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The next few years will be extraordinary for major sporting events in California with the Bay Area hosting both Super Bowl 60 and the FIFA World Cup in 2026, and Los Angeles hosting the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 2028. These events invite millions of local spectators and international visitors, with the city of Los Angeles expecting 5 million visitors alone for what the mayor hopes will be a transit-first Olympics. How can buses, trains, highways, and the people who keep them running safely facilitate the movement of these crowds while minimizing impact on the community and environment? The 16th Annual Norman Y. Mineta National Transportation Policy Summit will feature internationally renowned experts and special guests sharing best practices and insights from previous large-scale events, including Super Bowl 50 and the Paris Olympics, and how to apply global lessons—such as traffic management and communications planning—on a regional scale. Don't miss the exciting 90-minute conversation shaping the future of California! This program is supported by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San José State University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
How should we pay for our highways? For decades, the answer has been the fuel tax. And for a long time, that worked fine. But as the Highway Trust Fund dwindles, it seems more likely that we will have to find a new way to pay. But what will that be? Dr. Asha Weinstein Agrawal discusses the results of a survey on the topic. 0:00 – Newscast 10:22 – Survey: Americans good with fuel tax – if the money is spent right
While the climate benefits from booming electric vehicle sales, the nation's transportation system faces an unfortunate predicament: less gasoline and diesel purchased means dwindling fuel tax revenue. Fuel tax revenue provides a core funding source for operating, maintaining, and improving transportation systems, so policymakers must find a replacement as soon as possible. This event explores such options as mileage fees, higher annual vehicle fees, or abandoning the user-pay principle and relying on general fund revenue. This program is supported by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San José State University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week we're celebrating the release of Paul's newest book, The New Future of Public Transportation, which is the sequel to The Future of Public Transportation published early in 2020. To say public transport faced an crisis or inflection point in the past four years is an understatement.In this updated edition, Paul collected essays by 30 transit leaders from around the world covering every major topic facing transit today from workforce to safety, infrastructure to faring. On the show today Paul chats with two of the contributors, Dr. Karen Philbrick, Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute, and Paige Malott, high speed rail researcher with the International Union of Railways about their chapters and their ideas on the future of public transit.We conclude the episode with Paul talking about what's covered in each of the chapters of the book and the people who wrote them. Make sure you listen right to the end of the show so you don't miss it!You can order the book on Amazon now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1468607618?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_1B7E4H4QFZVKHANFW7DSNext week we have Andy Lord Commissioner for Transport for London (TfL). TfL is the largest public transport network in the world covering nearly every transport mode possible. It's a huge job and you get to hear not only about this massive system, but how Andy's experience in the aviation industry prepared him for the job.If you have a question for Paul about anything related to public transit, zap him an email at paul.comfort@transitunplugged.com. Paul might even read and answer your question on a future episode of the podcast.If you have a question or comment, email us at info@transitunplugged.com.Transit Unplugged is brought to you by Modaxo and these fine folks:Paul Comfort, host and producerJulie Gates, executive producerTris Hussey, editor and writerTatyana Mechkarova, social mediaFollow us on social media: LinkedIn - Twitter - Threads- Instagram - FacebookSign up for the Transit Unplugged Newsletter00:05 Introducing The New Future of Public Transportation02:29 Diving into Hot Topics with Dr. Karen Philbrick17:38 Exploring High Speed Rail with Paige Malott27:49 About the Book and Contributors27:56 A Comprehensive Overview of Book Contributors29:52 The Future of Public Transportation: A Global Perspective33:31 Zero Emission Vehicles and the Future34:35 Data, AI, and Cybersecurity in Transit35:00 Funding, Faring, and the Fiscal Cliff35:35 Geographic Futures and Global Insights36:12 Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged
