Toolkit TEN Field Hearing Sessions

8/14/2019 Toolkit TEN Field Hearing Sessions

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Leader Toolkit for

The Wheels on the Bus: What Good Jobs and

Transportation Mean To Me

A Series of Listening Sessions on PublicTransportation

"Urban transit systems in most American cities, for example, have

become a genuine civil rights issueand a valid onebecause thelayout of rapid-transit systems determines the accessibility of jobs to

the black community. If transportation systems in American citiescould be laid out so as to provide an opportunity for poor people to get

meaningful employment, then they could begin to move into themainstream of American life.

Martin Luther King, Jr., A Testament of Hope

Transportation Taskforce Leadership TeamToolbox Items

This material is for community leaders. It is designed to assist you in

organizing a successful Wheels on the Bus Listening Session. You andyour organization are encouraged to adapt these materials to best meet

your specific objectives. Please contact us with suggested changes or

additions youd like to share with other organizations.

For More Information:Laura Barrett, TEN National Policy Director

314-443-5915laura@transportationequity.orgwww.transportationequity.org


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Transportation Taskforce Leadership TeamToolbox Items

Overview of PurposeFraming the IssuesMyths about Public TransportationSample Bulletin AnnouncementsSample FlyerTips for Working with the MediaSample Press Release for MediaCalendar ChecklistSample Invitation LetterHow to Submit Video and Written Testimony for

National Publication

Transportation Authorization Platform SummaryTransportation Equity Network Growth and VictoriesPolicy ExpertsLeadership Training for Developing Turnout Strategies


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The Wheels On the BusA Time to Tell Your Story

Overview of Purpose

We are at a unique moment in the transportation and jobs policy debate.Many people feel that we can have a transformative transportation bill for the

first time in a generation, but it is not a sure thing. Policy-makers are havingtrouble even imagining what that new, transformative policy would look like.

You can build your organization and tell Congress and your local officials

what to about transportation and jobs at the same time with the Wheels onthe Bus Listening Sessions.

The Wheels on the Bus Listening Sessions Have A Twofold Purpose:

To delve deeper into our relationships by sharing our experiences andsatisfy our desires for connectedness by confronting issues that divideus

To galvanize a powerful and effective way to tell our stories abouttransportation

The Wheels on the Bus Is Intended to:

Strengthen your leadership team Engage participants in transportation struggles Deepen the understanding of what transportation equity means Expand the data base of the organization for communication and for

future invitations to participate and contribute

Identify new prospective leaders for training and involvement Get your organization recognized in the media and by decision-makers

You should feel free to brand your Wheels on the Bus listening session in

whatever way makes the most sense for your organization (for most

Gamaliel affiliates, it will make sense to use your local affiliate name and theGamaliel Foundation - i.e. MOSES, an affiliate of the Gamaliel Foundation).

If your organization would like to co-brand your session with theTransportation Equity Network on media materials, etc, we would welcome it,

but it is not required.

What could your Wheels on the Bus listening session look like?

An all-day Saturday meeting with a policy briefing by transportationexperts in the morning, with public officials invited to listen and

participate. Should be facilitated by your Board President or

Transportation Leader. The listening session could be held after lunch,kicked off by expert testimony.


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A two hour weeknight public hearing with your leadership facilitating andyour local Congressperson listening and making a brief statement (they

are there to listen and learn). Participants come to a microphone andmake 3 minute statements.

A media event, by a public transit stop or dilapidated sidewalk, followedby a public meeting in a church basement with pre-arranged testimony

A part of your annual public meeting that is given over to testimonyabout public transportation with your congressperson present.

It can be any size and incorporate public officials or experts. The important

thing is to give a dedicated time for local community members (rehearsed ornot) to speak their mind about the current state of public transportation in

your community.

More Information: Laura Barrett, 314-443-5915, [email protected],www.transporationequity.org


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Framing the Issues of Transportation Equity

Transportation is at the center of opportunity. It provides access to jobs,education, food, culture, medical care, loved ones -- to all the resourcesnecessary for healthy, prosperous lives. With the current crises in the

economy, energy security and climate change it is time for a new vision of anational transportation system that meets these challenges and provides

equal access for all. This means a system that gives people real choices and

promotes transportation options that are best for our environment andhealthiest for all Americans.

