This mobile tour showcases how community activists have begun restoring disinvested neighborhoods by successfully advocating for better transit equity and affordable housing. Take the Silver Line and the commuter rail to traditional railroad and streetcar-era neighborhoods. Observe how to empower lower-income communities to develop TOD within an existing, densely developed environment and how to engage residents in welcoming new development. Also hear from local community development corporations and community-based organizations that created a vision for the Fairmount Corridor that now is becoming real.

Hop aboard Amtrak's Acela service at Boston South Station to experience high-speed rail service and the beautiful city of Providence, Rhode Island, one of the country's revitalization success stories. The area's high-density, mixed-use, transit-friendly, downtown development was spurred by Providence Place, a shopping mall located across the street from the train station and with a below-market parking supply and substantial walk-in business. Come see how a mall can enliven a downtown instead of detracting from it and hear how commuter and Amtrak rail service has created an economic synergy between Boston and Providence.

Take the commuter rail to the city of Brockton, which has worked proactively for many years to counteract socioeconomic distress in its community — by improving its infrastructure, reforming regulations and marketing its strengths. At the heart of downtown, the Brockton Area Transit Authority (BAT) has created a multi-phased intermodal center. In addition, there is local and regional bus service, plus commuter rail, operated from this station. This transit investment has spurred redevelopment of adjacent industrial sites for mixed and residential use. Learn about these impressive revitalization efforts and the lessons learned that are applicable to many other communities.

Hop aboard the commuter rail to compare and contrast how two older mill cities have been designing smart growth strategies that weather economic cycles. These two communities share the same MBTA line and the same river, have similar industrial legacies, but have very different physical development patterns and socioeconomic climates. The tour will focus on the importance of bottom-up planning, community engagement, capacity building for non-profit organizations, and holistic approaches to breathing new life into old cities.

Tour key transportation areas serving the Longwood Medical and Academic Area. This busy life sciences district features private and public bus services, light rail and commuter rail access. A bus rapid transit tunnel is envisioned for the future as part of a 7-city Ring alternative to Boston's radial transit system. Of particular interest is a mixed-use development near the famous Fenway Park, which will provide improved commuter rail access, housing, office space and employee and Red Sox game parking.

A single development team has built three landmark TOD residential projects in three different sections of Boston. All three projects are intimately tied to transit, all involved highly complex transactions and challenging market conditions, all had significant community involvement and public-private collaboration, all are mixed-income — and all were built. Ride four different transit lines to experience a model neighborhood project at Ashmont Station and a landmark downtown project at North Station. Meet the developers and learn how they built Maverick Landing in East Boston. Learn how these three transit-oriented projects developed community support, public-private collaboration and have become highly successful.

Converting your vision for a "new start" project — or even extending an existing line — into reality can be filled with obstacles. Learn directly from other communities how they have overcome challenges to bringing rail transit and bus rapid transit to their neighborhoods. Hear straight talk about how you can avoid some common pitfalls and successfully follow in their tracks. Experts will discuss how you can make the difference between failure and success — by articulating your vision, getting enough local and private financing, and understanding the ever-changing nuances of the federal project approval process.

Diana Mendes, AICP, Senior Vice President, National Director of Transit Planning, AECOM, Arlington, Virginia
Jeffrey Boothe, Partner/Chair, Holland & Knight/New Starts Working Group, Washington, DC
Cheryl King, AICP, Assistant General Manager of Planning and Transit System Development, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, Atlanta, Georgia
Michael A. Allegra, Assistant General Manager, Utah Transit Authority, Salt Lake City, Utah
Don Emerson, Principal Consultant, Parsons Brinckerhoff Consult Inc., Herndon, Virginia

View Boothe presentation (9 pages / 0.1mb)

Getting the right hand and the left hand to work together within a transit agency on joint development projects can be challenging on even a good day. Typically, the competing interests revolve around what's more important — transit or development? Parking or pedestrians? Easy transfers or linking development to the station? Listen to public and private perspectives on this issue and hear about where this has, and has not, been done successfully around the country.

Moderator: Randall D. Chrisman, Board Member, DART, Dallas, Texas
James Hencke, Senior Urban Designer, Supervising Planner, PB's PlaceMaking Group, Portland, Oregon
Allan W. Zreet, Principal, Jacobs, Dallas, Texas
Bill Sirois, Manager of Transit Oriented Development, RTD FasTracks Team, Denver, Colorado

View Hencke presentation (32 pages / 2.5mb)
View Zreet presentation (15 pages / 1.0mb)
View Sirois presentation (41 pages / 5.5mb)

As the cost of urban area housing has grown, many people have had to "drive until they qualify" to find affordable housing. The result is an increased need to drive into the urban core for jobs, services, shopping and entertainment. Attempts to serve those suburban areas with transit have proven difficult because of sprawling land use patterns. This session looks at how we can make suburban areas more "green" and transit friendly.