This is a repost of Episode 158, originally aired on June 4, 2023. This conversation was the 5th most popular Future of Mobility episode in 2023. ... Francesca Favarò is the Lead for the Safety Best Practices team at Waymo, where she coordinates external engagement with standards developing organizations Key topics in this conversation include: The absence of unreasonable risk for automated driving systems Waymo's layered approach to safety, including hardware, the ADS behavioral layer, and operations The dynamic approach to safety Waymo's credible approach to safety The importance of collaboration and a common language amongst the automated driving community IEEE Std 2846 and reasonably foreseeable behaviors of other road users Links: Show notes: http://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/francesafavaro https://www.linkedin.com/in/ffavaro3/ Waymo's safety page: https://waymo.com/safety/ Waymo's safety case whitepaper: https://storage.googleapis.com/waymo-uploads/files/documents/safety/Waymo%20Safety%20Case%20Approach.pdf) Francesca's Bio: Francesca Favarò is the Lead for the Safety Best Practices team at Waymo, where she coordinates external engagement with standards developing organizations. Prior to joining Waymo in 2020, she was an Associate Professor at San Jose State University's Department of Aviation and Technology and a Research Associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute. Francesca earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech, and received her M.S. in Space Engineering and B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Milano. About Waymo: Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with a mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to get where they're going. Since our start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has been focused on building, deploying, and commercializing the World's Most Experienced Driver™ technology to improve the world's access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. The Waymo Driver powers Waymo One, the world's first fully autonomous ride-hailing service, as well as Waymo Via, our trucking and local delivery service. To date, Waymo has autonomously driven tens of millions of miles on public roads and tens of billions of miles in simulation, across 13+ U.S. states Future of Mobility: The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields. linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/ brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/
‘Mineta Transportation Institute' - Silicon Valley's Outreach for Assistance: The Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San Jose State University is a renowned hub for independent surface transportation research, education, workforce development, and technology transfer on a global scale. Dr. Philbrick spearheads four prestigious, competitively selected consortia, including the Mineta Consortium for Transportation Mobility and the Mineta Consortium for Equitable, Efficient, and Sustainable Transportation, generously funded by the US Department of Transportation. MTI also manages the California State University Transportation Consortium, made possible by the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017 (CA Senate Bill 1), and the Climate Change and Extreme Events Training and Research Program, supported by the Federal Railroad Administration. Their mission is to enhance nationwide mobility by elevating the safety, efficiency, accessibility, and convenience of the United States' transportation system. America's Transportation Problem: Traffic Congestion: The 2019 Urban Mobility Report found that commuters spend an extra 54 hours in traffic annually, totaling 8.8 billion hours overall Inefficient Public Transportation: The ASCE 2021 graded U.S. transit "D-," with over 40% of buses and 25% of rail assets in poor condition Road Safety Concerns: In 2019, 36,096 people died in car crashes, with pedestrian fatalities at their highest since 1990, accounting for 6,205 deaths Mineta Transportation Institute's Mission: Their mission is to increase mobility by improving the safety, efficiency, accessibility, and convenience of our nation's transportation system. Through research, education, workforce development, and technology transfer, they help create a connected world. About the Guest: Karen Philbrick has served as the Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) at San José State University since 2014. MTI oversees three distinguished multi-university consortia: the California State University Transportation Consortium (CSUTC), which consolidates surface transportation research and workforce development across the extensive California State University system; the Mineta Consortium for Transportation Mobility (MCTM), comprising four exceptional institutions that champion the diversity enriching our nation's fabric, including Howard University, Navajo Technical University, San José State University, and the University of North Carolina Charlotte. Additionally, MTI administers the Climate Change and Extreme Events Training and Research Program, generously funded by the Federal Railroad Administration. In this Episode: In this episode, get ready to explore the fascinating history and impactful work of the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI). Founded in 1991 as a university transportation center, MTI is dedicated to improving the mobility of people and goods. This episode delves into the organization's origins, its mission to honor the legacy of Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, and its remarkable journey from a local initiative to a globally recognized institution. Join us as Karen Philbrick, the President of MTI, shares her passion for improving mobility and the life-changing impact of transportation. Don't miss this