The Community Streetcar Coalition is a partnership of cities, transit authorities and architectural and engineering firms that supports the development of the Small Starts program within the Federal Transit Administration. The coalition invites you to attend its semi-annual meeting to learn more about the coalition. Also participate in a discussion about current issues facing streetcar projects, administration of the program by the FTA and the federal surface transportation authorization bill.

Facilitator: Jeffrey Boothe, Partner/Chair, Holland &Knight/New Starts Working Group, Washington, DC

Initially developed as a railway line, the Southwest Corridor was built as an elevated embankment that divided neighborhoods for most of a century. At one point, the corridor was in danger of becoming a super highway through some of Boston's most densely populated neighborhoods. A wave of community activism helped nix that idea and led to an investment in transit and community development. The corridor was further improved by creating a new four-mile linear corridor park. In this workshop, participants will travel by subway and then walk around portions of the corridor park, as well as around several stations to view development there.

Discover Frederick Law Olmsted's famous system of parks on this bicycle tour of the historic Emerald Necklace. From the shaded boulevard on Commonwealth Avenue to the popular shores of Jamaica Pond to the winding paths of the Arnold Arboretum, this chain of gardens, reserves, and open space serves as an oasis in the middle of a bustling city. Bostonians have enjoyed this eclectic work by America's first landscape architect for more than 100 years and now are looking to reclaim this greenway for eco-friendly recreation and transportation opportunities. Come enjoy a route that's a favorite among locals and the best way to see the green side of Boston.

Come walk the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway and enjoy the gardens, plazas and tree-lined promenades of one of Boston's most famous areas. The Greenway offers beautiful places for relaxation within the rhythm of the urban environment. Hear how community and political leaders seized the opportunity to enhance Boston's quality of life when the Big Dig project plunged previously elevated roadways underground and the city found itself rich in prime urban land. Parks and gardens now connect some of Boston's oldest, most diverse and vibrant neighborhoods. Learn how local activists helped shape the project, how the Greenway is now shaping downtown development, and about the challenges that still lie ahead.

Learn about the collaborative project planning efforts in Baltimore, Minneapolis and Los Angeles that focused on building trust with disenfranchised and dissatisfied communities. This session will focus on non-traditional public involvement plans and techniques that can lead to successful community planning.

Moderator: Martha Baker, Community Planner, Office of Planning and Capital Programming, Maryland Department of Transportation, Hanover, Maryland
Nicole Cobleigh, Project Manager, CDM, Los Angeles, California
Danyell Diggs, Mayor's Red Line Coordinator, Baltimore City Department of Transportation, Baltimore, Maryland
Robin Caufman, Manager of Public Involvement, Metropolitan Council, St. Paul, Minnesota

View Event presentation (47 pages / 3.4mb)

Building communities around transit means including housing for a wide mix of income levels — a tough task at any time, but especially in today's economy. However, providing housing for people who make less than median incomes is possible. This session will provide three different approaches to housing affordability. Learn about preserving existing housing stock at affordable rents, using public property as a catalyst for housing, and using an innovative, foundation-backed TOD fund.

Moderator: Todd Nedwick, Assistant Director, Public Policy, National Housing Trust, Washington, DC
Aaron Miripol, President and CEO, Urban Land Conservancy, Denver, Colorado
Bob Ruzzo, Deputy Director, MassHousing, Boston, Massachusetts
Gail Latimore, Executive Director, Codman Square Neighborhood, Development Corporation, Dorchester, Massachusetts

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View Ruzzo presentation (17 pages / 1.0mb)
View Latimore presentation (8 pages / 0.5mb)

This introduction and overview of the role of streetcars in building livable communities also includes an interactive discussion with national experts who know how to get a streetcar system built and funded. This "Streetcar 101" session will be of tremendous help to anyone considering or planning streetcars in their community. You will leave this session understanding the key issues and challenges facing communities that are planning for, or already have, a streetcar system.

Moderator: Tim Baldwin, Senior Associate, URS, Denver, Colorado
Gloria Ohland, Vice President of Communications, Reconnecting America, Los Angeles, California
Keith Jones, Regional Transit Director-West Central Region, URS Corporation, Fort Worth, Texas
Jeffrey Boothe, Partner/Chair, Holland &Knight/New Starts Working Group, Washington, DC
Rick Gustafson, Vice President, Shiels Obletz Johnsen, Portland, Oregon
James Graebner, Streetcar Planning Task Force Director, TranSystems, Denver, Colorado

View Event presentation (23 pages / 0.8mb)

Parking, parking, and more parking! Haven't we heard enough? Unfortunately, no. Given the huge impact that parking has on building anything these days, what can we do to reduce the amount, the cost and the implications of so much parking? This session will highlight innovative solutions that are working at a district and project level from around the country. Hear about innovative techniques related to shared parking, parking management and new technologies.

