T4America Blog

Small groups, big questions: 12 roundtable conversations at Capital Ideas 2018

Capital Ideas 2018 will be full of inspiration and best practices. But even with a speaker lineup full of national experts, we know that we won’t possibly have all the answers to every community’s challenges.

That’s where our roundtable conversations come in. On the first afternoon of the conference, we’ll have two small-group sessions to go deep on a few select topics. These focused conversations will allow participants to dig in on questions they want new perspective on, and ask honest questions of people who have done it.

Here’s a look at the 12 ideas we’ll examine during this part of the conference:

Roundtable 1: Creating an Objective Scoring Process to Select Projects
Virginia is using an objective framework to evaluate transportation projects, prioritize investments, and measure results. This transparency and accountability can help build between among taxpayers and decision-makers, and allows states to direct limited funds to the projects with the biggest return on investment. Hear how Virginia is doing it and ask questions about your own efforts. With Nick Donohue, Deputy Secretary of Transportation, Commonwealth of Virginia, and Beth Osborne, Director, Transportation for America.

Roundtable 2: Pursuing Funding Through US DOT’s BUILD Program
The East Coast Greenway Alliance has worked with seven states to submit eleven projects totaling over $135 million for BUILD 2018 grants from USDOT. Get ideas for strategy, tactics, and lessons learned for future BUILD applications. With Dennis Markatos-Soriano, Director, and Niles Barnes, Deputy Director, East Coast Greenway Alliance.

Roundtable 3: How to Add New Mobility Services to Transportation Systems
How are cities incorporating new mobility services into their transportation systems, in ways that support the city’s transportation priorities? Learn how cities can use funding, regulation, and collaboration to manage new mobility services. With Andrew Glass Hastings, Senior Mobility Strategist, Remix, and Russ Brooks, Smart Cities Director, Transportation for America.

Roundtable 4: Trails Transform America
Helping states fund a 21st-century, balanced transportation system that includes trail networks as essential community assets connecting people to vital opportunities. What’s the best way to measure these projects’ impact on the communities they serve? Learn best practices from around the country. With Ken Bryan, Florida State Director, and Andrew N. Dupuy, Manager of Policy Outreach, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy; and John Robert Smith, Chairman, Transportation for America.

Roundtable 5: Harnessing Technology Disruption in Mobility Systems
Georgia DOT and The Ray partnered to build a solar-powered stretch of Interstate 85. Learn how they connected capabilities, pollution remediation, life safety, and more. With Faye DiMassimo, FAICP, Deloitte; Allie Kelly, Executive Director, The Ray; and Andrew Heath, State Traffic Engineer, Georgia Department of Transportation.

Roundtable 6: Public-Private Partnerships in Transit
New mobility services can be deployed in ways that extend transit service to more people. Learn about how new technologies can be combined with innovative performance-based contracting models to deliver higher quality and more cost-effective service to riders. With Zack Wasserman, Head of Global Business Development, VIA, and Scott Goldstein, Policy Director, Transportation for America.

Roundtable 7: Shifting to a Roadway User Charge
Pricing road usage has traditionally been done via tolling of a specific road or bridge. But new ideas around pricing are considering ways it can serve as a broader, foundational revenue sources for roads, similar to the gas tax. Washington State has had a Road Usage Charge Assessment underway for several years and launched a year-long pilot this year. In the pilot, 2000 vehicles from across the state are testing different methods of recording and reporting road usage. Learn new ways your state could price based on usage. With Reema Griffith, Executive Director, Washington State Transportation Commission, and Chris Rall, Program Manager, Transportation for America.

Roundtable 8: Creative Placemaking
Examples from around the country about leveraging the power of the arts, culture and creativity to support growth and transformation while also building character and quality of place. With Marian Liou, Founder and Executive Director, We Love BuHi (Atlanta, GA); Rochelle Carpenter, Senior Policy Advisor, Greater Nashville Regional Council; and Ben Stone, Transportation for America.

Roundtable 9: Transportation and Climate: How States Can Tackle Emissions
The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast states are exploring a framework for emissions reductions in transportation. How can this work be accelerated, how can a market-based program advance transportation equity, and what lessons can be learned from existing cap-and-invest programs such as California’s. This session will be of special interest to attendees from the “TCI” participant states of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. With Chris Dempsey, Director, Transportation for Massachusetts, and Alex Beckmann, Program Associate, Transportation for America.

Roundtable 10: Equity in Transportation – Opportunity Deferred
What is equity in transportation? How to consider the transportation needs of marginalized populations and recognize the impact of past investments on equity. Best practices in ensuring that transportation policies from regional transit governance to the creation of new sources of revenue consider equity. With Nathaniel Smith, Founder and Chief Equity Officer, Partnership for Southern Equity, and Calvin Gladney, President and CEO, Smart Growth America.

Roundtable 11: Making the Case for Transit
Dive into the data that reveal how transit supports businesses, and hear examples of companies that are making transit-based decisions to benefit their bottom line. What are the messages that work? With Audrey Wennink, Director, Metropolitan Planning Council, and Steve Davis, Communications Director, Smart Growth America.

Roundtable 12: Knocking Down Barriers to Deploying Autonomous Vehicles
How do you ensure driverless vehicles are safe? How do we deploy autonomous vehicles in a mixed-fleet environment? And how do we include autonomous vehicles in long range plans? Join us to discuss some of the biggest questions facing communities interested in autonomous vehicles. With Kelley Coyner, Senior Fellow, George Mason University; founder and CEO, Mobility e3, and Jason Levine, Executive Director, Center for Auto Safety.

In-depth conversations with colleagues from across the country are one of the best reasons to join Capital Ideas. Register today and we’ll see you in December.