24 July 2008 | New Hazlett Theater | 6:30 p.m.
Is the auto the most convenient and efficient way to move people around our region? Can new technologies and policies help unite the region and contribute to our urban vitality? Can we use transportation to grow the city, and the region, in the right way?
The Pittsburgh region is ripe for innovation. New technologies present exciting opportunities to move people and goods around more efficiently than ever before. Light rail, extensive riverfront trails, an efficient bus system, car sharing are all heading in the right direction. But that’s just a start. Getting it “right” requires creative planning.
Join us for a charged discussion on how to get there … from here. Our speakers will be Steve Bland,the CEO of the Port Authority of Allegheny County who is responsible for overseeing the planning and operation of all bus, light rail, incline and paratransit operations; Rep. Chelsa Wagner, who was elected to her first term in the Pennsylvania State House in 2006, becoming one of the two women to be elected for the first time for a full term in the State House from the City of Pittsburgh, and whose committee assignments include Transportation, Judiciary, Education and Commerce; Sanjeev Shah, who is a Principal and Regional Director with Lea+Elliott, Inc. based in Miami, Fla., leading transportation projects specializing in the feasibility, planning, and engineering of projects including Automated People Mover (APM) systems and rail; and Chip Walter, an author, future trends consultant, filmmaker and former CNN bureau chief who has published three mainstream science books. You can read about Chip’s thoughts on transportation in Pop City’s feature “Transportation Key to World Class Pittsburgh”.
And as a bonus, because we believe that everyone should have a hand in the planning process, we’ll unveil a CitiWiki project which will allow everyone in the region to have a voice in the role of land use and transportation planning, whether you are an urban planner, environmentalist, architect, policy maker, transportation expert, biker, boater or skater.
Get going …. get involved!