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Rail~Volution 2018
October 21, 2018 @ 1:00 pm - October 24, 2018 @ 6:00 pm
“Our vision is that America’s cities and regions be transformed into livable places — healthy, economically vibrant, socially equitable and environmentally sustainable – where people have transportation choices.”
Tuesday, October 23 – Wednesday October 24 – Register
Note: This MOD Sandbox program is happening concurrently with Rail~Volution Pittsburgh. Those not affiliated with MOD Sandbox are welcome to register but will require approval from SUMC to attend. If your registration is approved, you will receive a confirmation via email.
Join the Shared-Use Mobility Center (SUMC) and the US Federal Transit Administration (FTA) for a workshop supporting FTA’s Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox program!
Spread over two days, this event will bring together practitioners from the public and private sectors to accelerate the learning process around MOD for Sandbox grantees as well as others (agencies, cities, and providers) interested in innovative mobility solutions that complement and expand the reach of traditional transit.
The workshops will begin with expert panels on Tuesday from 1:30 pm – 5:30 pm and wrap up on Wednesday morning with interactive discussions on emerging topics and first-hand experiences in MOD.
Questions about this event? Contact Prashanth Gururaja at [email protected]
What Is Rail~Volution?
For over 20 years, Rail~Volution has been the place to engage in thoughtful discussions with change makers and influencers, the place to share ideas and breakthroughs, frustrations and inspiration, about building livable communities with transit. We provide learning opportunities to equip you with best practices. We connect and expand your network with leaders in the public transportation, transit-oriented development, placemaking and community development fields.
Our annual conference, place-based events and online resource library showcase how land use, transportation and development can transform communities into livable places — healthy, economically vibrant, socially equitable and environmentally sustainable.
A movement.
A resource.
A network of people.
What is the Rail~Volution Conference?
Learn, grow and be inspired at the only transportation conference that showcases the link between land use, transit and development. This meticulously curated annual event brings together planners, community activists, transit officials, consultants, developers, lenders, grassroots organizations, academics, elected officials, health advocates and housing advocates to share the most cutting edge information in their fields. For over 20 years, these experts and innovators have come from hundreds of communities to engage in thoughtful discussions at the Rail~Volution conference, a place to explore ideas, breakthroughs, challenges and solutions for building livable communities with transit.
Join a strong, engaged and growing network supported by our committed Board of Directors and Partners. Our Partners are the heart of our network, cutting-edge organizations whose leaders contribute their time and expertise to our National Steering Committee. The National Steering Committee is a vibrant and respected industry think tank. It supports our programs and creates the content for our annual Rail~Volution conference. Our Board is made up of leaders in the public transportation, transit-oriented development, placemaking and community development fields.
Learn more about our Board of Directors, Partners and National Steering Committee members.
Why Should You Get Involved?
Perspective. Collaboration. Partnership. Innovation.
When you get involved in Rail~Volution, you join a diverse and driven community of professionals who are passionate about the importance of transportation in communities. You can collaborate and network with dozens of local, regional and national stakeholders from all levels of public and private sectors, working on transportation projects all around the country. Rail~Volution is non-partisan and helps communities integrate transit systems from buses and rail to bikes and pedestrians.
Coming to the conference? You’ll be exposed to some of the best minds on transportation systems, transit-oriented development, and livable communities in the world. You’ll hear how regions across the country are rediscovering community. You’ll have a chance to ask hard questions and explore cutting-edge ideas in more than 75+ workshops, networking events and mobile workshops.
With Rail~Volution you can connect with community leaders, city planners, elected officials, activists, developers, transportation system operators, engineers, architects and housing advocates. You’ll have opportunities to strengthen your own skills. And you’ll help drive transit-related and community development policies that maximize the benefits of transit investments.
The conference program will be available online in late August. See this post for topics to be covered at the conference.
The program for the October Rail~Volution conference in Pittsburgh is still a few weeks away — look for it online in late August. This past week, our National Steering Committee met (for the last time before the conference) to share plans for 75+ workshops and other activities.
Here are a few quick (and by no means complete) take aways from the discussion:
At Rail~Volution 2018, we’ll definitely be hearing about transit and livability projects from a wide array of locations – cities like Seattle, Portland, and Minneapolis/St Paul with relatively recent build-out of transit systems; cities with deep transit roots (e.g., Chicago, Philly, Toronto, & Vancouver); cities embarking on new plans, such as Tulsa, Albuquerque, Oklahoma City; and Atlanta, New Orleans, Baltimore, Honolulu, and more.
If you’re working on BRT or streetcar projects, there will be workshops for you. But, at Rail~Volution we encourage you to meet people outside your comfort zone. So, also look for sessions on microtransit & other new mobility options, equitable transit-oriented development, affordable housing, bike share, curb management, financing, public-private partnerships, transit system redesign, way finding & signage, community engagement, placemaking, parking and more.
Along with real-world experiences, there will be policies, tools, and tips for and from developers, advocates, transit agencies, planners, urban designers, technology providers, affordable housing leaders, elected officials, engineers, planners, architects, and data geeks.
Pittsburgh, our conference location, also has a fascinating story to tell. Beautiful neighborhoods and architecture. A robust transportation system with multiple modes (and a very high walk share). An incredible talent for collaboration. A strong commitment to community and climate justice. A wave of new technology energizing a legacy city. Join us!
Download the Rail~Volution Pittsburgh Brochure
Accessibility at Rail~Volution
The 2018 Rail~Volution Annual Conference will take place at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown. Located in Pittsburgh’s Central Business District, also known as the Golden Triangle, the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh’s modern hotel rooms offer views of the famed three rivers and Pittsburgh’s rejuvenated downtown. This venue was selected to make everyone’s visit as productive and comfortable as possible. If you need additional assistance or have accommodation requests, please email [email protected] at least two weeks prior to the event. Every effort will be made to provide reasonable accommodations.
Send a Delegation to Rail~Volution
Organizing a delegation from your city or region is a great way to leverage Rail~Volution’s national network, its interdisciplinary sessions, and the rich local experience in Pittsburgh. By transferring knowledge to a core group of leaders, who in turn disseminate lessons learned from the conference, some regions have significantly changed their transit and land use equations. Delegations can help accelerate change not only in regions where development is already underway but also in regions that are just starting to think about transit, development, and land-use issues.
Download delegation flyer (pdf). Contact Dan Bartholomay, CEO of Rail~Volution, to find out more about sending delegations to Rail~Volution.