Category News&Updates

Join us for this free half-hour webinar on July 30 at 10:00 AM, sponsored by MTI as San José State University. Register at https://tinyurl.com/Mineta730. Michelle DeRobertis will briefly present findings from this research which focussed on ten metropolitan areas in Europe, Canada and Australia with highly effective regional transit systems.

Each area was evaluated to identify commonalities that could contribute to their high public transit usage. This research focused on key characteristics from the perspective of the metropolitan area transit as a system, not the individual transit operators...

Dear Friends,
Please note that the planned Symposium on Green Streets for Sustainable Communities Symposium, originally planned as an in-person day-long symposium in March 2020, has been transformed to a multi-day event for the fall.

We have decided to transform the in-person format to a series of three, connected interactive, information-rich three-hour sessions. Our streets are a crucial community resource, now more than ever. We hope that you will reserve the time and join for all three sessions.

Each day will begin at 8:30 am with an informal & optional networking time.
Each program will begin at 9 am and conclude by 12 noon.
Day 1 – Vision and Economics (Thursday, September 10, 2020)
Day 2 – Case Studies (Friday, September 25, 2020)
Day 3 – Funding Strategies (Thursday,&...

Transportation Choices for Sustainable Communities is pleased to announce the latest  issue of World Transport Policy and Practice (WTPP Issue 26.1) is now available at http://worldtransportjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/wtpp26.1.pdf

This is a special issue to celebrate the work of Joe Kott, our main co-founder who died in February 2019. It highlights his career which made valuable contributions to sustainable transport and liveable streets. All of  the articles are thought-provoking and were either written by Joe or reflect Joe’s influence directly or indirectly, ranging from Pedestrian Streets and Green Streets  to Cars and Cities and the Freedom to Drive.

A few words about Dr. Joe Kott from our Board President:

I was fortunate to be on the Palo Alto City Council ...

On June 27 2019 Michelle DeRobertis gave a presentation at the Twelfth Global Studies Conference, held in Krakow, Poland. Her presentation was based on the abstract submitted by TCSC founder Joseph Kott, prior to his untimely death last February. His abstract was entitled:
Global Inspiration for US Urban Transport Innovation.

Joe’s vision was to present to the multidisciplinary conference how the global exchange of ideas has improved U.S. transportation and furthermore, such information exchanges are important to continue. His abstract is presented below.

Abstract:

Since the era of urban transport reform and focus on more sustainable
mobility in America began in earnest in the early 1990s, Americans have
looked abroad for inspiration. Americans have studied, then eventually
implemented, bi...

 Transportation Choices for Sustainable Communities Research and Policy Institute, a 501c3 corporation, is delighted to announce the election yesterday of Meghna Tare to our Board of Directors and the appointment of Dr. Chris Ferrell as Executive Director.

Ms. Tare is Executive Director of the Institute for Sustainability and Global Impact at the University of Texas at Arlington and an experienced executive in public policy for sustainability in the Dallas, Texas metropolitan area. She holds three master’s degrees,  in chemistry from the University of San Francisco, environmental studies from San Jose State University, and sustainable business management from Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco...

On September 27, 2013 California’s governor signed SB 743 into law, in part mandating the transition from a level of service (LOS)-based to a vehicle-miles traveled (VMT)-based transportation impact analysis for environmental impact review in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Transportation Choices for Sustainable Communities (Consultant) has been hired by Changelab Solutions (Client) to perform a case study analysis of the ongoing efforts underway at a variety of local governments to comply with this change in the law...

The following paper was published in the June 2017 issue of the  Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Journal.

Enjoy!

Abstract

The convergence of many issues makes it timely to reassess the role of the urban arterial: environmental concerns, climate change, complete streets, sustainability, urban livability indices, and indeed less per capita driving. While some might say technology will save us, this paper purports that something more fundamental needs to change.

TheTragedyoftheCommonsJune2017

Entering the ZTL portion of Piazza Vittorio Veneto in Torino, where LRT is also permitted.

Transportation Choices Principal Michelle DeRobertis has just published an article in the ITE Journal  (December 2016) about Italy’s traffic-limited zones, or ZTL in Italian.  Entitled Traffic-Restricted Zones in Italy: The Most Widespread Traffic Control Strategy You’ve Never Heard Of,  the paper describes the distinctly Italian practice of prohibiting all but residents (and taxis and a few other special categories of vehicles) from driving within historic city centers. They are present in Italian towns with populations ranging from 2,300 to Rome, with 2.3 million. The evolution and implementation of over 270 ZTL since the 1980’s inspired Michelle to enroll in a Ph.D...