Happenings Part 1: Transportation and Urban Planning
October 9, 2002
1. March For Lower Bus Fares & Better Bus Service (today, 11:30-1)
2. PennFuture *Shin-Dig* at the Elbow Room (Thurs)
3. Eastern Corridor Transit Study Open House(s)
4. Highland Park Town Meeting (Oct 22)
5. Cornerstones Symposium 2002: Roads, Rails, Rivers & Trails,
Pittsburgh; A
Case Study of Regional Transportation Opportunities (Oct 23)
1.-------------------------------------------------
SAVE OUR TRANSIT
MARCH FOR LOWER BUS FARES & BETTER BUS SERVICE
Wednesday, October 9th
11:30 A.M. to 1 P.M.
Gather at the State Office Bldg, 300 Liberty Avenue for a March to &
Rally
at the City-County Bldg, 414 Grant Street
What we want:
. Lower fares.
. Restore Service to before Sept. 1, 2002 level.
. Adequate Public funding for Public Transit.
Election day is getting close and we need to tell our elected officials
and
those who want our votes that we demand action! We expect them to
fight
hard for more funding for public transit operations. We will not
tolerate
another fare hike or any more service cuts! We are mad and we vote.
For more information or to join Save Our Transit, call Stephen at
The Thomas Merton Center, 412-361-3022
www.angelfire.com/pa5/saveourtransit
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2. ------------------------------------------------
PennFuture *Shin-Dig* at the Elbow Room
PennFuture authored the Citizen's Plan, a broad-sweeping alternative to
the
proposed Mon-Fayette Expressway, along with the Ground Zero Action
Network
and many other local organizations. Come out this Thursday and meet
some of
the people working to make Pennsylvania's future cleaner, brighter, and
better.
-Christine B.
Join PennFuture staff and volunteers Thursday, October 10th from 5 to 7
PM
for a casual evening at the Elbow Room, 5744 Ellsworth Avenue in
Shadyside.
Hear PennFuture's President and CEO, John Hanger, speak about the
important
work the organization is doing throughout Pennsylvania. Complimentary
hors
d'oeuvres will be served. RSVP to Joan Miles at 412-258-6687.
Since its founding in 1999, PennFuture has been leading the fight to
protect
Pennsylvania's environment, targeting many of the state's foremost
environmental problems < smog, global warming, acid rain, sprawl, and
acid
mine and factory farm pollution. We're addressing these important
issues
through education, the media, public policy, and the legal system.
PennFuture works to create a just future where nature, communities and
the
economy thrive. We enforce environmental laws and advocate for the
transformation of public policy, public opinion and the marketplace to
restore and protect the environment and safeguard public health.
PennFuture
advances effective solutions for the problems of pollution, sprawl and
global warming; mobilizes citizens; crafts compelling communications;
and
provides excellent legal services and policy analysis.
You can find out more about PennFuture at: http://www.pennfuture.org/
---------------------------------------------------
3. ------------------------------------------------
Public Open House
Port Authority of Allegheny County and the Southwestern Pennsylvania
Commission, in cooperation with Westmoreland County Transit Authority,
are
conducting a year-long planning effort, the Eastern Corridor Transit
Study,
to identify transportation needs and potential public transit
improvements.
Please join us for one of the following Public Open Houses to review
the
progress of the Study, including preliminary alternatives designed to
address the transportation and community needs of the corridor
identified
from public input obtained at public official briefings, public and
community group meetings, and Corridor Working Group sessions.
We welcome your ideas and input.
Wednesday, October 9, 2002
11:00 AM - 2:00 PM
YWCA of Greater Pittsburgh
305 Wood Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
By public transit: All Port Authority bus and light rail service to
downtown Pittsburgh
Wednesday, October 9, 2002
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
East Liberty Presbyterian Church
116 South Highland Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
By public transit (from downtown Pittsburgh): Port Authority bus routes
EBA,
500, 71B, 64A, 81B, 86A and 86B
Thursday, October 10, 2002
5:00 - 8:00 PM
Westmoreland Mall
Route 30 East, Greensburg, PA 15601
By public transit: Westmoreland County Transit Authority
bus route 9 Greensburg-Latrobe Shopper
(Last bus departs the Mall for Greensburg at 7:45 PM and for Latrobe at
8:30
PM.)
