Overview: Learn about the very real issues that are behind the headlines on climate change and sustainability. Understand how we can rethink our transportation and land-use choices to leave a better legacy for future generations. Increasingly, climate change and sustainability issues are capturing our attention on both a personal and professional level. This session will provide an overview of how the transportation and land-use decisions we make today and in the future will affect future generations. Participants will learn the basic principles behind the crisis, as well as the choices all of us are responsible for understanding as part of our commitment to future generations.

Moderator: Diana Mendes, Senior Vice President, National Director of Transit Planning, DMJM Harris, Arlington, Virginia
Jen McGraw, Climate Change Program Manager, Center for Neighborhood Technology, San Francisco, California
Bruce Riordan, Principal, Elmwood Consulting, Berkeley, California
Steve Winkelman, Manager of Transportation, Center for Clean Air Policy, New York, New York

Overview: Learn how parking can create access to transit and support neighborhood needs, while also serving TOD objectives.Parking can be a paradox when it comes to building communities with transit. Even the most transit-oriented community requires parking for residents and businesses. Transit agencies also are faced with providing access for people who don’t live near transit, and buried or structured parking can bankrupt a TOD project. The good news is that parking can be shared and managed in ways that mitigate some of these challenges. This workshop explores the various dimensions of parking near transit -- development, financing, shared use, management and conversion.

Jeffrey Tumlin, Principal, Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates, San Francisco, California

View Tumlin presentation (127 pages / 6.2mb)

Overview: Learn how to create well-scaled environments that are pedestrian-, bike- and transit-friendly.This core curriculum session will provide an overview of the latest ideas related to non-motorized transportation modes and will focus on research, policies, regulations, and trends related to walking and biking -- all ways to create healthier, more livable communities. Good design, thoughtful architecture and public art, and well-scaled facilities all are important factors in this type of community. This workshop will provide a strong foundation for more detailed workshops on specific programs and planning ideas on these topics.

Moderator: Mike Wiley, Interim General Manager, Sacramento Regional Transit District, Sacramento, California
Barb Thoman, Program Director, Transit for Livable Communities, St. Paul, Minnesota
Karla Karash, Vice President, TranSystems Corporation, Medford, Massachusetts
James Corless, Senior Planner, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Oakland, California

View Thoman presentation (25 pages / 0.7mb)
View Karash presentation (24 pages / 7.2mb)

Overview: Be an active participant in shaping the qualities and characteristics of community-supportive transit in this invigorating toolbox workshop. This toolbox workshop focuses on “Thinking Beyond the Station,” a training program that helps promote the philosophy and approach of “community-supportive transit” as an effective means of planning of transit facilities and station areas. This session includes opportunities for placemaking and capturing the value of public transportation investments for local communities. We will begin to identify the qualities and characteristics of community-supportive transit, with audience members actively participating. This session also will include a discussion of how the “Thinking Beyond the Station” program can be structured to support transit agencies around the country as they develop community-supportive transit service and facilities.

Cynthia Nikitin, Assistant Vice President, Project for Public Spaces, Inc., New York, New York
Sam Zimmerman-Bergman, Project Director, Reconnecting America, Washington, DC

Overview: Learn how communities can engage in thoughtful, equitable decisions about transit enhancements -- so that all community members can benefit.Planning for “enhanced” transit service and for more vibrant communities can have a wide range of impacts -- both positive and negative -- on diverse populations. Frequently, one person’s “improvement” can be another person’s loss, causing equity issues relating to who benefits and who doesn’t. This session includes an exploration of the role of elected and agency leadership in ensuring that transit projects create broad-based benefits for everyone. Issues relating to environmental justice and gentrification will be discussed, as will policies and techniques for protecting the integrity of affected and developing communities.

Moderator: Jay Duncan, Vice President, DMJM Harris, Boston, Massachusetts
J. David Farren, Senior Attorney, Southern Environmental Law Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Sorin Garber, Principal, Sorin Garber Consulting Group, Portland, Oregon
Ron Lewis, Deputy Executive Director, Sound Transit, Seattle, Washington
Tommy Wells, Councilmember, DC City Council, Washington, DC

Overview: This workshop will help participants think differently about the relationship between station design and development. Transit-oriented development usually includes the design of the station and its environment, but sometimes the station is designed without or before the development. This hands-on, analytical workshop will challenge participants to think about stations as being the catalyst for redevelopment or new development. We will look at a variety of real scenarios where the station environment worked and where it didn’t. BYOSSS! (Bring your own station story to share.)

Moderator: Diane Legge Kemp, Principal, DLK Civic Design, Chicago, Illinois
Keith Liden, Lead Planner, PB PlaceMaking, Portland, Oregon

View Kemp presentation (43 pages / 3.4mb)
View Liden presentation (31 pages / 1.5mb)