Dear Friend of SMART:
Welcome to (abridged) Issue #10 of SMART’s e-NEWS briefs. It's shorter than usual and hot on the heels of the last e-news just because there are so many events coming up that we wanted to tell you about and remind you about.
And we’d still like to hear from you for upcoming issues. Please send your comments, questions, related research, favorite innovations, case studies, and collaboration ideas to me, Susan Zielinski, Managing Director of SMART at susanz@umich.edu. For past issues of SMART e-NEWS, go to:
Issue 1
Issue 2
Issue 3
Issue 4
Issue 5
Issue 6
Issue 7
Issue 8
Issue 9
SMART upcoming events
January 22: 6:00 p.m. Talking Transport in Turkey - Sibel Bulay, EMBARQ / Ford
SMART Distinguished Speaker Series
University of Michigan BSRB (Bio Science Research Building) Seminar Rooms. 109
Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor.
EMBARQ Istanbul: Working with CityTowards Sustainable Mobility
 A strikingly beautiful city which can trace its history back 8000 years, Istanbul is Turkey's financial, commercial, industrial, cultural, educational and emotional heart. It is also one of the world's megacities. And if there’s one thing that its 16M inhabitants agree on, it's that traffic congestion is Istanbul's number one problem. EMBARQ has been in Istanbul since January 2005 working with the city administration to address congestion and reduce transport-based emissions. Following a brief review of the work of EMBARQ, we will look at the current transport infrastructure in Istanbul. Finally we will review the work of EMBARQ Istanbul and share our learnings.
About Sibel Bulay
Sibel Bulay, Director of EMBARQ Istanbul, is a Ford Visiting Fellow at the
World Resources Institute (WRI). Prior to joining WRI, Ms. Bulay was in
Product Development at Ford Motor Company. Ms. Bulay was also involved in
Ford Motor Company's sustainable development initiatives. Prior to joining
Ford, she taught at the Middle East Technical University in Gaziantep,
Turkey. Sibel Bulay holds a Master of Science degree in Mechanical
Engineering and an MBA, both from the University of Michigan.
January 30: Noon - 1:30 p.m. Gordon Feller, Urban Age Institute. SMART Distinguished Speaker Series.
University of Michigan Palmer Commons, Great Lakes Central Room 4th floor. 100 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor
Kissin’ Cousins – A Presentation by Gordon Feller on What Happens when Transport, Energy, and Urban Planning Systems meet (… and related opportunities for SouthEast Michigan)
What happens when transport systems and urban energy systems and urban planning systems start to meet? Well, they’ve always met, and in most cases they’ve been very close cousins, if not outright siblings. Gordon Feller’s presentation will ask (and maybe even begin to answer) a few important questions:
• Now that the world is noticing these inter-relationsips, what’s the best way to take advantage of the opportunity created by the new perceptions of systemic interconnections?
• If Obama’s economic stimulus plan intends to pump hundreds of billions into upgrading urban infrastructure (plus rural and some other things), will it simply be renovation? Or will there be room for innovation?
• What kinds of innovations will make for sustainable urban mobility that goes beyond the usual silos and categories (smart transport, clean transit, greener built environment, livable city plans, revitalized neighbourhoods)?
• What contribution could be made by advocates of a “whole systems approach” to policy making, especially where city leaders are hard-pressed to cope with the harsh realities of dysfunctional urban economies and their underlying systems?
• What lessons can Southeast Michigan draw from these systems approaches?
About Gordon Feller
As CEO of Urban Age Institute, Feller leads a 15-year old international organization. UAI was founded inside the World Bank and later spun off. UAI’s team of recognized innovators help leaders to assess urban transport projects, to structure key projects and create partnerships, and increase the innovative content within these projects, to reduce risk factors.
For nearly 30 years, Feller has been assisting leaders from…
- national governments (Canada; Germany; Japan)
- mayors and governors (Lyon; Paris; Yokohama; Ohio)
- international agencies (UN; World Bank)
- corporations (Citigroup; Chevron; WS Atkins)
Feller’s “Meeting of the Minds” annually convenes a select group of corporate and government leaders. It is sponsored by Toyota and Metropolis (world association of the mayors of the world’s largest cities), among others. Oregon‘s Governor hosted the 2008 program with IBM and Portland General Electric as co-sponsors. While completing undergraduate and graduate degrees (both cum-laude) at Columbia University (New York), Feller received numerous fellowships and international awards. Feller’s writing has appeared in 400+ newspapers and magazines on all five continents. His first book was published during his undergrad years at Columbia.