We can and should use both federal and state transportation policy to buildand maintain a transportation system that meets both the current and future

needs of all. Public officials and the citizenry are co-creators in building acommon future. Americans must use our countrys vast abundance toprovide opportunity to ALL. Transportation is at the very center of

opportunity for jobs, maintaining our health and our connecting communities.

During these listening sessions Wheels on the Bus; What GoodTransportation and Good Jobs Mean To Me, communities across the country

create space for people to tell their stories and voice concerns about theseimportant issues.



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6-Week Calendar Checklist for Leadership Team

Weeks 1 and 2: Setting the Foundation and GoalsSet goals for:

Total number of people wanted to be involved in The Wheels onthe Bus

Number of leaders required to staff the event (ushers, registration,floor team)

Individual turnout commitments Obtain community leaders / pastors commitment of support and

participation

Schedule date, time, and location of The Wheels on the Bus Organize teams: a logistics team, an overall leadership team, a floor

team, and a publicity team to promote The Wheels on the Bus (seepublicity timeline below)

Weeks 3 and 4: Recruiting / Training for all 4 Teams

Schedule a date, time and location for the training Send out community leaders / pastors invitation to potential leaders Obtain commitments from leaders to make follow-up calls Schedule deadlines to make personal phone calls to recruit leaders Prepare key leaders to conduct the training Start contacting reporters/assignment editors to get media coverage

Week 5: Final Preparation for the Meeting

Schedule a rehearsal Continue media contacts, including day of reminders, letters to the

editor, editorial contacts and op-ed placement

Week 6: Conduct a Powerful and Meaningful Meeting!



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Leadership Training for Developing TurnoutStrategies

(This format works best when used as a training piece in a good sized group of

leaders who are taking responsibility for securing strong participation in events in

their organization. As a training, it can take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes. It canalso be used by individual core teams as they work on their own turnout strategies.)

1. IntroductionOur Wheels on the Bus listening sessionwill not be what any of us

envision, nor produce the numbers we hope for, unless each of us sets ourown personal goals and works toward turning out a significant number of

people who are there WITH US. Your mission is to take responsibility for

turning out a significant number of people with whom you will engage as webuild toward our event on [date].The people you engage need to be

encouraged to act on their own convictions about their faith, their vision for

true community, and their ability to bring their faith to bear, for the sake ofthe common good. So, lets take a minute to talk about why each of us

is excited about this event. [Take some time to do this in the gatheredgroup.]

2. Steps for building your turnout list

First of all, you need to examine your own frame of mind. Consider:

How do we usually go about getting people to turn out tosomething?(bulletin announcements, flyers delivered to doors, expectpastor to make an announcement)

Has anyone ever gotten you to do something because of theirrelationship with you?(Think about that, and decide that you can dothe same!)

Do you believe that the people you want to be there will bemost likely to participate if YOU ask them?(Unless you put

yourself firmly into the equation, and believe in your own conviction

about why this is important, you wont be successful.)

What keeps you from believing this way about yourself?(Haveyou tried it? What has contributed to your sense that it wont work foryou? Do you want to change that?)

List the people you have a relationship with in your congregation, pluslocal family members, work mates and people you know from your

neighborhood. Add to your list those whom you wouldlike to build a

relationship with because of something you have observed about them orsome common experience you have shared. You should have at least 10 -15

names.

3. Preparing for the conversation

Think about how asking people to attend might deepen yourrelationship with them.


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Plot how youll get in conversation with these people. Some youll setan appointment with, some youll corner at church, at the back fence,

at a family event, at the water cooler.

Plan what to say to hook each person. What do you already know aboutthem?

