DIALOG’s transit design team is excited for Rail~Volution, a conference about building livable communities with transit.
DIALOG’s transit design team is gearing up for another exciting year at Rail~Volution. Though the (virtual) conference looks a little different this year—what conference doesn’t?—the opportunity to talk about building communities along with transit systems has the same appeal as always. And 2020 has illuminated just how important transit systems can be for communities across North America.
DIALOG’s Involvement
- Wednesday, October 21, from 2:30pm to 3:30pm (Central Time)
Georg Josi and Larissa Ulcar will lead small group discussions following the Opening Plenary. Both of their sessions are part of a handful of simultaneous discussion groups titled “Confronting Systemic Racism: Leading with Anti-racism as a Guide.” - Thursday, October 29, from 1:00pm to 2:00pm (Central Time)
Larissa Ulcar is also planning and moderating a session titled “Asphalt Gold: Rethinking the Value of (Parking) Spaces. What makes an 8-foot-six-inch by 16-foot piece of asphalt so prized? How can we rethink the value of parking spaces? Parking near transit is often expensive – and inequitable. The valuable space is used to store vehicles making usually two trips per day. It brings little to no return to transit agencies and developers beyond the weekly or monthly rates. See what happens when parking space is transformed to support transit-oriented development (TOD) with few (or no!) parking spaces. Learn how repurposing parking spaces can result in more equitable transit-oriented communities (eTOC). Hear how residents of TODs generate greater gains for transit agencies and developers in terms of ridership and local commerce. Explore different perspectives – from advocates, planners, transit agencies and researchers. Hear the results of recent research on parking trends.
Meet Us There
Rail~Volution is more than a conference about trains. It’s a meeting of the minds for all design professionals that are passionate about building community that includes transit of any kind. DIALOG’s transit team speaks to the diversity the transit design community holds—our representatives are across structural engineering, urban planning, and architecture.
“More than any other conference I have attended, Rail~Volution seems to have an uncanny ability to attract the most passionate group of people, who all seem to share the mutual goal of wanting to improve their communities by making better transit and land use decisions. The sheer excitement of the speakers and the attendees really shines through and makes this conference something special.”
-Sandra Renihan, structural engineer
“I’m most looking forward to learning more about how COVID-19 has affected transit and whether equity discussions have shifted.”
-Georg Josi, structural engineer
