TransportationCamp DC 2026 is complete! Thank you to everyone who joined us this year. See you soon!
Transportation Camp 2026 Big Board
Other helpful day-of information:
The check-in desk, breakfast, and session proposals open at 8:45 a.m. Bring an umbrella—rain is in the forecast and some walking between buildings is required. Pryzbyla Student Center breakout sessions are all on the third floor where check-in is, and the other five breakout rooms are in Caldwell Hall, a short, 2-minute walk to the west. (See map below.)
Note: We will have a limited number of books to give away to the first 300 people to check in after 8:45. Keynote Speaker Jarrett Walker will also have updated editions of his book Human Transit for sale.
Event schedule:
8:45 a.m. Check-in opens; breakfast in cafeteria
9:45 a.m. Session proposals CLOSE
10:00 a.m. Keynote address: Jarrett Walker
11:00 a.m. Period 1
12:00 p.m. Period 2
1:00 p.m. Lunch
2:00 p.m. Period 3
3:00 p.m. Period 4
4:00 p.m. Period 5
5:00 p.m. Adjourn
About the space at Catholic University
NOTE: Camp breakout sessions are split between two buildings
Five of the ten breakout classrooms are in the Pryzbyla Student Center, where you will check in, propose sessions, hear the keynote, and eat meals. The other five breakout classrooms are in Caldwell Hall, which is a short 2-minute walk WEST across a parking lot. We will have staff to help guide you.
Interested in presenting at TCamp?
Propose your own TCamp session.
Any camper can submit a proposal for a session they would like to lead. And all campers will vote on the sessions they are most interested in joining. Come with your idea ready to go. We recommend a catchy title and description to help “sell” your session!
Where and how to propose a session.
The “session proposal wall” will be in Great Room A right behind the check-in desk on the 3rd floor. There will be blank session proposal sheets there in addition to in the cafeteria. Note: you must be able to present during any of the five periods—we cannot guarantee a specific timeslot. We have less than 50 available slots for sessions, so some duplicative or complementary sessions may be combined. For that reason, you must also provide your name and phone number with your session proposal.
Best practices for leading a session.
These 50-minute breakout sessions are fairly informal and often feel more like a conversation, so we recommend a casual, engaging, and inclusive approach. You can present on your own, but you can also propose something a little more assembled in advance, such as a panel with 2-3 speakers, potentially developed in partnership with a few other individuals or organizations.
Showing your presentation.
You are not required to use slides, but each room is equipped with a computer, projector, and internet access. If you have slides, we recommend bringing your presentation in multiple formats: download it to a thumb drive in addition to having it easily accessible in the cloud for download. Keep accessibility in mind: 14-point font is best for presentations.
Logistics and reminders
Check-in
There are no physical tickets for this event. Check in with your name on the 3rd floor of the Pryzbyla Center to get your nametag and free book, while supplies last.
Getting there
TransportationCamp DC will be at the Pryzbyla Center on the Catholic University of America campus at 620 Michigan Ave NE, Washington, DC 20064.
By metro: Take the Red Line to Brookland–CUA station. Exit the station to the west toward Catholic. Cross John McCormack Drive to pedestrian-only Pope Leo Way. Turn right after Pangborn Hall and follow directional signs to the Pryzbyla Center, which will be the 2nd building on your left after you turn right. It’s a short 5–7 minute walk from the metro. You will enter the Pryz on the ground floor, so come up to the third floor to check in.
By bike: Bike racks are available around the Pryzbyla Center and around campus. The Metropolitan Branch Trail runs directly past the university and connects to the Brookland–CUA Metro station.
By car: Use “Pryzbyla Center, Catholic University of America” or these coordinates in Google Maps for the McMahon parking lot. Visitor parking is available there for $10 for the day (accessible via Michigan Ave NE and just west of the Pryzbyla Center). You can pre-pay for parking by downloading the Flowbird App or you can pay on Catholic’s website. Limited street parking is available in the surrounding area.