For more information see: www.mtgoftheminds.org and www.urbanage.org/magazine.php
February 20: Noon - 1:30 p.m. New Mobility, Integration and Industry Development in India. Raj Cherubal, Janaagraha, Chennai, India. SMART Distinguished Speaker Series.
University of Michigan BSRB (Bio Science Research Building) Seminar Rooms. 109
Zina Pitcher Place, Ann Arbor.
 Improving mobility and integration of existing and future transport networks in the developing world is crucial. This talk will center on the realities -- good and bad -- at the ground level and progress in pilots being conducted in Chennai and Bangalore, India. There is a lot of enthusiasm and support from all quarters of society -- government, industry, NGOs and citizens as everyone recognizes the importance of mobility to urban development, poverty alleviation and quality of urban life. But to achieve our objectives, we need a better understanding of the urban governance realities in the developing world along with sound strategy to leverage the capabilities of the growing urban transportation industry.
About Raj Cherubal
Raj Cherubal is the coordinator for City Connect and Janaagraha in Chennai.
Janaagraha is a leading organisation in the area of urban governance reform
and promotes legislative and social framework to ensure meaningful urban
public participation and accountability. City Connect, a platform for
industry associations and civic organisations, envisions vibrant Indian
cities that deliver world-class quality of life, infrastructure and services
for all its citizens-rich and poor. He is interested in improving urban governance, urban quality of life and
promoting market-based solutions to poverty. He has written and worked to promote decentralisation, good urban
governance, promote economic freedom for urban entrepreneurs like street
hawkers and others in the informal sector and for their recognition as
profit seeking entrepreneurs.
He holds a M.S. in Physics from the University of Louisville and a M.S. in
Nuclear Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He has
worked in the software industry in area like computational physics and
visualisation, telecom and finance.
Other Great Events
January 23: Ontario Cycle Tourism Forum
Fairmont Royal York Hotel, Toronto Canada
The Ontario Cycle Tourism Forum will bring together leading cycle tourism stakeholders to discuss business development opportunities and challenges of this growing tourism market segment in Ontario. Confirmed special guest speakers include: The Honourable Monique Smith, Ontario Minister of Tourism, Jean-François Pronovost, Executive Director, Vélo Québec Association, Lukas Stadtherr, Co-director, Velobüro/SwitzerlandMobility, Eric Nijland, Director, Dutch National Cycling Platfor, Richard Bonds, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Tourism Office.
The forum will feature presentations from world-leading cycle tourism organizations and provide market profiles of specific regions, successful tourist product and marketing examples, business development case studies, best practices in infrastructure and signage, and evaluation of regional growth opportunities. Over 150 delegates are expected to attend from across Ontario representing destination marketing organizations, municipal and provincial government, non-profit organizations, tour operators, small and large businesses, and established cycling associations. The forum will be critical for anyone wanting to learn why cycle tourism is growing in Ontario, how to develop your own local market, and what will be the next steps for establishing Ontario as a leading cycle tourism destination in North America.
Visit http://www.ontariocycletourismforum.ca to see the full agenda.
Contributed by Justin Lafontaine
January 29 & 30: Ross Net Impact Forum 2009. Next Practices to Address Future Challenges (including Transportation)
Ross School of Business and Michigan League, Ann Arbor.
Corporations across the globe have recognized the value of incorporating social and environmental issues into their core strategies -- so what’s next? Over 400 business leaders, faculty, and students from the Midwest region will convene to discuss how the public, private, and non-profit sectors should address the host of increasingly complex and interconnected social and environmental issues impacting business. Speakers include John Ehrenfeld, author of Sustainability by Design, Tom Szaky, Founder & CEO Terracycle, and SMART’s Sue Zielinski.
