MPC’s Winter 2008 Roundtable,
“Within Our Reach: Your World in Half a Mile,” captured the attention of
planners, developers, elected officials, and community groups from around the
region, as it explored the opportunities and challenges to integrating
neighborhood development with transit service.
Co-hosted with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), the blockbuster event
featured a dynamic discussion from out-of-town practitioners: David
Taylor, national director of Sustainable Transportation Solutions, HDR,
Inc., Catherine Cox-Blair, principal city
planner
in Denver, and James Keefe, president and principal of
Trinity Financial
in
Boston. Chicago Ald. Mary Ann Smith
(48
th
Ward) and Sam Assefa, director of land use and planning policy
for
Chicago
’s
Dept. of Planning and Development, provided local perspective.
The experts addressed the positive effects of
approaching community building and transportation investment jointly as
transit-oriented development (TOD). Mr. Taylor framed the TOD movement and walked through success stories
from around the country.
Ms. Cox-Blair emphasized the importance of establishing expectations for
all invovled partners. Mr. Keefe stressed collaborating with the various
parties from the begining of the planning and development process.
Ald.
Smith and Mr. Assefa rounded out the discussion by describing emerging
opportunities and strategies for building stronger neighborhoods and skillfully
designed TOD in the urban core.
Carefully nurtured, TOD pays
dividends well beyond homeowners’ pocketbooks and convenience — it is a boon for
local businesses, protects the environment through massive energy and emissions
savings, and supports better transit service and increased ridership. Both the
CTA and MPC recognize TOD as a win-win, long-term strategy for creating great
urban places.
Presentations
David Taylor
Senior Vice President
National
Director, Sustainable Transportation Solutions, HDR, Inc.
Catherine Cox-Blair
Principal City Planner, Dept.
of Community Planning and Development
Denver , Colo.
James
Keefe
President and Principal, Trinity
Financial, Inc.
Boston , Mass.
Sam
Assefa
Director of Land Use and Planning
Policy, Dept. of Planning and Development
Chicago , Ill.
Ald. Mary Ann Smith
(48th Ward)
Chicago , Ill.
For more information, please
contact Michael Davidson, Manager of Planning, at 312-863-6009 or
mdavidson@metroplanning.org
.
