Dear Friend of SMART:
Welcome to Issue #12 of SMART’s e-NEWS briefs. In this issue we share upcoming events and we'll also catch you up on some of the latest SMART news. To learn more about SMART’s mission and activities and how to get involved, please go to um-SMART.org
And we'd like to hear from you. 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
Issue 10
Issue 11
SMART upcoming events
April 14 - 15: 2009 Michigan Land & Prosperity Summit: Building a Michigan Prosperity Network.
Lansing, Michigan
The two-day event will focus on “Building a Michigan Prosperity Network” and will differ from past, single-day summits by including a Resource Day (April 14) that shares the latest information on what Michigan can do to thrive in a changing economy and an Action Day (April 15) that focuses on concrete strategies to lead Michigan into renewed prosperity. Resource Day (April 14) is hosted by the Land Policy Institute, and Action Day (April 15) is hosted by LPI and the Michigan Land Use Funders.
Learn and share knowledge about strategies to lead Michigan into renewed prosperity. Key Michigan leaders will tell their success stories and help identify ways to make a difference for our communities and for Michigan.
Who Should Attend?
All are welcome to attend: Regional organizers, elected officials, and community and economic leaders, as well as local, regional and state policy makers, business leaders and educators.
AND NOTE: There IS Such a Thing as a Free Lunch — and a Free Day, at the Summit! You Cannot Afford to Miss This Opportunity
We all know times are tough. We understand you may want to attend the 2009 Michigan Land & Prosperity Summit but lack the financial resources to do so. The Michigan Land Use Funders are offering scholarships to anyone to cover mileage expenses and waive the registration fee for the April 15 Action Day.
Scholarships are limited, and are based on a first-come, first-serve basis (and, in most cases, limited to two individuals per organization). Go here to complete the application form by April 10, 2009, for consideration.
If you have any questions, please contact Jessica McFarland at mcfarland@landpolicy.msu.edu or (517) 432-8800 ext. 103.
Click Here to Register and See the Agenda
April 20 - Ann Arbor’s Bicycle Choir
Arbor Brewing Company - 6:30 p.m.
Do you Ride A Bike? Do you Like to Sing?
Ann Arbor’s Bicycle Choir Is For You!
Join us on Monday, April 20 at 6:30pm at Arbor Brewing Company for the inaugural gathering of Ann Arbor’s only choir-on-bikes, a fledgling symphony of self-propelled humanity.
What is a bike choir? It’s a group of 4 to 25 (or more) people who sing (often in four part harmony) as they ride together through the streets. Based on the only other bike choir we know of (Song Cycles – Toronto’s Choir On Bikes), the songs are usually familiar popular, jazz, classical, world, theater, or folk tunes usually adapted to sing the praises of bicycle transportation and / or the communities that embrace it. Though half the fun is composing and customizing new songs, we already have a good start with Toronto’s repertoire (available on CD), including:
Bicyclized Ode To Joy (adapted from Beethoven’s)
Two-Wheel Tango
Way-O (an adapted and urbanized version of Belefonte’s Day-O)
Kumanovao Byksko Oro (an ancient Macedonian bike repair song)
Bike Gang Song
Madrigal
Resolution (adapted from the Brecht / Eisler original)
Recitatistic (a recitatif describing an OECD finding on increased retail sales related to sustainable transport implementation)
And more…
For this first meeting we may get to sing but its purpose is mainly to meet and see if there is a Bike Choir in Ann Arbor’s future. Sue Zielinski, co-founder of Toronto’s bike choir will be there to tell some stories and share experiences from her 10 years with Song Cycles. Please come along regardless of your level musical talent – there are many ways to be involved. We look forward to seeing you on the 20th!
*Sponsored by Michigan Peaceworks. For more information, email Laura Russello, at Laura@Michiganpeaceworks.org.
November. 2009. SMART'S (now annual) Summit - Moving Minds: The Next Transportation Infrastructure.
BSRB Ann Arbor
In November 2009, SMART's Sustainable Urban Mobility & Accessibility Summit is back by popular demand at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Moving Minds: The Next Transportation Infrastructure will bring researchers together with business leaders, entrepreneurs, practitioners and policy makers from around the world:
• to share new knowledge and experience in piloting and implementing innovative, integrative sustainable urban mobility and accessibility in urban regions around the world
• to share conceptual and theoretical foundations, research, and methodologies related to implementing sustainable urban transportation (see themes below)
• to build on an evolving collaborative research network to study and support sustainable transportation integration and implementation
• to build on a collaborative industry network (a collaboratory, or "link tank") to support and accelerate private sector innovation and new business development related to New Mobility (sustainable urban transportation).
This year's summit will give special attention to:
• Emerging policy framworks and directions for the next transportation infrastructure and building the New Mobility economy
• "Moving Minds" -- understanding the cultural, psychological, and aspirational underpinnings of our relationship to transportation (for both users and leaders), and responding with innovative systems that address these dimensions sustainably, equitably, and compellingly
• "Resilience" - designing and operating transportation/communication systems with capacities for transformation learning, adaptation and creative renewal when confronted by crisis, surprise, stress and trauma
• Innovative Capacity Building - developing and sharing the knowledge and skills to address the emerging global challenges and opportunities of New Mobility / sustainable transportation in urban regions
The three-day program makes space for related projects and partnerships to meet in parallel while drawing new knowledge, energy, and inspiration from the core program. (Let us know if you would like to organize a parallel stream).