Moderator: Jeff Ordway, Manager of Property Development, San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District, Oakland, California
Ronald Holmes, Principal Transportation Planner, HNTB Corporation, Oakland, California
Tameka Wimberly, AICP, Senior Regional Planner, MARTA, Atlanta, Georgia
Jessica ter Schure, Senior Associate, Nelson\Nygaard, San Francisco, California

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View Wimberly presentation (9 pages / 1.2b)
View ter Schure presentation (20 pages / 1.2mb)

TOD at the station area level does not operate in a vacuum. Recognizing the broader, regional context for TOD, metropolitan planning organizations increasingly are taking a proactive role in planning and promoting concentrated growth along transit corridors. Ranging from planning grants in Atlanta, to TOD thresholds for transit extensions in the Bay Area, to direct financial assistance for development projects in Portland, the regional toolbox for TOD is expanding. Using an interactive talk show format, this unique roundtable session will allow attendees to engage MPO representatives from across the country and hear how regional policies and programs can facilitate TOD.

Moderator: Rex Burkholder, Councilor, Metro, Portland, Oregon
Tom Weynadt, Planning Director, Atlanta Regional Commission, Atlanta, Georgia
Tom Boone, TOD Project Manager, Denver Regional Council of Governments, Denver, Colorado
Leila Aman, Senior TOD Planner, Metro, Portland, Oregon
Doug Johnson, Senior Planner, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Oakland, California

Congress will be considering the authorization of the surface transportation program in its upcoming 111th session. This legislation will guide the direction of the federal surface transportation program for the next six years. It also has the potential to shift the focus toward climate change, increasing fuel prices, demographic trends, the housing market and the nation's health. This session provides an update on the authorization bill, discusses issues that are defining the Congressional debate, and engages participants through a panel discussion.

Moderator: Art Guzzetti, Vice President, Policy, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC
J. Barry Barker, Executive Director, Transit Authority of River City, Louisville, Kentucky
Lea Schuster, Field Director, Transportation For America, Washington, DC
Susan Borinsky, Associate Administrator for Planning and Environment, Federal Transit Administration, Washington, DC

The country's economic crisis delivers a fresh opportunity to help deliver social justice for transit-dependent populations — low-income urban residents, older people and people with disabilities — in a blend of environmentally and socially sustainable policy and practice solutions. Panelists will consider policy tools and precedents that will help strengthen transportation solutions for those who are mobility challenged.

Moderator: Christopher Hart, Director of Urban & Transit Projects, Institute for Human-Centered Design, Boston, Massachusetts
Janet Abelson, Mayor Pro Tem, City of El Cerrito, California
Cheri Mitchell, President, People First Georgia, Decatur, Georgia
Mary Leary, Ph.D., Senior Director, Easter Seals Project ACTION, The National Center on Senior Transportation, Washington, DC
Douglas Birnie, Senior Program Manager, Office of Research Management, Federal Transit Association, Washington, DC

Even the best transit communities need on- and off-street parking, and the transit project development process is a perfect opportunity to rethink parking standards so that they strike the right balance. This session will provide an introduction to parking policies in the livable community.

Moderator: Henry Kay, Deputy Administrator of Planning & Engineering, Maryland Transit Administration, Baltimore, Maryland
Jason Wittenberg, AICP, Planning Supervisor, City of Minneapolis, Community Planning & Economic Development, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Dan Soler, Traffic Engineer, Metropolitan Council, St. Paul, Minnesota
Jason Schrieber, Principal, Nelson\Nygaard, Boston, Massachusetts

View Wittenberg presentation (31 pages / 0.5mb)
View Soler presentation (21 pages / 1.0mb)
View Schrieber presentation (69 pages / 2.4mb)

The bottom line is that development placed next to transit doesn't really constitute TOD. Instead, TOD projects must have certain key characteristics — such as density, mixed use, and a pedestrian-friendly design for the entire district surrounding the station — to complement transit and create places of lasting value. In nearly every instance, the earliest decisions about the shape and design of transit systems are among the most important. Attend this toolbox session and learn the secrets to creating viable, effective design for your TOD.