Tuesday, October 15, 2002
5:00 - 8:00 PM
Wilkinsburg Senior High School
747 Wallace Avenue, Wilkinsburg, PA 15221
By public transit (from downtown Pittsburgh): Port Authority bus routes
EBA,
EBX, 71C, 71D, 86B and 86A
These meetings will be conducted in an Open House format.
Visitors may attend anytime during the hours specified.
For scheduling details and additional information regarding transit
service
to the public meetings from the eastern suburbs, please call Port
Authority
Customer Service at 412-442-2000 or Westmoreland County Transit
Authority
Schedule Information at 1-800-221-WCTA.
Persons with hearing or speech impairments may call TTY at
412-231-7007.
These meeting locations are accessible to persons with disabilities.
For more information regarding this study, please call 412-244-3445 or
obtain information online at www.ridegold.com, www.spcregion.org, or
www.westmorelandtransit.com
---------------------------------------------------
4. ------------------------------------------------
HIGHLAND PARK TOWN MEETING The Highland Park Community Plan invites
Highland
Park residents and neighboring communities to a town meeting. At this
event
Highland Park residents who are directing the community planning
process
will present findings about strengths, weaknesses and opportunities in
Highland Park in five key areas: Arts, Recreation and Youth
Development,
Commercial District Development, Public Safety, Housing and Education.
Coffee, cold drinks and deserts will be served.
The Town meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 22nd from 7:00 to
9:00 PM
at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 5801 Hampton Street, Highland Park.
The community plan is being undertaken by the Highland Park Community
Development Corporation (HPCDC), in collaboration with the Highland
Park
Community Club (HPCC) and the East End Neighborhood Forum (EENF). The
project is focused on bringing together the knowledge and experience of
community members with the expertise of professionals to build Highland
Park's future. The plan is an important step in maintaining and
enhancing
community strengths while providing a framework for inevitable
development
and other changes in and around the community.
For more information, to confirm your attendance at the meeting, or to
arrange transportation to and from the meeting, please call Ed
D'Alessandro,
Plan Coordinator, at (412)-244-3445 or mail to:
<highlandparkcommunity@yahoo.com>.
---------------------------------------------------
5. ------------------------------------------------
Cornerstones Symposium 2002
Roads, Rails, Rivers & Trails, Pittsburgh
A Case Study of Regional Transportation Opportunities
October 23, 2002
Carnegie Mellon University
Roads, Rails, Rivers & Trails, Pittsburgh - A Case Study of Regional
Transportation Opportunities is the second in a series of symposia that
explore urban challenges and seek to propose solutions specific to
Southwestern Pennsylvania.
"Connectors" are transportation systems that serve as the Lifeblood of
cities. Several of the world's most famous cities such as London,
Paris,
Rome, Amsterdam and Venice have road systems and waterways that are
centuries old and have had a major impact on the evolution of the
metropolitan area. New buildings and developments adapt to existing
"connectors" as cities evolve over time.
Southwestern Pennsylvania also has a heritage of connectors, old and
new,
that have contributed to the urban richness of Pittsburgh and its
metropolitan communities and affect future growth and development.
Symposium 2002 will discuss southwestern Pennsylvania's transportation
legacy and focus on issues that will determine the region's future.
The thrust of each presentation is to challenge the participants - so,
as
they leave the Symposium they will have learned, been motivated and are
better equipped to implement alternative solutions to the critical
problems
of urban change.