episode that celebrates the power of transportation in transforming lives, fostering community, and making a global impact. Stay tuned for an enriching conversation with Karen Philbrick, and be prepared to embark on a journey of change and empowerment through transportation. Show Notes: Learn about the Mineta Transportation Institute (MTI) and its mission to improve mobility Discover the origins of MTI, founded in 1991 as a university transportation center, and its ties to Secretary Norman Y. Mineta How MTI was established to address the need for research and workforce development in transportation How mobility is a lifeline to opportunities, touching on its impact on social engagement and physical health Learn about MTI's numerous success stories, focusing on workforce development and its impact on young students pursuing careers in transportation Discover the challenges in transportation, including the need for policy alignment with innovation and user acceptance of autonomous vehicles Explore the various programs offered by MTI, including K-12 initiatives and an affordable Master's in Transportation Management program Rotary Club of San Jose: Learn about Karen's role as president of the Rotary Club of San Jose and her passion for community service Impact of Rotary: Karen shares a heartwarming story about the Rotary Play Garden, a project that made parks more accessible to children with disabilities
The United States faces a public health crisis on its roads. In 2021 alone, almost 43,000 people died in traffic crashes and millions more suffered serious injuries. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg calls the situation a preventable crisis—one for which we must take responsibility by recognizing that human lives are not a price to pay for modernity. New funding available through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) provides a significant opportunity to reduce crashes through infrastructure redesign. Join the Mineta Transportation Institute and a panel of national experts to discuss the role of infrastructure redesign in achieving a national goal of zero traffic fatalities. NOTES This program is supported by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San José State University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Francesca Favarò is the Lead for the Safety Best Practices team at Waymo, where she coordinates external engagement with standards developing organizations Key topics in this conversation include: The absence of unreasonable risk for automated driving systems Waymo's layered approach to safety, including hardware, the ADS behavioral layer, and operations The dynamic approach to safety Waymo's credible approach to safety The importance of collaboration and a common language amongst the automated driving community IEEE Std 2846 and reasonably foreseeable behaviors of other road users Links: ● Show notes: http://brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/francesafavaro ● https://www.linkedin.com/in/ffavaro3/ ● Waymo's safety page: https://waymo.com/safety/ ● Waymo's safety case whitepaper: https://storage.googleapis.com/waymo-uploads/files/documents/safety/Waymo%20Safety%20Case%20Approach.pdf) Francesca's Bio: Francesca Favarò is the Lead for the Safety Best Practices team at Waymo, where she coordinates external engagement with standards developing organizations. Prior to joining Waymo in 2020, she was an Associate Professor at San Jose State University's Department of Aviation and Technology and a Research Associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute. Francesca earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Georgia Tech, and received her M.S. in Space Engineering and B.S. in Aerospace Engineering from Politecnico di Milano. About Waymo: Waymo is an autonomous driving technology company with a mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to get where they're going. Since our start as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, Waymo has been focused on building, deploying, and commercializing the World's Most Experienced Driver™ technology to improve the world's access to mobility while saving thousands of lives now lost to traffic crashes. The Waymo Driver powers Waymo One, the world's first fully autonomous ride-hailing service, as well as Waymo Via, our trucking and local delivery service. To date, Waymo has autonomously driven tens of millions of miles on public roads and tens of billions of miles in simulation, across 13+ U.S. states Future of Mobility: The Future of Mobility podcast is focused on the development and implementation of safe, sustainable, effective, and accessible mobility solutions, with a spotlight on the people and technology advancing these fields. linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/ brandonbartneck.com/futureofmobility/
After two weeks of torrential rains, atmospheric rivers and bomb cyclones wreaking havoc on California's infrastructure and claiming human lives, late Sunday night, President Biden declared that an emergency does exist in the state of California. But what does that declaration mean for the state? And what are some ways we can prepare for similar climate emergencies in the future? To get some answers, KCBS Radio's Mallory Somera spoke with Frances Edwards, Deputy Director of the National Transportation Security Center at the Mineta Transportation Institute.