Moderator: Cheryl King, Assistant General Manager of Planning and Transit System Development, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, Atlanta, Georgia
Brad Graham, Assistant Deputy Minister, Ontario Growth Secretariat, Ontario Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Toronto, Ontario
Nkosi Yearwood, Senior Planner, Montgomery County Planning Department, Silver Spring, Maryland
David Spillane, AICP, Principal, Goody Clancy, Boston, Massachusetts

View Graham presentation (24 pages / 2.0mb)
View Yearwood presentation (33 pages / 2.3mb)
View Spillane presentation (24 pages / 2.0mb)

What does the future hold? What kind of a neighbor will a HSR station be? Will High Speed Rail stations help foster precincts of high value vibrant walkable transit friendly communities? Or as some early plans might suggest will HSR stations be are more like airports — isolated massive stations sitting on top of thousands of parking spaces? This session looks at the experience in France and two new proposed HSR stations grappling with the issues in California. How do we proceed to make HSR a good neighbor?

Moderator: Tom Irwin, Senior Attorney, Conservation Law Foundation, Concord, New Hampshire
Jamie Lai, Transit Manager, City of Anaheim, Anaheim, California
Diego Cardoso, Executive Officer, Transportation Development and Implementation, Metro, Los Angeles, California
Robert D. Yaro, President, Regional Plan Association, New York, New York

With land speculation and prices subsiding, the time to acquire land for TOD projects is now — the very time that cities have no resources. In this economic Catch-22, new tools are needed that would allow local governments to plan for equitable development around stations in a weak market — and be ready to respond when the market turns around. Partnering with private foundations to receive land acquisition funds is one potential tool; another is funds that support small-scale development. Hear about existing and planned funds in Denver, Charlotte, Minneapolis and the Bay Area.

Moderator: Allison Brooks, Managing Director, Reconnecting America, Oakland, California
Aaron Miripol, President and CEO, Urban Land Conservancy, Denver, Colorado
Nadine Fogarty, Principal, Strategic Economics, Berkeley, California
Tonja Orr, Assistant Commissioner, Housing Policy, Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, St. Paul, Minnesota
Donald Chen, Program Officer, The Ford Foundation, New York, New York

View Miripol presentation (22 pages / 1.9mb)
View Fogarty presentation (8 pages / 0.7mb)
View Chen presentation (7 pages / 0.1mb)

Transit often can stimulate the market toward new development and higher property values, but it also can have negative implications for the equitable and affordable housing. How can housing be offered for all incomes, but still ensure financially viable TOD? The significant value premiums generated by TOD, particularly for housing, represent a powerful tool for creating mixed-income communities, enhancing older urban neighborhoods, and supporting diverse communities that include existing residents. Attend this workshop and learn about the underlying policies, economics and urban design issues related to implementing mixed-income TOD effectively.

Moderator: Marsha Kaiser, Urban Policy and Public Policy Practice Leader, PB's PlaceMaking Group, Washington, DC
Meredith Levy, Director of Community Organizing, Somerville Community Corporation, Somerville, Massachusetts
Stephen Antupit, Senior Associate for Urban Strategies Design, Mithun, Inc., Seattle, Washington
Abigail Thorne-Lyman, Principal, Strategic Economics/CTOD, Berkeley, California

View Levy presentation (28 pages / 2.0mb)
View Antupit presentation (5 pages / 0.5mb)
View Lyman presentation (20 pages / 1.3mb)

How can your community change its colors, from old "brown" or "grey" to the new "green?" This session focuses on partnerships and policies that help communities transform from being filled with brownfields and greyfields to being a green, mixed-used sustainable development. In addition, the session highlights initiatives such as LEED-ND and other performance-based approaches that can help create green communities.

Moderator: Ron Kilcoyne, General Manager/CEO, Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Rod Park, Metro Councilor, Metro, Portland, Oregon
Jeffrey Heller, President, Heller Manus Architects, San Francisco, California
Lisa Padilla, Principal, CITYWORKS DESIGN, Pasadena, California

View Park presentation (30 pages / 3.5mb)
View Padilla presentation (22 pages / 1.6mb)

We all know that being "green" is the right thing to do. And we all want to do the right thing. But how do we get the resources to implement more sustainable outcomes … and also convince others the investment is worthwhile? This session will explore how to build the support needed to change organizational perspectives and to forge ahead in creating greener solutions. Panelists will share insights on deciding how green to go, determining return on investment, and evaluating and monitoring costs and benefits.

