While ridership on public transportation has dropped dramatically across the United States during the coronavirus outbreak, millions of Americans are still riding public buses and trains, putting themselves and anyone they encounter at risk as they commute to work, go to the grocery store, or visit the doctor. At the same time, since the start of the pandemic, the use of motor vehicles has fallen dramatically in the United States and Europe – and air pollution and congestion with it. In cities in the U.S. and Europe, as residents begin to return to work and try to avoid busy public transit systems, local governments are considering reallocating streets for cycling and walking.
Join us for on Friday, May 8, at 11:00 am ET for a conversation about the future of mobility and transportation in cities – during and after the pandemic. Drawing on alumni from ACG programs, speakers include Laurin Sepoetro, Public Policy Planner for Uber Germany; Jana Kugoth, Mobility and Transportation Reporter for Der Tagesspiegel; Brandie Lockhart, Director of Urban Design for Houston Metro; and Jesse Mintz-Roth, the Vision Zero Program Manager for the Department Transportation in San Jose, CA.
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CgbrTF4mS3C6geXDsaggBw
Laurin Sepoetro is the Manager of Public Policy Germany for Uber and leads on public transit partnerships, Future of Work and inclusive mobility. Before joining Uber, he worked as a policy adviser in the European Parliament and at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). He holds an MSc degree in Public Policy and Human Development from Maastricht University. In 2019, he participated in the ACG’s Sustainable Urban Development Study Tour.
Jana Kugoth works as an editor for Tagesspiegel Background, an exclusive briefing for decision makers in the mobility and energy sector. Previously, she wrote for the online magazine Gründerszene.de, especially about start-ups and new business models in the mobility and logistics sector. After studying media science, German language and literature, and library and information science in Berlin, she first trained as a journalist with the Berlin based business and energy magazine Bizz Energy, for which she also reported on the world climate conferences in Paris and Marrakesh. In 2019, she was a participant in the ACG’s Sustainable Urban Development Study Tour.
Brandie Lockett is currently spearheading the research and design of Houston METROs Urban Transit Design Guideline Manuals. A collaborative effort that will aim to guide transit design consultants to develop transportation infrastructure as public space. With a Bachelors of Architecture from Tuskegee University, a Masters in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University – Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and a Certificate in Real Estate Development from University of Southern California Lusk Center for Real Estate; her enthusiasm for urbanism inspires communities to use urban design strategies in planning and development projects; whether rural, suburban or urban, to help bring out vibrant opportunities in unlikely places. Brandie has been a part of international design forums and workshops discussing social, ecological, and infrastructural issues and solutions globally. In 2018, she participated in the ACG’s Sustainable Urban Development Study Tour.
Jesse Mintz-Roth is Vision Zero Program Manager at the San Jose Department of Transportation. In this role he oversees a staff of 10 including crash data analysis, street redesign engineering, traffic safety education, and safe routes to schools. Vision Zero is the city’s initiative to reduce traffic fatalities. In February 2020, the city committed $6.8 million to the first year of a five year Action Plan which will redesign arterial streets to reduce speeds with a particular focus on lowering pedestrian fatalities which have risen in recent years. Before moving to California from New York City in December 2018, he worked for 2 years as Senior Advisor for Transportation Improvements at the New York City Department of City Planning, and for 7 years at the New York City Department of Transportation, where he was a Senior Project Manager working on Vision Zero street redesign projects. In 2018, he was a participant in the Sustainable Urban Development Study Tour.