The meeting aims to build on the invaluable wisdom and experience of its participants, and on SMART's ongoing work to understand and accelerate development and implementation of sustainable, systems-based solutions to mobility and accessibility in global urban regions.
NOTE: This event was originally slated for June 2009, and has recently been moved to the week of November 9.
Check the SMART website or watch future editions of e-News for more information, conference schedules and fees, and updates.
Other Great Events
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 Researcher 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 2 - 3: "Meeting of the Minds"
Manhattan, New York
Meeting of the Minds is an invitation-only, no-charge event held in a different city annually. It started in Berkeley, moved to Portland (Oregon) and this June it will take on New York City.
The event was designed to bring together leaders from multiple sectors and geographies to share ideas, learn from each other, and shape the agenda for creating more sustainable cities, with a particular focus on transportation and mobility.
Those attending in Portland last year included over 200 policy makers, decision makers, opinion makers, rainmakers, and thought leaders from the commercial, nonprofit, and public sectors. The guests included representatives from the environmental, energy, economic development, and urban design communities with a stake in transportation, with many coming from Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, but approximately 20% were national and international participants.
SMART has had a presence at each of the "Meeting of the Minds", most
recently when Susan Zielinski presented at the session in Portland
. If you're a business leader and
you'd like to be invited to the 2009, send your note to Meeting2009@UrbanAge.org. The session convenes early morning June 2
through the afternoon of June 3 in Manhattan and is spoonsored by Toyota,
Siemens, ZipCar, UN, World Bank, Asian Devt Bank -- and is organized by
Gordon Feller and his team at Urban Age Institute. A 30-minute film,
produced with support from Microsoft, helps to explain how the "Meeting
of the Minds" differs from all those other conferences on sustainable
urban development www.MtgoftheMinds.org
Contributed by Gordon Feller, Urban Age Institute
June 2 - 4: 12th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons (TRANSED 2010).
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is proud to present the "12th International Conference on Mobility and Transport for Elderly and Disabled Persons (TRANSED 2010)", 2 to 4 June 2010. This event is hosted by The Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation and co-sponsored by the U.S. Transportation Research Board.
Please click here to download the first announcement and call for abstracts for TRANSED 2010.
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 Organization 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 legislators 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
Transportation content is anticipated at this Detroit based national conference on the future of America’s economy. 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
Carbon Copy
Visit Carbon Copy, a new South Africa-based blog that has some good transportation content, at http://www.carbonsmart.com/
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
Brief News Clips:
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like to know more, support, or get involved with any of the activities below.
Update on India, by Raj Cherubal
There are new hub network developments afoot at the Chennai Airport: City Connect of Chennai is helping the Airport Authority of India (AAI) team at the Chennai Airport to upgrade its facilities. Keeping with the philosophy of New Mobility Hub Network, that is, optimise and integrate existing facilities to ensure seamless, multi-modal transfers, we are studying existing modes of transportation to and from the airport. We are helping integrate various modes of transport--pedestrian, bus, cars/taxis, train--with the current and future plans for the airport. One of the urgent issues is the traffic chaos at the passenger pick up and drop off zones. Since the airport is being upgraded by AAI (new buildings to be open around Dec 2010) construction sites infront of the terminals are also adding to the chaos. The CCC team started with the current layout of the parking and drop off/pick up areas and has redesigned the entire area. We have taken into account the concerns and constraints of various departments of AAI--operations, civil and construction, advertising, etc. -- and produced a consensus design.
As future plans we are studying the bus, train and other modes that passengers use to come to the airport. We hope future designs would include bus bays linked to proper pedestrian facilities, the train station linked to elevated pathways, shuttle systems linked to A/C buses across the city for pick up and drop off, etc. This would increase the comfort and ease of bus and train usage and hence encourage passengers to use already available facilities. CCC would also like to help better estimate the vehicle parking demand and design user friendly infrastructure to cater to the demand.
CCC is member of the committees of the Unified Metropolitan Transportation Authority (UMTA) and the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA). As long term plans, we hope to integrate the airport, and related traffic and transport issues, with the larger transport network of Chennai.
Other SMART News:
SMART has recently been working to develop integrated hub network projects in a number of west coast cities, as well as here in the Detroit region. If you are interested in knowing more about or being part of the west coast or Detroit region efforts, please contact Sue Zielinski at susanz@isr.umich.edu.
Meanwhile, SMART continues to move forward on projects in India, South Africa, and Brazil, and to participate actively in the EcoMobility Alliance , (http://www.ecomobility.org/) , T4 America (http://t4america.org/) the infrastructure committee of the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress (http://www.thepresidency.org/).
In the near future, SMART will be participating and presenting at meetings and events in Seattle, New York, India (at the UN Habitat Cities meeting in July), Brazil, and at home in the Detroit region.
SMART also continues forward with accessibility research and with other emerging and evolving research collaborations around the globe.
About SMART
Visit um-smart.org to learn about SMART.
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