The accelerating transition to electric vehicles brings new urgency to discussions about how to replace fuel taxes with other broad-based, reliable sources of transportation revenue. From Wyoming to Delaware to California, more and more state legislatures are considering mileage fees, regions like the San Francisco Bay Area are considering expanded tolling, and New York City is within reach of adopting a congestion pricing proposal. Overlaying these discussions is a persistent call to consider the equity of any new charges on drivers. How will the charges impact low-income drivers? Does payment require access to banking tools that are not universally available? This event will explore proposals, including fee rates that vary by driver income, vehicle characteristics, or time and place, and equity-centered policies for responding to nonpayment of tolls or other fees. NOTES This program is supported by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San José State University. SPEAKERS Featured Speaker: U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio Member, U.S. House of Representatives (D-MA); Chair, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for the 117th Congress Fireside Chat with Karen Philbrick Ph.D., Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute Keynote Speaker: Polly Trottenberg Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation Q&A Moderator: Jeff Morales Managing Principal, InfraStrategies, LLC Asha Weinstein Agrawal Ph.D., Director, MTI National Transportation Finance Center James Corless Executive Director, Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) Reema Griffith Executive Director, Washington State Transportation Commission Hasan Ikhrata Executive Director, San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Stephanie Wiggins Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro)—Moderator In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on June 3rd, 2022 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In the public transit industry, we are all standing on the shoulders of giants. People who set the stage for the progress we're making now. The next several episodes on Transit Unplugged epitomize this fact looking back powering our way forward. This week Paul talks with Karen Philbrick, Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute. Named for Secretary Norman Mineta, the Institute conducts and supports research on a wide range of public transportation topics and issues. In their interview, Karen and Paul talk about some of the hot trends and big challenges facing the industry now. We get an insider's look into some of the most forward-thinking work in public transit today. We also hear from Elea Carey on prepping your leaders for interviews and Mike Bismeyer on finding and tapping the next generation of transit leaders. Coming up next week on Transit Unplugged is the first of two Legacy Leaders episodes. Next week we have Rod Diridon, Paul Toliver, Fred Gilliam, and Robert Prince on the show. If you have a question, comment, or like to be a guest on Transit Unplugged, feel free to email us anytime info@transitunplugged.com.
Transportation policymakers face two overlapping, once-in-a-generation opportunities: electrifying the nation's vehicle fleet and re-establishing a stable source of federal and state revenue for transportation. As states and the Biden administration begin a push to rapidly electrify the U.S. fleet for climate reasons, policymakers are under increasing pressure to rethink how states and the federal government fund transportation infrastructure and services. For decades, motor fuel taxes have generated the majority of state and federal funds spent on transportation, even if recently these taxes have been losing their purchasing power. However, a shift to electric vehicles will require a new transportation funding model. The speakers will discuss the challenges and opportunities with such options as mileage fees, carbon taxes, higher vehicle registration fees, or a shift entirely away from user-generated revenue. This program is supported by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San José State University. SPEAKERS Special Guest, The Honorable Pete Buttigieg U.S. Secretary of Transportation Karen Philbrick Ph.D., Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute—Program Emcee Opening Remarks: U.S. Senator Alex Padilla U.S. Senator (D-CA); Former California Secretary of State Keynote: Toks Omishakin Director, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Event Moderator: Therese McMillan Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Ph.D. Director, MTI National Transportation Finance Center Carl Guardino Executive Vice President, Government Affairs and Policy, Bloom Energy Carlos Braceras, P.E. Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation Dan Sperling, Ph.D. Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Davis In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on June 11th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Transportation policymakers face two overlapping, once-in-a-generation opportunities: electrifying the nation's vehicle fleet and re-establishing a stable source of federal and state revenue for transportation. As states and the Biden administration begin a push to rapidly electrify the U.S. fleet for climate reasons, policymakers are under increasing pressure to rethink how states and the federal government fund transportation infrastructure and services. For decades, motor fuel taxes have generated the majority of state and federal funds spent on transportation, even if recently these taxes have been losing their purchasing power. However, a shift to electric vehicles will require a new transportation funding model. The speakers will discuss the challenges and opportunities with such options as mileage fees, carbon taxes, higher vehicle registration fees, or a shift entirely away from user-generated revenue. This program is supported by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San José State University. SPEAKERS Special Guest, The Honorable Pete Buttigieg U.S. Secretary of Transportation Karen Philbrick Ph.D., Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute—Program Emcee Opening Remarks: U.S. Senator Alex Padilla U.S. Senator (D-CA); Former California Secretary of State Keynote: Toks Omishakin Director, California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Event Moderator: Therese McMillan Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Asha Weinstein Agrawal, Ph.D. Director, MTI National Transportation Finance Center Carl Guardino Executive Vice President, Government Affairs and Policy, Bloom Energy Carlos Braceras, P.E. Executive Director, Utah Department of Transportation Dan Sperling, Ph.D. Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Davis In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently hosting all of our live programming via YouTube live stream. This program was recorded via video conference on June 11th, 2021 by the Commonwealth Club of California. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Join us for this special program in The Commonwealth Club's series recognizing recipients of The Club's 2020 Distinguished Citizens Award. This program honors Rod Diridon, Sr., a staunch transportation and environmental advocate for most of his life. As The San Jose Mercury News observed, "Along the way to having a passenger station named in his honor that has become the catalyst for the next iteration of San Jose's downtown, he chaired the first campaign in California for a sales tax for transit, helped create the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, and organized the joint powers boards for rail construction projects. He has chaired dozens of charitable nonprofit organizations dealing with issues in transportation, the environment, parks, local history and journalism." From 1993 to 2014, Mr. Diridon served as executive director of the Mineta Transportation Institute, a transportation policy research center created in 1991 by Congress. He is known as the father of modern transit service in Silicon Valley and has chaired more than 100 international, national, state and local programs, most related to transit and the environment. He frequently provides legislative testimony on sustainability. Mr. Diridon was appointed in 2001 and 2005 by Governors Davis and Schwarzenegger, respectively, to the California High Speed Rail Authority Board, of which he is chair emeritus. He's past chair of the American Public Transportation Association, was elected chair of the U.S. High Speed Rail Association's Board, and served for 6 years as North American vice chair of the International Transit Association in Brussels. His political career began in 1971 as the youngest person ever elected to the Saratoga City Council. He retired in 1995 because of term limits after completing five terms on and six times chairing both the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and Transit Board. He's the only person to chair the San Francisco Bay Area's (119 cities, 27 transit agencies, and 9 counties) three regional governments: The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Air Quality Management District, and the Association of Bay Area Governments. He chaired nine successful rail system development project boards. In 1995 the region's main train station was renamed the “San Jose Diridon Station” upon his retirement. Mr. Diridon is now focused on combating climate change by convening the Rotary Climate Action Council. Conversing with Mr. Diridon will be Nuria Fernandez, a 35-year veteran of the transportation industry. In addition to her role with the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, she serves as chair of the American Public Transportation Association. Come for a salute to one of the country's most highly regarded transportation leaders and an engaging conversation about the future of transit, especially in a time of pandemics, fires, hurricanes and floods. Bring your questions as well. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
SPEAKERS Rod Diridon, Sr. Emeritus Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute; Chair Emeritus, California High Speed Rail Authority In Conversation with Nuria Fernandez General Manager and CEO, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority In response to the Coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak, this program took place and was recorded live via video conference, for an online audience only, and was live-streamed by The Commonwealth Club of California from San Francisco on November 9th, 2020.