4. Final group processHave people respond to these questions: What makes you anxious orresistant to this turnout process? How might it make a difference for

you and for the event if everyone did this? Are you going to do it?What will it take?Let people talk about their barriers, but then move togetting commitments and to just make it happen. Provide materials for

people to track their progress. Agree to a process for mutual support andaccountability. Assign someone as turnout captain who checks in on a weekly

basis regarding how people are doing, collects names, etc.

For More Information: Laura Barrett, 314-443-5915,

[email protected]

www.transporationequity.org


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Sample Bulletin Announcements

Join your community members as we come together to discusstransportation in our region on (date & time) at (place). The Wheels on the

Bus listening session will allow individuals to share their transportationstories and hear about other peoples ideas. Learn about the potentialbenefits that a just and fair transportation policy would have on important

area issues of public transportation, job access, job creation, quality of lifefor seniors, and safe options for our children.

Do you envision our community having reliable buses and light rail trains,high speed rail, safe bridges and drivable roads with no pot holes? Would

you like to see construction jobs stay in our own community? Then join usfor a Wheels on the Bus listening session with politicians, communityleaders, and fellow community members. (date, time, place)

As people of faith, we believe in a common future, embracing us all, leaving

no one out. The promotion of equitable transportation options in ourcommunity will go a long way toward helping this belief become a reality.Come join other people of faith in a Wheels on the Bus listening session

and find out how, by acting powerfully in our community, we can realize thisrenewed vision for a common future together. (date, time, place)

Bus service cuts, unemployment, sidewalks in disrepair, and an overall lack

of transportation options plague our community. Help us addresstransportation options in (area) by attending our Wheels on the Buslistening session: share your personal stories and learn how you can help.

(date, time, place).



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Sample Flyer

You are invited to

Wheels on the Bus: What GoodTransportation and Jobs Mean to Me

A Listening Session on Public Transportation

Organized by [ ](Place, Date, Time)

Are you open to the possibility that people can beallowed to enjoy transportation that is equitable and

fair for communities?

Then join us to:

Delve into your own experience of transportation in your day-to-day life.

Open yourself to a provocative discussion about the potential ofour power and how we can affect key decision makers.

Consider ways to continue this discussion and be part of acollective action to share your story in order to transform ourcommunities.

For more information, contact:

(Contact Person, Organization, Phone, Email)


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Sample Letter - From TEN Leader/Pastor toCommunity Leader/Church Leader

Dear _____________,

I am writing as a member of ______, the Gamaliel Foundation and the

Transportation Equity Network (TEN) to invite your participation in an

important group conversation we will be having at [____ location]. At thislocal gathering which we have named The Wheels on the Bus: What Good

Transportation and Jobs Mean to Me, we intend to tell the stories of ourexperiences with public transit, explain the possibilities that new

transportation projects have to transform our community, and createopportunities for workforce development. Through this listening session, wewill begin to understand the inter-connection of housing and transit more

clearly, and work toward developing plans to ensure that all people including

women, minorities, and low-income workers have access to jobs in futuretransportation construction. We believe that, as a leader in our community,your input in this conversation is vital. This forum will give you anopportunity to meet constituents and share your vision for transportation

options in our community.

The date for our conversation is [date] from [start time] to [end time].

A member of our organization will be calling you in a few days to hear yourresponse to this invitation. I pray that you will answer Yes! when that call

comes. I believe that it is crucial that we have your perspective on

transportation in [area]. The more people we have participating in thisimportant conversation, the richer it will be, and the greater the likelihoodthat it will have an impact on our community for the common good.

If you have questions or concerns about this process, please feel free to

contact me directly at [number], or call our Wheels on the Bus coordinator

[name] at [phone number]. We look forward to sharing our stories andconcerns about transportation in the [specific locality] region as well as

hearing your perspectives on the issue.

Blessings,

______________________


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Myths about Public Transportation

Myth: No one rides public transportation anymore.Fact: 10.7 billion trips were taken on mass transit in 2008. The third

quarter of 2008 saw a 6.5% increase, the largest in 25 years.

Myth: Transportation cuts do not affect the economy.

Fact: Nearly 60% of trips on mass transit are for work. Another 10%of trips are for education. Over 20% of transit riders have no other

form of transportation.