Registration begins at 7:15AM Program is scheduled from
8:00AM
to 2:00PM
Continental
Breakfast and Served Lunch provided
Program will be held in Rangos Hall, University Center, Carnegie Mellon
University
Ticket packages
Individual ticket $150 Cornerstones members
/
$175 non-members
Package 1 5 tickets for $600
Package 2 10 tickets for
$1000
Faculty $75
Student $25
Cornerstones
School Of Architecture
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Attn: Marc Kemper
412-268-9554 tel
412-268-7819 fax
Please include your name and contact information.
or Email to: cornerstones-pgh@andrew.cmu.edu
<mailto:cornerstones-pgh@andrew.cmu.edu>
Remarks - 8:00am
Lucian Caste, President, Cornerstones
Moderator
Vivian Loftness, Professor & Head, School of Architecture, Carnegie
Mellon
University
Breakfast Keynote Speaker - 8:15am
Robert E. Gleeson, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Duquesne
University
Dr. Gleeson will discuss and compare the economic development and
growth of
western Pennsylvania to other cities in the United States. His
presentation
will concentrate on the impact of transportation systems on that
development.
History of Transportation in the Pittsburgh Region - 9:00am
Joel Tarr, Richard S. Caliguiri Professor of Urban and Environmental
History
and Policy, Carnegie Mellon University
As an expert in urban history, the development of urban technological
systems, and the history of the urban environment, Professor Tarr will
provide the foundation for Symposium 2002 by examining transportation
issues
of the past and their effects on current issues.
Urban Lab, School of Architecture Hazelwood Case Study - 9:20am
Presented by David Lewis, Distinguished Professor of Urban Studies,
School
of Architecture, Carnegie Mellon University
Is the Mon Valley Expressway Necessary? - 10:00am
A lively debate will be conducted on the pros and cons of this project.
Joseph P. Kirk
Executive Director, Mon Valley Progress Council
Chairman, Mon-Fayette Expressway & Southern Beltway Alliance
The Progress Council is a corporate-sponsored community and
economic-development organization founded in 1965 that serves the
Mid-Mon
Valley region of southwestern Pennsylvania. Mr. Kirk will advance the
benefits of the Mon/Fayette and Southern Beltway Project and its
relevance
to the vitality and economic development of the region.
Walter M. Kulash, P.E.
Principal, Senior Traffic Engineer
Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin Lopez Rinehart, Inc.
Since the early 1990's, Mr. Kulash has specialized in the rapidly
emerging
field of "livable traffic" design. This view of traffic engineering
recognizes that the narrow traffic planning goals of the past few
decades --
moving the most traffic at the greatest possible speed -- are giving
way to
a far more inclusive view.
Maglev & Port Authority Presentations - 11:00am
Robert Mills, Project Financial Advisor for MAGLEV, Inc. will address
the
financial implications and implementation of this $3 billion western
Pennsylvania project.
Richard Feder, Planning Director for the Port Authority of Allegheny
County
will discuss various initiatives that the Authority has undertaken,
including the Multi-Modal Transportation Study.
How Transportation Affects Urban Centers - 11:20am
Robert T. Dunphy
Senior Resident Fellow, Transportation, Urban Land Institute
Working with business and government on development and transportation
issues. Mr. Dunphy conducts studies on traffic congestion, transit,
parking,
and their relationship with land use and development. He is principal
author
of Moving Beyond Gridlock: Traffic and Development, and contributed to
Transforming Suburban Business Districts and Making Smart Growth Work,
as
well as several earlier ULI publications.
Lunch is served/View Exhibits - 12:15pm
Luncheon Keynote Address - 1:00pm
T. Keith Lawton
Transportation Planner
Director of Technical Services
Planning Department
Portland, Oregon
Mr. Lawton has led the development of a comprehensive set of
transportation
models for use by all jurisdictions in the Portland area. These models
have
many innovative features including the explicit estimation of walk and
bike
trips, and consideration of density, mixed use, and explicit inclusion
of
some urban design effects on the propensity to own cars, walk, bike and
use
transit.
As an innovator of travel forecasting, Mr. Lawton will bring his
insights to
the Pittsburgh market.
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