Virtual Forum: Mobility in the Post-Covid Era

This virtual forum will focus on the Mobility Sector, which has been strongly impacted by the Covid-19 stay at home orders.

The panel will explore the specific ways in which cities and societies have been affected, and how public and private sector actors are working to support a near and long-term revolution to create more equitable, sustainable, healthy, and beautiful cities.

We at Buro Happold share the disappointment, grief, and anger about the events that have roiled our cities. After careful consideration, we have decided to move ahead with this panel as intended – let us use this opportunity to discuss how mobility professionals can take proactive measures to combat racism and support equity in transportation.

Registration link:

https://buro.im/2LPfTaK

The Buro Happold Cities team, which focuses on strategic consulting and infrastructure engineering, has spent decades working with public and private clients and partners to develop sustainable solutions for the movement of people and goods. Our goal has always been to increase the accessibility and improve equity and quality of life for communities around the world.

This panel will focus on the Mobility Sector, which has been strongly impacted by the Covid-19 stay at home orders. Buro Happold has long been committed to transforming the way we move about our cities, through projects such as BeMobility and the Los Angeles Countywide Sustainability Plan, as well as engineering design for the High Line and Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center. The panel will explore the specific ways in which cities and societies have been affected, and how public and private sector actors are working to support a near and long-term revolution to create more equitable, sustainable, healthy, and beautiful cities.

Topics to be explored include:

• From temporary solutions to permanent changes in urban mobility
• The role of public transportation in the Post-Covid era
• The emerging of bicycle and micro-mobility
• How private businesses can lead the change
• And more, as topics to emerge

We are pleased to host the following strategic thinkers
from the Mobility sector:

Tamika Butler, ESQ., Principal-in-Charge, Toole Design

Tamika is Toole Design’s Director of Equity and Inclusion. Tamika brings a diverse background in law, equity, community planning, and engagement. She served as
the Executive Director of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, a non-profit organization that addresses social and racial equity and wellness by building parks and gardens in park-poor communities across Greater Los Angeles. Prior to that, she was the Executive Director of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, where she worked with elected officials, corporate partners, and government agencies to create and implement transportation policy change and infrastructure projects.

Tamika is known for her collaborative style and her extensive experience working with communities of color, LGBTQ communities, and young adults on planning projects. She is a sought-after speaker who combines her diverse background as an employment lawyer, nonprofit leader, and industry innovator on diversity and inclusion to help communities and organizations address inequities and social injustice.

Anne Lusk, Research Scientist at Harvard School of Public Health

Anne Lusk has a Ph.D. in Architecture, in Environment and Behavior, and is a Research Scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health where she teaches and conducts research. She has worked on bicycle facilities for 39 years and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals. Her first project was creation of the multi-award winning Stowe Recreation Path in Vermont. Dr. Lusk’s studies have included preferences of females and underserved populations about different bicycle environments. Her research has helped change transportation policies about cycle tracks from being discouraged to being widely accepted.

Laura Smith, Deputy Director, Transportation Division at NYC Department of City Planning

Laura Smith is the Deputy Director of the New York City Department of City Planning’s Transportation Division.  She has worked on planning issues around transit oriented development and access to jobs and labor, developed a methodology for identifying the need for supermarkets in underserved areas, and helped change the city’s zoning policy around parking for affordable housing.  Since the COVID-19 crisis in New York City, she has overseen the production of weekly reports that monitor current mobility trends across the city and attempt to anticipate how the transportation network can accommodate post-pandemic travel.

Jeff Speck, Principal, Speck & Associates LLC and author of “Walkable Cities”

Jeff Speck is a city planner and urban designer who advocates internationally for more walkable cities. As Director of Design at the National Endowment for the Arts from 2003 through 2007, he created the Governors’ Institute on Community Design. Prior to his federal appointment, Mr. Speck spent ten years as Director of Town Planning at DPZ, the principal firm behind the New Urbanism movement. Since 2007, he has led Speck & Associates, a private design consultancy. Mr. Speck is the author or co-author of four books on urban planning, including the award-winning Walkable City, the best selling city-planning book of the past decade. His TED talks and YouTube videos have been viewed more than four million times.

Jarrett Walker, President of Jarrett Walker and Associates and author of “Human Transit”

Jarrett Walker, is an international consultant in public transit network design and policy, with 25 years of experience planning public transit in North America, Europe, Russia, Australia, and New Zealand.  His firm Jarrett Walker and Associates, based in Portland, Oregon, provides transit planning and executive advice to clients worldwide. 

His book Human Transit offers a friendly introduction to transit issues for the average reader, designed to help anyone form clearer views that reflect their own values.  In addition to his consulting, teaching, and speaking, he writes about public transit issues at HumanTransit.org.

Francesco Cerroni, Mobility Leader at Buro Happold Cities (moderator)

Francesco Cerroni has spent the past 10 years researching, planning and designing equitable public spaces and sustainable transportation throughout the world. Over the past decade, Francesco has spearheaded international projects spanning urban and transportation planning, urban and landscape design, traffic engineering, civil engineering, and cyclist and pedestrian studies across Europe and the United States. This work has encompassed both the private and public sectors in several cities across the world including, New York City, Moscow, Milan, Istanbul, Dar Es Salaam, Nairobi, Detroit, and Shenzhen.

His expertise lies at the intersection of planning and design, with a particular enthusiasm for future-focused solutions and innovative approaches to traditional methods.