Myth: Only poor people ride mass transit.

Fact: 34% of public transit riders have household incomes of over$50,000.

Myth: New public transit construction only benefits riders.Fact: The economic return on investment in public transportation is

approximately 3 to 1.

Myth: Transit railways and bus rapid transit are more expensive thanhighways.Fact: Highways are more expensive than rail lines, and both are more

expensive than bus rapid transit.

Myth: Highways are paid for through user fees.Fact: Gasoline taxes only cover 60% of highway funding afterconstruction, operation and maintenance costs are factored in.

Myth: Mass transit is not profitable.

Fact: No form of transit is profitable, so it is unfair to hold masstransit to this standard.

Myth: Bus trips require a large number of transfers.Fact:60% of bus trips do not require a transfer.

Myth: There are no rapid transit options for less densely populated areas.

Fact: Bus rapid transit provides a flexible mass transit alternative tolight rail.

More Information: Laura Barrett, 314-443-5915, [email protected],

www.transporationequity.org


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Tips for Working with the Media - Raise theIssue

One of the best ways to sway elected officials on an issue is to affect the

public opinion on the issue. Grassroots organizations have traditionally used

local media very effectively to educate the broader public about issuesaffecting their constituencies. The best part about an effective media strategy

for grassroots groups is that its free. Groups have staged press conferences,events with public officials, report releases, and public actions to focus media

attention on their position.

We have included basic tips for working with the media, divided into twomain sections (If your organization needs more detailed instructions,

we can provide an expanded brochure.):

A. Contacting the Media Basic Tips Create a listing of all the media outlets and assignment editors in your

area, print, radio, television. If possible this listing should include contact information for journalists

reporting on your issues; newspaper sections where your news items

might fit; and dates of editorial board meetings.

Build relationships with local media personalities. Identify thereporter(s) who cover your issues and develop relationships withthem.

Be persistent and maintain contacts through email and phone calls. Continually inform reporters and assignment editors when your group is

holding a large event, plans the release of a report, etc.

Always have a clear and consistent message. Define talking points for each issue you hope to get media attention andmake sure that all staff members and leaders who are working on a

given issue use the same overall message when corresponding via

mail, email or phone with the media.

B. Writing for the Media Basic Tips

Use the appropriate medium media release, media statement ormedia alert (definitions below).

Follow the correct format for a media release. Be sure to include a date,contact name and number, headline, dateline, and identifier.

Develop clear and concise content that:Briefly states all relevant facts;

Clearly identifies a problem and offers a solution;Answers who, what, when, why, where and how.

Include thoughtful, brief, sound bites: quotable quotes. Remember the importance of personal stories that connect public policy

and people.

Be concise. Written media releases, statements, letters to the editor andop-eds should not exceed 300 words.


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Definitions

Media Release - A media release is a short news story with two or three

quotes from your leaders, written in objective language. This is youropportunity to tell reporters exactly what took place at an event or why a

piece of research is important. In general, reporters recognize releases forwhat they are: an organizations spin on an event. Still, a media release is

your chance to explain your event or research. Media releases can be used

to garner coverage in weekly papers to great effect. The can be used beforeor after your event.

Media Statement - A media statement essentially makes the release onelong quote in reaction to a current news event. It should be written in thefirst person, from the point of view of the official making the statement

within 6 hours of the original event. A typical opportunity to issue astatement might be in response to the Presidents proposal or the

introduction of new legislation in Congress. This is an under-used technique

and can really boost your image in the media.

Media Alert - Media alerts are usually very short detailed summaries

advising the media of the date, place, and time of a staged event or planned

activity. A media alert should contain only the basic facts and not dilute theimpact of a press conference or other event by leaking too much informationin advance. Use 1-2 days ahead of the event to give reporters notice prior to

issuing a release.