Questions? Our staff is available to answer questions at tcampdc@smartgrowthamerica.org
TransportationCamp DC is where transportation enthusiasts get together to share their ideas and map out new possibilities. As cities across the country work to reconnect communities divided by harmful infrastructure, pedestrian fatalities continue to rise, and new technology presents opportunities and challenges for the future of transportation, TransportationCamp is as important as ever.
An annual “unconference,” TransportationCamp is a time for advocates, practitioners, business leaders, professionals, students, and anyone else who might call themselves a “transportation nerd” to gather, share their ideas and perspectives, and take stock of where we’re going and how we got here.
At TransportationCamp, attendees steer the conversation by submitting, voting on, and facilitating breakout sessions on topics of their choice. Whether you’re interested in methods to reduce transportation emissions, bridge divides, or make our streets safer for all, join TransportationCamp to be part of the conversation!
This year’s keynote speaker: Jarrett Walker
“Let’s think about transit” is the slogan for Jarrett Walker’s transit planning firm, but it’s an apt way to describe what he’s always up to. Whether through his tremendous book Human Transit (revised and updated in 2024), his popular training courses for redesigning transit networks, or his frequent blog posts, he is always aiming to help others step back and take a fresh look at public transportation and consider how we can do it better. We’re excited to welcome Jarrett as this year’s keynote speaker for TransportationCamp DC, where he’ll be helping us think about transit: what makes a successful network? What agencies or cities are doing the best work in the US right now? What are the structural and bureaucratic obstacles that get in the way of providing more and better transit?
We are excited to have Jarrett kick off TransportationCamp DC! Read more about Jarrett below.
Jarrett Walker is an international consultant in public transit network design and policy with 33 years of experience planning public transit networks, including the planning for many of the ridership-increasing network redesigns in the US, as well as for successful projects in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Jarrett is a known innovator in describing transit issues to the public, in building values-based policies and standards, and in running interactive design processes for transit plans. His training programs range from executive workshops to two-day intensive courses. His book, Human Transit: How Clearer Thinking about Public Transit Can Enrich Our Communities and Our Lives, has become a widely used reference book helping both leaders and advocates understand public transit issues. It was also updated and expanded in 2024 to address new issues such as the post-pandemic transition, planning for diversity, and the need to push back against many tech industry fantasies about “disrupting” public transit.
Frequently asked questions about TransportationCamp DC
1. Why is it called an unconference? At TransportationCamp, every attendee has the opportunity to lead the conversation. Attendees submit topics for 50-minute breakout sessions and get to vote on what they want to discuss in sessions throughout the day, giving participants the power to create the experience they want to have.
2. Who should come to TCamp? Everyone! Advocates, practitioners, Complete Streets Champions, politicians, business leaders, and students are all welcome to join and learn from each other.
3. How do I submit sessions? Attendees will submit their session proposals the morning of Camp and have the opportunity to vote on what they would like to discuss. Come with your idea ready to go.
4. What do I need to know about leading a session? Sessions are fairly informal and often feel more like a conversation, so we recommend a casual, engaging, and inclusive approach. Each breakout room will have a projector and a connection to easily hook up your laptop and share your presentation. You can present on your own, but you can also propose something a little more assembled in advance, such as a panel with 2-3 speakers, potentially developed in partnership with a few other individuals or organizations.
5. What’s the schedule like? Expect a full day from 9-5. The room should open around 8:30 for networking and to propose breakout sessions until about 9:45 a.m. There’s a keynote (see speaker above) around 10 am, and then starting at 11, there are five concurrent 50-minute breakout periods across 9-10 different rooms, with a break for lunch after period 2. We hope to have a closing reception that evening (6 p.m. until) somewhere nearby in the District, though we are looking for sponsors to help make that reception possible. Stay tuned for details!
Questions about TransportationCamp DC not answered below? Let us know! Contact us at tcampdc@smartgrowthamerica.org.