How complicated does a terrorist act have to be? Do terrorists have to master complicated technologies to achieve their ends? No, all it takes is a car. Borealis weighs in on vehicular ramming attacks.Using a car or truck as a weapon isn’t unique to 2020. A 2018 report from San Jose State University’s Mineta Transportation Institute identified vehicle ramming as an increasingly common terrorism tactic. ISIS and Al Qaeda, in particular, encourage followers to drive into unsuspecting pedestrians. The rationale is as simple as it is ruthless: Obtaining a car is easier (and less likely to raise suspicion) than buying guns or explosives, and radicalized acolytes need little-to-no training or planning to carry out the attack.► See also: 5 Drivers Have Hit Colorado Protesters With Vehicles This SummerAbout the host Phil Gurski:Phil is the President and CEO of Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting Ltd. and Programme Director for the Security, Economics and Technology (SET) hub at the University of Ottawa’s Professional Development Institute (PDI). He worked as a senior strategic analyst at CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service) from 2001-2015, specializing in violent Islamist-inspired homegrown terrorism and radicalisation.►Twitter- https://twitter.com/borealissaves►LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-gurski-8942468/►Email - borealisrisk@gmail.comLike this podcast? Check Phil Gurski's latest books:https://amzn.to/2ALdpoGAbout Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting:Shedding light on a risky world, Borealis Threat and Risk Consulting can provide you with the necessary advice and training to protect you and your agency from the threat of terrorism. We offer training for those who need the latest information on threats to your security.►https://borealisthreatandrisk.com/
The COVID-19 pandemic threatens every aspect of transportation funding in California. State revenues from federal, state, regional and local taxes and fees are all at risk. Since California's shelter-in-place order went into effect in March, the state has already faced plummeting revenues from gasoline taxes, tolls, transit fares and sales taxes. These revenue sources will most likely continue to be severely threatened in the coming months and possibly even years. Panelists will discuss the opportunities for every level of government to help recover transportation revenues in our uncertain future. Can we rely on our traditional mix of revenue sources? Will the COVID-19 crisis stimulate innovation in transportation finance? These and other revenue options will be discussed at the 11th Annual Norman Y. Mineta National Transportation Policy Summit. NOTES This program is supported by the Mineta Transportation Institute at San José State University Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
SPEAKERS Welcome by Dr. Karen Philbrick Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute Keynote by David S. Kim Secretary, California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) Moderator: Nuria Fernandez Chair, American Public Transportation Association; General Manager and CEO, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Asha Weinstein Agrawal Director, Mineta Transportation Institute’s National Transportation Finance Center Carl Guardino President and CEO, Silicon Valley Leadership Group Therese Watkins McMillan Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission in San Francisco Matthew Tucker Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, North County Transit District In response to the Coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak, this program took place and was recorded live via video conference, for an online audience only, and was live-streamed from The Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco on June 26th, 2020.
It was a big week for one of San Francisco’s busiest streets: On Wednesday much of Market Street -- a thoroughfare cutting right through the heart of the city’s downtown -- made the switch from car friendly to car free with with new rules banning all private traffic. On this edition of KCBS In Depth we take a look at how the first day of this car free conversion went and then examine where the broader movement for pedestrian-friendly cities might be headed next. Guests: Stan Bunger, anchor for KCBS Radio Holly Quan, reporter for KCBS Radio Karen Philbrick, executive director of the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University Marta Lindsey, communications director for Walk San Francisco Host: KCBS Radio reporter Keith Menconi
SPEAKERS Therese McMillan Executive Director, Metropolitan Transportation Commission Secretary Norman Mineta Secretary (Ret.), U.S. Department of Transportation, Moderator Asha Agrawal Ph.D., Director, Mineta Transportation Institute National Transportation Finance Center Carl Guardino President and CEO, Silicon Valley Leadership Group Pedro Galvao Senior Policy Manager, Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California Honorable Cindy Chavez Santa Clara Supervisor (Invited) Abigail Thorne-Lyman Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Program Manager for the Strategic and Policy Planning Group, BART Karen Philbrick Ph.D., Executive Director, Mineta Transportation Institute, Moderator This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club of California in San Francisco on June 21st, 2019. * This Podcast is 223 minutes in length as it contains both morning modules back to back. The segment-break is at 66.18.
In this episode of Terrorism 360°, Founding Director of START Dr. Gary LaFree interviews Dr. Brian Jenkins, a renowned author and researcher of terrorism studies. Dr. Jenkins is a senior adviser to the president of the RAND Corporation, and formerly served as chair of the Political Science Department at RAND. He is a research associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute where he directs the continuing research on protecting surface transportation against terrorist attacks.
We have big problems in the Bay Area, and they arguably impact every resident. Traffic. Congestion. Backups on Bay Area bridges. Public transit that doesn't meet the needs of all commuters. Dr. Karen Philbrick, Executive Director of the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University, speaks with KCBS Radio's Stan Bunger and Holly Quan about the problems and efforts to identify solutions. And, that conversation absolutely includes talk about ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft--the benefits AND additional problems created by ride-hailing services. Transportation, Dr. Philbrick says, has to be a discussion about "personal mobility"--and that even includes skateboards, bikes--tools that help people reach transit hubs.