Topics include: Green marketing – is it enough?; Adapting business models to address complex environmental issues; Climate change strategies to weather today’s economy; Transportation in a carbon-constrained world, From concept to operation – social entrepreneurship workshop; Innovative business models in developing countries – engines of poverty alleviation, and more. The forum is hosted by Ross Net Impact, a professional development organization that equips MBA’s with the skills, networks, knowledge, and opportunities to improve the world through business. With more than 280 members, the club has been awarded the national “Chapter of the Year” for 3 years running. For more information, go to http://rossnetimpactforum.org
Contributed by Jason MacDonald
May 26 – 29: Transport for a Global Economy – New Challenges and Opportunities – (along with the new Young Researcher Award of the International Transport Forum)
Leipzig, Germany
Efficient Transport is a cornerstone of our global economy. Competitive transport services operated securely and sustainably are essential for growth and development. But now the financial crisis coupled with volatile oil prices poses demanding new challenges for international transport systems. What does the present economic crisis mean for globalization? Transport and globalization – who stands to lose and win? How will the global credit crunch affect transport investment programmes? These questions will be addressed at this forum, hosted annually by the International Transport Forum, which provides an annual platform for Transport Ministers from around the world to meet with researchers and leaders of civil society and examine strategic policy issues facing the sector. The Forum is supported by the Joint Transport Research Center, which is a joint initiative of the International Forum and the OECD. For more information, go to: http://www.internationaltransportforum.org/
In addition, the forum offers a “Young Reseacher Award” to a young researcher (or researchers) who submits the best research paper on the 2009 forum theme: “Transport for a Global Economy, New Challenges and Opportunities”. For more information on the Young Researcher Award, go to http://www.internationaltransportforum.org/2009/pdf/Award.pdf
June 15, 16, & 17: International Conference on Efficient, Safe, and Sustainable Truck Transportation Systems for the Future
Michigan League Ballroom, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Building the Policy Options Roadmap: Legislators and transportation policy experts around the world are challenged by rising energy costs, an increasing freight demand and growing concerns regarding greenhouse gas emissions. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is conducting an international study of highway freight transportation safety, efficiency and policy with a view to sustainability. The preliminary findings of this study will be discussed at the conference together with the most recent domestic and international highway freight research results with a view to building policy options that support a vibrant economy while protecting environmental and public interests.
The conference will include:
• plenary sessions on the future direction of both domestic and international highway freight transportation including international benchmarking of transportation efficiency and safety performance
• executive sessions featuring speakers from around the world, presenting key findings of research and policy enacted
• technical sessions on advances in truck technologies and operational practices as well as safety, performance-based standards and operational innovations
• closing sessions in which attendees will produce a roadmap outlining highway freight policy recommendations for use in future policy development
The conference is hosted by UMTRI, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Major sponsors include the United States Department of Transport, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, the American Trucking Association, and Conway Freight.
Who should attend? Stakeholders in the highway freight transport system, including legistlators and their staff, federal and state transport and highway infrastructure officials, shippers, motor carriers, commercial drivers’ representatives, motorists, insurance industry officials, manufacturers, suppliers and researchers. For more information contact Karen Szemak szemak@umich.edu (734-647-8633).
Contributed by John Woodrooffe, Research Scientist, UMTRI.
June 15 - 17: The National Summit, (Detroit Economic CLub) Ford Field, Detroit
For more information, please visit http://www.nationalsummit.org/
June 18 – 19: Sustainable Mobility Symposium: A Practical Applications Approach for Engineers
Next Energy, Detroit Michigan
Automotive design or manufacturing engineers have direct involvement with sustainable mobility whether they are aware of it or not. What they need to know is how Sustainable Mobility concepts are translated into product / process design and technical specifications. Participants will discuss how the goals of the 2030 sustainable mobility report can be translated into product specifications that define and design the space. This “practical approaches” symposium will address the concepts of sustainability with the idea that if done correctly engineers can walk away with ideas and practices to take back to integrate into their work environment. OEM and supplier case-studies, industry / government co-operative ventures, panel discussions, and a hands-on exercise will introduce participants to concepts and practices of Sustainable Mobility that can be applied to their job function.
Contributed by Marc LeDuc, Technical Program Engineer, Society of Automotive Engineers
Case study briefs
Don’t Forget INSPIREMOBILITY, SMART’s OnLine Innovations Library and Blog
Inspiremobility is a case-based library of innovations related to sustainable transportation. Find the link on SMART’s home page or at www.inspiremobility.blogspot.com. If you’d like to contribute innovations you know about to the blog, please E-mail the URL to inspiremobility@gmail.com and your submission will be posted within 48 hours.
SMART News
More in-depth news next issue, meanwhile...,
New Publication by SMART member Moira Zellner
Zellner, M. L. 2008. Embracing Complexity and Uncertainty: The Potential
of Agent-Based Modeling for Environmental Planning and Policy. Planning
Theory and Practice 9 (4):437 - 457.
Environmental degradation is often defined as a public goods problem, emerging when property rights are not clearly defined and costs are externalized to other parties. Proposing corrective regulation that enforces technological fixes or market-based approaches is often met with political resistance and doubts about its effectiveness. This is partly due to the complexity of interacting physical and socio-economic components that obscure the impacts of human decision-making on environmental functions. Yet, understanding the complexity of integrated human-environmental systems can help planners and stakeholders frame environmental problems, view their role in them and design effective policies to address them. This article examines the potential complex systems, illustrating the argument with a hypothetical application in groundwater management.
About SMART
Visit um-smart.org to learn about SMART.
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