Moderator: Diana Mendes, AICP, Senior Vice President, National Director of Transit Planning, AECOM, Arlington, Virginia
Thomas Gotschi, Director of Research, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Washington, DC
William Lyons, Senior Project Manager, US DOT Volpe National Transportation Systems, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Charles Kooshian, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Clean Air Policy, Washington, DC
Projjal K. Dutta, Director, Sustainability Initiatives, Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York, New York

View Mendes presentation (5 pages / 0.1mb)
View Gotschi presentation (21 pages / 1.7mb)
View Kooshian presentation (27 pages / 0.1mb)
View Dutta presentation (36 pages / 4.0mb)
View Lyons presentation (15 pages / 0.3mb)

Rail~Volution 2009 marks the fourth year of presenting Rail~Volution 101 — a popular cornerstone event for conference attendees. This introductory session provides a comprehensive overview of how transit can be an effective catalyst for creating livable communities. Attendees also will learn how transit-oriented development can help communities respond to energy and environmental challenges for the future.

Topics included in this year's Rail~Volution 101 include: creating green design, reducing trip and energy usage (and a community's carbon footprint), and promoting long-term economic growth in our neighborhoods and communities.

Attendees will learn about why Rail~Volution is much more than an annual conference or an idea — it's a national movement that's growing in size, commitment and intensity. This year marks a particularly energizing, exciting time in the livability movement, with the new Obama administration weaving together the threads of partnership and innovation to create a new approach to shaping livable communities.

Whether you're new to the Rail~Volution movement or want to participate in discussions about the new direction for livable communities, Rail~Volution 101 is a must-have part of your conference experience.

Tim Baldwin, Vice President, URS, Denver, Colorado
GB Arrington, Vice President, PB's PlaceMaking Group, Portland, Oregon
James Richards, Principal, Townscape, Inc., Arlington, Texas
Grace Crunican, Director, Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle, Washington
Gary Thomas, President/Executive Director, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Dallas, Texas
Veronica Hahni, Executive Director, Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative, Los Angeles, California
Frederick Harris, Senior Vice President, Avalon Bay Communities, Inc, New York, New York

View Introduction presentation (14 pages / 0.7mb)
View Baldwin presentation (67 pages / 4.3mb)
View Arrington presentation (32 pages / 3.5mb)
View Richards presentation (58 pages / 3.3mb)

Many communities are moving forward rapidly in planning and implementing new transit visions that can help meet our future energy, economic and environmental challenges. This session focuses on areas with new transit projects of differing modes, providing insight into how those projects will affect their regions' ability to respond to current urban realities. Bottom line: we can't solve our problems with just one modal solution!

Moderator: Eric Bourassa, Transportation Manager, Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Boston, Massachusetts
W. Randy Wright, Mayor, Norfolk City Council, Norfolk, Virginia
Todd Hemingson, AICP, V.P. Strategic Planning &Development, Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Austin, Texas
Stephen Gazillo, Director of Transportation Planning, URS Corporation, New York, New York

View Wright presentation (25 pages / 1.8mb)
View Hemingson presentation (17 pages / 2.0mb)
View Gazillo presentation (18 pages / 1.3mb)

Investing in TOD means that existing or historical neighborhoods will see areas either redeveloped or newly developed. Changes could mean displacements and the creation of an entirely different community, urban fabric and culture. When and how should communities be totally recreated? How do we maintain the unique value and character in an existing community while also moving ahead with the positive benefits of TOD? This session features results from current research on TOD and gentrification; it also discusses ways to maintain economic and racial diversity in an existing neighborhood where TOD is occurring.

Moderator: Cheryl Cort, Policy Director, Coalition for Smarter Growth, Washington, DC
Joel Ramos, Community Planner, TransForm, Oakland, California
Karen Chapple, Ph.D., Associate Professor, City and Regional Planning, University of California at Berkeley, California
Stephanie Pollack, Associate Director, Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy, Boston, Massachusetts

The private sector will go only so far in underwriting transit-oriented development. There are many complex TOD elements that are critical for success, including infrastructure (roads and utilities), placemaking (public gathering places), and access (for all modes). How is the public sector using fund sources to help create sustainable mixed-use development? This session will provide insight from the public sector — examining what fund sources exist, how they've been able to secure these funds, and what hurdles have been overcome.

Moderator: Lynette Sweet, President, BART Board of Directors, Oakland, California
Astrid Glynn, Former Transportation Commissioner NYDOT, Boston, Massachusetts
John Nemeth, Planning Manager, SMART, San Rafael, California
Sara King, N/NE Neighborhood Manager, Portland Development Commission, Portland, Oregon

View Glynn presentation (10 pages / 0.9mb)
View King presentation (20 pages / 1.9mb)

HSR has been called a major shift in federal policy, a new way to think about transportation in the United States. This session engages some of the key HSR thinkers and decision-makers in a conversation about land use implications of HSR. How we can leverage the opportunity of HSR to create a new pattern of movement and metropolitan growth? What are the risks, threats and opportunities as the United States moves down the track to HSR?