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Sample Press Release for Media

Media Contact: Name

Organization:Email:

Cell number:

STRAIGHTFORWARD HEADLINE (Like "Local Residents Push for Fair andJust Transportation System")

For Immediate ReleaseNAME OF YOUR CITY -- The federal transportation bill making its ways

through Congress has the potential to transform the lives of millions of low-income Americans and countless struggling communities. That is why NAME

OF GROUP/ORGANIZATION is sponsoring "Wheels on the Bus," a townhall listening session to hear from community members about the impacts of

transportation in their lives, and for them to voice their ideas for a new,

equitable transportation bill that will promote healthy communities ofopportunity. We are building a strong movement for transformative

transportation policy change.

Transportation is at the heart of real opportunity. It provides access to jobs,education, food, culture, medical care, loved ones -- to all the resources

necessary for healthy, prosperous lives. With the current crises in theeconomy, energy security and climate change it is time for a new vision of a

national transportation system that meets these challenges and providesequal access for all.

QUOTE FROM BOARD PRESIDENT OR LOCAL LEADER

WHAT: "Wheels on the Bus" listening sessionWHEN:

WHERE: Location, including closest public transit stop, if applicableWHO: List some key stakeholders and attendees. If legislators say they may

attend, list them as "City Councilwoman Johnson (invited)"

More than 20 "Wheels on the Bus" listening sessions will be taking place allacross the country, bringing the voice and wisdom of community residents to

help craft a smarter, more equitable transportation system.

QUOTE FROM LOCAL RESIDENT WHO USES/NEEDS PUBLIC TRANSIT

Federal and state transportation policy must create a system that gives

people real choices and promotes transportation options that are best for ourenvironment and healthiest for all Americans. The "Wheels on the Bus"

listening session will be a key force in ensuring the real experiences of localresidents are brought to bear on our federal and state transportation policy.

TWOSENTENCESABOUTYOURORGANIZATION(Italicizedtoseparatefromthe

restofthetext)


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How to Submit a Video and Written Testimonyfor National Publication

For Your Wheels On the Bus Listening Session:Please video tape the whole session and get as many written testimonies as you can.

You can submit all of the testimony to the Transportation Equity Network through

our web site at www.transportationequity.org and we will get it to the transportationcommittees in Congress.

For Individual Testimony:

Take a couple of minutes and tell your story in front of a camera or write it down andsend it to [email protected] along with this waiver. Tell your story

about how transportation and equity has affected you. Feel free to use the promptquestions below in order to further explain your story.

How do you get to work every day?

How long is your daily commute?

How much does your daily commute cost? Do you think that is high or low?

How do you feel about your local public transportation authority?

How do you feel about public transportation, are there enough choices in your

community?

Do you think low income people in your community have enough transportation

choices?

How do transportation issues affect you?

Waiver (on TEN website also, www.transportationequity.org):I hereby authorize Transportation Equity Network to take a photograph, video graph

or otherwise record my image, sound, and likeness. I understand that TransportationEquity Network may publish this recording. I hereby waive any and all right to any

compensation in connection with Transportation Equity Networks publication of suchrecordings.

________________________ __________________ ____/___/____

Signature Printed Name Date


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Who We AreThe Transportation Equity Network (TEN) is a network of more than 350

grassroots organizations in 41 states working to create an equity-basednational transportation system. TEN is a project of the Gamaliel Foundation,

a faith-based community organization with regional affiliates around theUnited States.

TEN works to transform federal transportation policy and funding to

overcome crises in the economy, energy security, and climate change by

building prosperous, equitable, and healthy communities and providing equalpublic transportation access to all. We mobilize local faith-based

organizations, affected people, labor unions, local and state governments,and members of Congress in coordination with DC-based Hill advocacy.

Our VisionTransportation is at the center of opportunity. It provides access to jobs,

education, food, culture, medical care, loved ones -- to all the resourcesnecessary for healthy, prosperous lives.

With the current crises in the economy, energy security and climate change itis time for a new vision of a national transportation system that meets these

challenges and provides equal access for all. This means a system that gives

people real choices and promotes transportation options that are best for ourenvironment and healthiest for all Americans.

We reject any effort to pit automobile users against transit riders, cities

against suburbs, urban areas against small towns and rural areas. Insteadwe need an integrated transportation networkthat connects people across

the divides of geography, race, and class.