GB Arrington, Vice President, PB's PlaceMaking Group, Portland, Oregon

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For some people, density conjures up images of crowded tenements and dirty streets, but in fact a city's densest neighborhoods are often its most expensive. Think of Beacon Hill in Boston, Greenwich Village in New York City, or Pacific Heights in San Francisco. The right type of density — characterized by lively commercial districts, diverse neighborhoods, good pedestrian and transit access, people out in public spaces, and a strong sense of community — is the main ingredient in making communities more livable. Find out how some communities are reclaiming density as their livability solution.

Moderator: David Dixon, Principal-in-Charge of Planning and Urban Design, Goody, Clancy and Associates, Boston, Massachusetts
Diane Georgopulos, Architect, MassHousing, Boston, Massachusetts
Jeff Hobson, Deputy Director, TransForm, Oakland, California
Donald Monti, President and CEO, Renaissance Downtowns LLC, Plainview, New York
William A. Gilchrist, Senior Associate, EDAW AECOM, Atlanta, Georgia

View Dixon presentation (40 pages / 3.2mb)

Transit-oriented development has evolved as a land-use type that's now recognized by most practitioners. But what does it mean for the general public? Are we creating large developments that appeal only to singles and retirees? Or are we truly creating mixed-use, mixed-income, diverse neighborhoods that will be sustainable over time and preserve affordability for existing communities? This session will provide some of the tools being used to measure how the industry is advancing toward diverse, equitable and sustainable urban environments.

Moderator: Steven Wilensky, Principal, EDAW AECOM, Denver, Colorado
Marvin Martin, Director, Greater Four Corners Action! Coalition, Boston, Massachusetts
Steve Meacham, Director of Housing Organizing, City Life/Vida Urbana, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
Meira Soloff, Program Associate, Action for Regional Equity, Roxbury, Massachusetts
Ann Cheng, Senior Planner, TransForm, Oakland, California

View Wilensky presentation (6 pages / 0.6mb)
View Cheng presentation (22 pages / 1.5mb)

In today's difficult economic environment, station area planning plays an important role in creating a development framework for the future. In this session, learn how to establish realistic expectations in station area planning by incorporating development phasing into station area planning, using market studies to establish expectations for different types of development, and engaging developers in the process to help understand the realities of plan implementation.

Moderator: Bill Sirois, Manager of Transit Oriented Development, Regional Transportation District FasTracks Team, Denver, Colorado
Philip Braum, Planning Manager, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc., Washington, DC
Ryan S. McFarland, Transit and Economic Development Manager, Utah Transit Authority, Salt Lake City, Utah
Kent Main, AICP, Planning Coordinator for Economic Development, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Department, Charlotte, North Carolina
Tom Bacus, Director Development Planning, Rio Tino Kennecott Land, South Jordan, Utah

View Braum presentation (19 pages / 1.2mb)
View McFarland presentation (29 pages / 4.5mb)
View Main presentation (65 pages / 6.8mb)

Metropolitan planning organizations and transit agencies can partner in many creative, innovative ways to foster livable and sustainable communities. Together, transit agencies and MPOs can support the planning and implementation of successful TOD with station area plans, capital improvements that support station access, funding for infrastructure, and parking strategies. Join this session for a presentation of current best practices; also participate in a peer exchange to learn more about how you can support successful TOD in your region.

Moderator: Catherine M. Cox-Blair, Program Director, Reconnecting America, Denver, Colorado
Marc D. Draisen, Executive Director, Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Boston, Massachusetts
Valerie Knepper, Associate Planner, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Oakland, California
Jeff Price, Community Planner, Office of Systems Planning, Federal Transit Administration
Tom Weynadt, Planning Director, Atlanta Regional Commission, Atlanta, Georgia

View Draisen presentation (12 pages / 0.4mb)
View Knepper presentation (21 pages / 1.5mb)
View Price presentation (20 pages / 0.5mb)
View Weynadt presentation (21 pages / 2.3mb)

It's been said that there's no "silver bullet" to addressing climate change . . . that instead it will instead take "silver buckshot." This is especially true for strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles, which account for the largest slice of the emissions pie. Improved fuel economy and cleaner fuels may get us partway there, but the reality is we need to find ways to significantly reduce vehicle miles traveled. The good news is that some cities are already demonstrating how this can be done. Learn about some of these strategies and help get residents in your community to reduce their transportation carbon footprint.

Moderator: Paul Smith, Planning Manager, Bureau of Transportation, City of Portland, Oregon
Jemae Hoffman, Lead for Sustainable Transportation and Climate, Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle, Washington
Sharon Feigon, CEO, I-GO Car Sharing/Center for Neighborhood, Chicago, Illinois
Jeffrey Rosenblum, Transportation Strategist, City of Cambridge, Environmental and Transportation Planning, Cambridge, Massachusetts