Past Events

On Saturday, March 17, San Jose State University’s Department of Urban and Regional Planning and the Urban Planning Coalition hosted the Annual Symposium at the Martin Luther King Library. This event was proudly co-sponsored by MTI.

Special guest appearance Julia Lave Johnston President Elect at California Chapter, American Planning Association helped to kickoff the spring symposium.

The symposium focused on “Innovative Technologies in Urban Planning.” Keynote speaker was Dr. Paul Waddell, who has led the development of the UrbanSim model of urban simulation now used by Metropolitan Planning Organizations and other local and regional agencies. He was introduced by Dr. Shishir Mathur from San Jose State University.

Panel discussions addressed the following:

1. Using Urban Simulation and Data Science to Evaluate Land Uses
   Moderated by Richard Kos, AICP
   Panelists:
   Sam Blanchard (UrbanSim)
   Adam Garcia (Greenbelt Alliance)
   Yanwen Luo (Guanxi University)
   Di Meng (Gensler)

2. Providing Services Using Emerging Technologies 
   Moderated by Dr. Serena Alexander
   Panelists:
   Ryan Wold (Civic Studio)
   Jerry Zeyu Gao (San Jose State University)
   Allen Tai, AICP (City of Alameda)

3. Transportation and Technology in the Urban Environment 
   Moderated by Dr. Joseph Kott
   Panelists:
   Dr. Serena Alexander (San Jose State University) & Dr. Anurag Pande (Cal Poly)
   Dr. Kevin Fang (San Jose State University)
   Melissa Ruhl (Arup)
   Sam Sadle (LimeBike)

4 AICP CM credits available

The world's leading rail experts joined with business and political leaders to discuss bringing fast rail to America at this conference. Construction is underway on the first phase of the 800-mile, state-of-the-art transportation system set to revolutionize mobility in America, starting with California. Once the system is built out, it will carry more than 100 million people each year, saving time, money, energy, and lives. MTI was a proud co-sponsor of this event.

In the fall of 2017, California released its State Rail Plan, a strategic vision that provides an innovative framework for our rail network over the next two decades with the intended goal of creating a state-of-the-art rail system by 2040. During this event, participants explored the plan to learn more about its vision, how it supports the intermodal connections at Diridon Station and how it might change the future of travel throughout California for the better. Mineta Transportation Institute was a proud co-presenter of this event.

The Mineta Transportation Institute held its winter board meeting in Washington DC. Chair Grace Crunican, General Manager of Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART), presided.

MTI sponsored the eleventh annual Podcar City conference focused on sustainable and innovative automated public transportation. More than 200 city planners, transit planners, academics, engineers, developers, elected officials, and others discussed this 21st-century opportunity. The Urban International Design Contest (or UIDC) was a main feature of the 2017 Podcar City Conference. The UIDC connected students with city professionals and together they worked toward the goal of educating, inspiring and motivating important stakeholders in how new modes of sustainable public transportation can be utilized in an urban environment.

The 7th Annual Silicon Valley Bike Summit was the Bay Area’s largest gathering of active transportation leaders and organizers from government, law enforcement, non-profit, and the public. This year’s keynote speaker was Tamika Butler, Executive Director of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust and former Executive Director of Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC). Tamika discussed LACBC’s work on Vision Zero, law enforcement, and creating safe bicycling for the diverse population of LA. The Bike Summit also had sessions on Safe Routes to Schools, protected bike lanes, Bikes + Transit, planning low-stress bike networks, and bicycling encouragement programs. MTI was a proud co-sponsor of this event.

Graduates of MTI's Masters of Science in Transportation Management received their hoods at a banquet attended by families and friends as well as national and international transportation leaders. An award was given to students from Urban Promise Academy in Oakland, the winning team in the Garrett Morgan Sustainable Transportation Competition, and the MSTM Alumni Association honored its Alumna/us of the Year.

The need to invest in California’s transportation system is dire. Estimates suggest a nearly $140B backlog in deferred maintenance on highways, bridges, and local streets and roads. While the funding crisis is widely recognized, solutions are difficult to come by. Senate Bill 1, passed by the California legislature in early April, dedicates over $50B to transportation projects through increased fuel taxes and vehicle registration fees, yet that only partially fills the gap. This free, half-day summit hosted by MTI at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco looked at various strategies the state and local and regional governments and transportation agencies are taking to address California’s transportation needs. The results from year eight of a national public opinion poll of more than 1,500 Americans on various tax options for raising federal transportation revenues were presented.
Listen or watch:
• Keynote address (audio)
• Panel Discussion (audio)
• Complete summit (video)

K-12 workforce development initiatives are crucial to the future of transportation and MTI has partnered with third grade classroom teachers from Reed Elementary School so students can learn about sustainable transportation. In addition to participating in the Green by Design lab, students formed teams to build solar-powered vehicle models! MTI proudly co-sponsored this K-12 fieldtrip.