We need visionary leaders who have the courage to develop a transportation

system that meets the deepest aspirations of the American people for aprosperous, fair and green society.

Congress and the new Administration must face many urgent crises at thesame time. We believe that new transportation legislation is one key to

addressing Americas critical economic, energy and environmental challengesin ways that will provide access to opportunity for all. We urge Americas

new leaders to act quickly and wisely to invest in a transportation system

that will build stronger, greener and more just communities in every part ofour great nation.


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Our Victories

TEN won unprecedented workforce equity requirements for Missouris$500 million I-64 highway project. Minority and female workers

performed 26% of the workforce hours, $2.5 million were devoted to job

training, and the project was finished three weeks early and $11 millionunder budget.

TEN won a commitment from Secretary of Transportation RaymondLaHood to encourage state DOTs to adopt TENs Missouri Model for theI-64 project nationwide.

TEN worked with Rep. Russ Carnahan to secure language in the jobs billthat passed the U.S. House on Dec. 17, 2009, to let transit authorities

avert fare hikes and service cuts by using up to 10 percent of the bills$8.4 billion in public transit funding for operating expenses.

In January 2010, the USDOT adopted new livability-based fundingguidelines for major transit projects, overturning narrow Bush-era costand performance criteria and fulfilling a longtime TEN demand.

The Congressional Black Caucus lifted up TENs Green ConstructionCareers Program, job training demands, and the Missouri Model in anopen letter to President Obama in December 2009.


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TEN Platform for the Surface Transportation AuthorizationWe want all transportation-related legislation, including economic stimulus

legislation and the next Surface Transportation Authorization Act, to providefour things:

1) Economic Growth for All Through Increased Access to

Transportation-Related Jobs

Require that 15-30% of work hours for infrastructure and transportationprojects be performed by low-income workers, ex-offenders, women, the

homeless, and minority populations (the Missouri Model).

Require that 1% of project budgets be used for the recruitment, training,and retention of under-represented workers in highway construction,transit, and rail projects.

Maximize the use of low-income apprentices and union labor.2) Access to OpportunityThrough Increased Funding for Mass Transit

Shift the 80/20 imbalance in federal funding favoring highways overtransit to include a significantly higher proportion of transit funding.

Allow public transit agencies to use federal mass transit funding foroperating expenses.

3) Accountability in GovernmentThrough Increased CommunityInput into Local and State Planning and Funding Processes

Ensure that representation of Metropolitan Planning Organizations andstate Departments of Transportation reflect the diverse communities theyserve, and ensure that their project goals include achieving equitable

results.

4) Sustainable DevelopmentThrough Smart AND Equitable Growth

Develop mass transit systems both inside and outside urban centers toserve diverse communities.

Maximize the development of affordable housing in transit villages. Minimize forced relocations from demolition. Minimize the environmental impacts of development through ecologically

friendly mass transit.



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Policy Experts on Transportation andMetro Equity

To engage one of the policy experts below for your field hearing, callLaura Barrett 314-443-5915, [email protected]

Dr. Todd Swanstrom joined the University of Missouri-St. Louis asthe Des Lee Endowed Professor of Community Collaboration and

Public Policy Administration. This is a joint appointment with PPRC,the Department of Political Science, and Public PolicyAdministration. Dr. Swanstrom is the author of six books,

including Place Matters: Metropolitics for the Twenty-first Century,2nd ed. (co-authored with Peter Dreier and John Mollenkopf). This text,

published in 2001, examines the relationship between suburban sprawl and

the decline of central cities and inner-ring suburbs. He also co-authored CityPolitics, 5th ed., which is a comprehensive examination of urban politics.

Professor John A. Powell is an internationally recognizedauthority in the areas of civil rights, civil liberties, and issues

relating to race, ethnicity, poverty and the law. He is theexecutive director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race

and Ethnicity at Ohio State University. He also holds the WilliamsChair in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at the Moritz College of

Law. He has written extensively on a number of issues including racial justiceand regionalism, concentrated poverty and urban sprawl, the link betweenhousing and school segregation, opportunity-based housing, gentrification,

disparities in the criminal justice system, voting rights, affirmative action inthe United States, South Africa and Brazil, racial and ethnic identity and

current demographic trends. He joined the faculty at Ohio State in 2002.

