What We Learned at Rail-volution, 2009

New Opportunities at the Federal Level to Spur Widespread Transit-Oriented Development

Several TransForm staff recently traveled to Boston for Rail~Volution, an annual conference that brings together public transportation advocates and practitioners of transit-oriented development from all over the country. 

This year's conference was buzzing with the potential to harness federal policy and funding opportunities in order to spur more walkable communities with world-class public transportation across the country.

Among the speakers were Ron Sims, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Derek Douglas, Special Assistant to the President on Urban Policy; and Shelley Poticha, Senior Advisor for the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities.  Shelley Poticha who was most recently the President and CEO of Reconnecting America, one of the Great Communities Collaborative partner organizations.

These members of the new federal administration spoke on the importance of integrating transportation and housing planning, plus working towards comprehensive regional planning that simultaneously improves the economy, protects the environment, and promotes equity. 

This type of thinking is in part inspired by the work of the Great Communities Collaborative (a partnership coordinated by TransForm) in the Bay Area. 

Earlier this year, the work of the Great Communities Collaborative was presented to White House officials as a model for fighting climate change by creating a region of vibrant neighborhoods with affordable housing, jobs, shops, and services within walking distance of frequent public transportation service.

Conference attendees from Washington, D.C., Boston, Twin Cities, and other metropolitan areas expressed strong interest in applying the Great Communities Collaborative model to their respective metropolitan regions.  TransForm staff also presented at five workshops at the conference, including on the new GreenTRIP Certification Program.