CURA has a long tradition of bringing novel ideas and thoughtful discussion about urban and regional issues to Central Ohio through our semi-annual speaker series.  Recently, we have focused on Cities and Water (Spring 2018), People-Centered Cities (Fall 2017), Smart Cities (Spring 2017), and Healthy Cities (Fall 2016).  The theme for Fall 2018 will be Mobility and Equity, and we are excited about our line-up of locally- and nationally-renowned experts!

On September 14, we will kick things off with what is sure to be a thought-provoking panel discussion titled Mobility and equity: Can transportation make Columbus a more equitable community?  The panel will feature voices representing a diverse range of perspectives, including:

• Jennifer Adair (Chair, North Linden Area Commission)
• Brandi Braun (Deputy Innovation Office, City of Columbus)
• Josh Lapp (Vice Chair, Transit Columbus)
• Aslyne Rodriguez (Founder and CEO, Empowerbus)
• Katie White (Directory, Age Friendly Columbus)

Todd Litman, founder and executive director of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute (VTPI), will visit on November 9 for a public talk bookended by a student roundtable on campus and a professional roundtable at the Smart Columbus Experience Center.  In his role at VTPI, Mr. Litman performs research and policy analysis on a variety of issues including economic analysis, full cost accounting,  transportation demand management planning and evaluation, environmental and social impact analysis, equity analysis, multi-modal planning and transit program evaluation. He has worked for a diverse range of clients, including government agencies, professional organizations, developers and nongovernment organizations. He has worked in more than two dozen countries, on every continent except Antarctica.

We will wrap up the series with a bang on November 16, with a talk and roundtables featuring Dr. Noreen McDonald, a professor and Chair of the Department of City and Regional Planning at UNC Chapel Hill.  Professor McDonald’s work focuses on how infrastructure investments and technology changes influence travel and the downstream impacts on road safety, public health, energy demand, and city form. She is an internationally-recognized expert on the travel behavior of youth and young adults. Her work on children’s travel has shown that improved pedestrian and bicycle facilities can increase travel by foot. She has assessed the causes of declines in driving in the US and UK and looked at how transportation planning practice can respond to recent behavioral shifts and those anticipated due to changing technology. Her most recent work explores disruptions associated with shared mobility, e.g. Uber/Lyft and autonomous vehicles.

We hope you will join us for these free events!  Refreshments will be provided.  Event details are currently being finalized and will be announced in future newsletters, on our website, and on social media.  A complete list of our past events – with links to recordings for some – is available on our website.