Moderator: Geoff Anderson, President and CEO, Smart Growth America, Washington, DC
Karen J. Rae, Deputy Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, Washington, DC
John Robert Smith, President and Chief Executive Officer, Reconnecting America and the Center for Transit Oriented Development, Washington, DC
Fred P. Salvucci, Senior Lecturer and Research Associate, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

View Rae presentation (21 pages / 2.0mb)
View Smith presentation (24 pages / 3.2mb)

Decisions about land-use policy, development and investment typically are made at the scale of the station area or neighborhood, but fully engaging the real estate market requires a broader view. Transit systems are planned at the corridor level and change market dynamics by improving access between stations. Find out how to strike inter-jurisdictional agreements that balance the benefits and burdens along a corridor and yield better TOD.

Moderator: Sam Zimbabwe, Technical Assistance Program Director, Reconnecting America, Washington, DC
Jeanne DuBois, Executive Director, Dorchester Bay Economic Development, Dorchester, Massachusetts
Christopher Yake, Senior TOD Planner, Metro, Portland, Oregon
Robert Swierk, AICP, Senior Transportation Planner, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, San Jose, California
David Chandler, Principal Business Analyst, Center for Neighborhood Technology, Chicago, Illinois
Dena Belzer, AICP, President, Strategic Economics, Berkeley, California

View Chandler presentation (12 pages / 1.0mb)

Organizations that manage large employment concentrations — such as the Medical Academic and Scientific Community Organization, Inc. (MASCO) that serves Boston's Longwood Medical Area, the Social Security Administration Headquarters in Baltimore, and others — operate their own transit services that connect tens of thousands of employees and others every day. Learn about how these organizations are inventing new transit models in response to rising costs, shifting employment patterns, and rising employee interest in transit accessibility. They also are increasingly interested in partnering to create nearby and TOD housing for their employees.

Moderator: Yolanda Takesian, Associate Planner, Kittelson & Associates, Inc., Baltimore, Maryland
Pallavi Mande, Urban Restoration Specialist, Charles River Watershed Association, Weston, Massachusetts
Michael Madden, Purple Line Project Manager, Maryland Transit Administration, Baltimore, Maryland
Sarah Hamilton, AICP, Vice President, Area Planning and Development, Medical Academic and Scientific Community Organization, Boston, Massachusetts

View Mande presentation (30 pages / 3.4mb)
View Madden presentation (28 pages / 1.5mb)
View Hamilton presentation (24 pages / 2.2mb)

For transit agencies across the country, the concept of sustainability is evolving beyond recycling paper and using more energy-efficient light bulbs. Sustainability is presenting new challenges — and opportunities — for transit systems with respect to long-term environmental sustainability, operational economic sustainability, and social sustainability. In this session, you'll hear from transit agency leaders, major transit operators and industry experts about innovative strategies and practices being implemented to foster long-term success and take sustainability to a higher level.

Moderator: John Inglish, General Manager, Utah Transit Authority, Salt Lake City, Utah
Keith Bartholomew, Assistant Professor, University of Utah, College of Architecture and Planning, Salt Lake City, Utah
Alan C. Wulkan, Managing Partner, InfraConsult LLC, Scottsdale, Arizona
Beverly Scott, Ph.D., General Manager and CEO, Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transit Authority, Atlanta, Georgia
Ronald Hartman, Executive Vice President, Rail Division, Veolia Transportation, Silver Spring, Maryland

View Bartholomew presentation (23 pages / 1.0mb)
View Hartman presentation (24 pages / 1.9mb)
View Wulkan presentation (17 pages / 2.0mb)

Just out, the "Moving Cooler" national study analyzes a full range of transportation measures to assess their potential for shaping climate change. A team of experts that worked on this landmark study — conducted by the Collaborative Strategies Group — will explain its landmark findings. Join the dialogue and learn what transportation strategies can achieve, individually or as a "bundle" of actions, in the quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Moderator: Deron Lovaas, Federal Transportation Director, Natural Resources Defense Council, Washington, DC
Robert Padgette, Director, Policy Development and Research, APTA, Washington, DC
Chris Porter, Senior Associate, Cambridge Systematics, Cambridge, Massachusetts

View Event presentation (30 pages / 1.0mb)

The 2009 Rail~Volution Host Committee and sponsors invite you to join them for a welcome reception in one of Boston's newest civic spaces, which is architecturally designed to symbolize the movement of ocean waves. This state-of-the art conference and exhibition center for the New England region is only paces from the conference hotel. Enjoy a waterfront view of Boston's skyline as you relax and talk with regional leaders and colleagues from around the country. Help get Rail~Volution 2009 started in style in this modern, elegant space.