Mineta Transportation Institute’s Emergency Disaster expert Dr. Frannie Edwards talks about planning for a disaster in the Bay Area
CREATE: National Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorism Events at USC
While considerable progress has been made in degrading al Qaeda's operational capabilities, the terrorist threat inspired by its ideology could persist for decades. The terrorist group's efforts to inspire homegrown terrorists continue, but so far, have produced meager results. America's Muslims have rejected al Qaeda's exhortations while effective domestic intelligence efforts have prevented almost all domestic terrorist attacks. Both are now being challenged from opposite ends of the political spectrum. America's counterterrorist campaign has not savaged civil liberties, but our democracy in dancing on the edge of tyranny as America has laid the legislative foundation for a more repressive state. We now depend too much on the wisdom of our officials to show self-constraint, which the current political environment hardly permits. Meanwhile, a decade of unprecedented tranquility at home has only encouraged an unrealistic public expectation of zero risk. Americans have demonstrated that a tragic terrorist attack cannot bring down this republic. Only its frightened and divided citizens can. Biography: Brian Michael Jenkins, senior adviser to the president at the RAND Corporation, is the author of Will Terrorists Go Nuclear (2008, Prometheus Books) and of several RAND monographs on terrorism-related topics. He formerly served as chair of the Political Science Department at RAND. In anticipation of the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, Jenkins spearheaded the RAND effort to take stock of America's policy reactions and give thoughtful consideration to the future strategy. That effort is presented in The Long Shadow of 9/11: America's Response to Terrorism (Brian Michael Jenkins and John Paul Godges, eds., 2011). Commissioned in the infantry, Jenkins became a paratrooper and a captain in the Green Berets. He is a decorated combat veteran, having served in the Seventh Special Forces Group in the Dominican Republic and with the Fifth Special Forces Group in Vietnam. He returned to Vietnam as a member of the Long Range Planning Task Group and received the Department of the Army's highest award for his service. In 1996, President Clinton appointed Jenkins to the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security. From 1999 to 2000, he served as adviser to the National Commission on Terrorism and in 2000 was appointed to the U.S. Comptroller General's Advisory Board. He is a research associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute, where he directs the continuing research on protecting surface transportation against terrorist attacks.
Research Seminars at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy
Common social norms in Western liberal democracies, based on openness, access, trust, freedom of speech, and diversity are increasingly compromised by a growing obsession with safety, security, and surveillance in the post 9/11 era. We explore the implications for the public space and life in contemporary cities. Even before 9/11, the increasing privatization of the public realm – following the neoliberal argument for the “enclosure of the commons” -- has contributed to the decline of the intensity and diversity of social contacts and the changing functions, purposes, and uses of public space. This trend has been further exacerbated by the growing preoccupation with control and surveillance in the public realm to promote public safety, provoked in part by the terrorist attacks of the last decade. In out talk, we will examine the roots, factors, and consequences of these phenomena, which some have coined "the assault on public space," and considers their implications for the future of public space. SPEAKERS: Tridib Banerjee, Professor, James Irvine Chair in Urban and Regional Planning, Director, Graduate Programs in Urban Planning, USC SPPD, has focused his research, teaching, and writing on the design and planning of the built environment and the related human and social consequences. In particular, he is interested in the political economy of urban development, and the effects of globalization in the transformation of urban form and urbanism from a comparative international perspective. His current research includes implementation of smart growth policies, converting brown fields to affordable housing, designing for residential density and walkable communities, and transit oriented development. He is principal investigator of USC's Center for Economic Development and serves as the director of the Community Development and Design Forum. Anastasia Loukaitou-Sideris is Associate Dean of the UCLA School of Public Affairs and Professor at the UCLA Department of Urban Planning. Her area of specialization is urban design, physical and land use planning. She has published extensively on issues of downtown redevelopment, inner-city revitalization, transit-oriented development, design and transit safety, and parks and open spaces. She has served as a consultant to the Transportation Research Board, Federal Highway Administration, Southern California Association of Governments, South Bay Cities Council of Government, Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative, Mineta Transportation Institute, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Greek government, and many municipal governments on issues of urban design, open space development, land use and transportation.