Transit Truths: The Human Transit Perspective Featuring Jarrett Walker

“Suddenly, public transit is a critical issue.

What is quality public transit? Who can realistically expect to be served by it? What kinds of quality matter? How do we recognize and nurture it? What are the goals we want it to achieve, and how do we navigate tough spots where these goals conflict?

People try to think about transit as though it were something else. Everyone tries to translate a question into terms that they understand. Economists may talk about transit in terms of profitability, as though that were its goal. Social service advocates think of it as a tool for meeting the needs of the disadvantaged. Architects and urban designers care about how it feels to move through a city, so they often focus on the aesthetics of the transit vehicle and infrastructure. Urban redevelopment advocates categorize services according to how well they stimulate development. None of these perspectives is wrong; transit can serve all of these interests and more. But to achieve that broad level of service, these points of view have to be brought together into a clearer conversation.

To aid that conversation, this book aims to give you a grasp of how transit works as an urban mobility tool and how it fits into the larger challenge of urban transportation. This is not a course designed to make you a qualified transit planner, though some professionals will benefit from it. My goal is simply to give you the confidence to form and advocate clear opinions about what kind of transit you want and how that can help create the kind of city you want.”

We are quoting from Jarrett Walker’s inspiring new book, Human Transit: How clearer thinking about public transit can enrich our communities and our lives. This 60 minute webinar is a virtual stop on his world-wide book tour, to help us continue a dialogue on a subject that’s pivotal to the success of our neighborhoods right here at home.

Jarrett Walker is an international consultant in public transit network design and policy. He has led numerous major planning projects in North America, Australia, and New Zealand, and currently serves as a Principal Consultant with MRCagney based in Australia.  He provides expert advice to clients worldwide.

This event carries one hour CNUa credit.