Radhika K. Fox, Federal Policy Director, leads PolicyLink efforts tobring greater attention, resources, and equitable policy change to older

core cities in America. She provides technical assistance, training, and

policy development support to local and state coalitions across the

country to build the capacity of local change agents who are advocatingfor economic and social equity in their communities. Her work also

focuses on inclusionary zoning and other strategies to promote theequitable distribution of affordable housing across regions. Fox earned a

BS from Columbia University and an MS in city and regional planning from the

University of California, Berkeley, where she was a HUD Community DevelopmentFellow.


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Professor Myron Orfield is the Executive Director of the Institute on Race &Poverty, a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in

Washington, D.C., and an affiliate faculty member at the Hubert H.Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. He teaches and writes in the fields of

civil rights, state and local government, state and local finance, land use,questions of regional governance, and the legislative process. His first book,

Metropolitics: A Regional Agenda for Community and Stability(Brookings

1997), a study of local government structure and demographics, relates tothese efforts. For over a decade, Professor Orfield has been president of a

nationally respected regional research organization undertaking studies

involving the legal, demographic and land use profiles of various Americanmetropolitan areas. His second book,American Metropolitics: The New

Suburban Reality(Brookings 2002), is a compilation of his work involving thenation's 25 largest regions. Professor Orfield is working on a proposal to

reform MPO/DOT decision-making in the next transportation appropriationsbill.

David Rusk is an author, speaker, and consultant on urban policy.His basic theme is how urban sprawl, racial segregation, and

concentrated poverty interact and impact a regions growthpatterns, social equity, and quality of life. A former mayor of

Albuquerque and state legislator, he is a strong champion ofregional strategies, particularly growth management, mixed-income housing,and tax base sharing. He is an independent consultant but proud to serve as

a National Strategic Partner of the Gamaliel Foundation, a faith-basedorganizing institute.

Dwayne S. Marsh, Director for Policy Engagement, staffs

PolicyLink programs on fair distribution of affordable housing,coalition building for regional equity, and leadership developmentfor policy change. He provides technical assistance and capacity

building expertise to equitable development initiatives in several

regions of the nation that address continuing disparities in

affordable housing, transportation investment, and environmentaljustice. Marsh worked for eight years at The San Francisco Foundation,where he initiated conversations with Bay Area religious leadership resulting

in the comprehensive community building and advocacy effort known as theFAITHS Initiative.

Geoff Anderson is the President and CEO of Smart Growth America

and the co-chair of T4Americas executive committee. Geoff cameto his current position in January 2008 after 13 years at the US

EPA where he headed the Agency's Smart Growth Program. Duringhis tenure at EPA, he was instrumental in creating the Agency's

Smart Growth program, he helped to found the Smart Growth Network, the

New Partners for Smart Growth Conference, and the popular web sitesmartgrowth.org He has co-authored numerous publications including: This

Is Smart Growth, Getting to Smart Growth Volumes 1 and 2, Protecting


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Water Resources with Higher Density Development, The Transportation andEnvironmental Impacts of Infill vs. Greenfield Development and many others.

Geoff received a Masters Degree from Duke University's Nicholas School ofthe Environment with a concentration in Resource Economics and Policy.

James Corless is the Director of Transportation for America, a

coalition of over 250 organizations working to promote a newnational transportation policy thats smarter, safer, cleaner and

provides more choice. Prior to Transportation for America, Mr.

Corless was a senior planner for the Metropolitan TransportationCommission in the San Francisco Bay Area where he managed the

agencys efforts to promote smarter growth, transit-oriented developmentand mobility options for low-income communities. Mr. Corless was the

author of Californias groundbreaking Safe Routes to School law andlegislation that paved the way for smart growth blueprints to become part

of the regional transportation planning process throughout the state.

Documents

Toolkit TEN Field Hearing Sessions