Lessons From London

With the nation’s most robust transit system, the cities of the Northeast are connected unlike any others in the nation. This panel will look at forging an economic-development strategy for communities along the Northeast Corridor and other major transit routes, one that links residents to job opportunities, employers to a wider labor market and communities to services and amenities. We also will examine how the U.K. has capitalized on similar opportunities. Over the past three decades, Greater London has been transformed by major transportation investments and coordinated urban regeneration projects. We’ll hear about their work and discuss the potential for communities in our region.

Moderator: Robert D. Yaro, President, RPA
Caren S. Franzini, Chief Executive, New Jersey Economic Development Authority
Peter James Heath, Technical Director, U.K., Atkins Global
Karen Rae, Deputy Secretary for Transportation, New York State
James D. Redeker, Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Transportation

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Universities and the Future of Cities

The development of a Cornell-led technology center on Roosevelt Island signals that New York is betting that part of its economic future lies in university-linked innovation hubs. In New Haven, the city and Yale are bringing new innovations to a partnership that is reshaping the city’s future. We will learn more about the Cornell plan, the New Haven-Yale partnership and implications for other university-led economic-development strategies.

Moderator: Maxine Griffith, Executive Vice President for Government and Community Relations, Special Advisor for Campus Planning, Columbia University; Vice Chairman, RPA Board; Co-Chairman, RPA New York Committee
Lance Collins, Dean of Engineering, Cornell University
The Honorable John DeStefano Jr., Mayor, City of New Haven
Seth Pinsky, President, New York City Economic Development Corporation
Simon Willis, Vice President, World Wide Public Sector, Internet Business Solutions Group, Cisco Systems Inc.

Creating Resilient Cities

On our current trajectory, by 2050, cities will be reliant on massive amounts of dirty energy to power their economies and accommodate their growing populations. What are the most promising scalable clean-energy, efficiency and smart-grid investments that will enable cities and regions to better withstand changes in population, climate, price and fuel supply?

Moderator: Geraldine Smith, General Environmental Counsel and Managing Director, Environment for Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc.
Mary Barber, Campaign Director, New York Region, Environmental Defense Fund
Dylan Hixon, President, Arden Road Investments; Member, RPA Board
Joseph G. McGee, Vice President for Public Policy and Programs, The Business Council of Fairfield County; Member, RPA Connecticut Committee
Alison Taylor, Vice President, Sustainability – Americas, Siemens Corporation

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Transit in Other World Cities

From São Paulo to Singapore, most world cities have large, growing and increasingly sophisticated transit systems. Chief executives from some of the world’s biggest transit agencies will discuss their successes and challenges in planning, technology, design and governance. In addition to offering insight into the state of transit among New York’s competitors, the discussion will help inform what transit investments should be made in the tri-state region.

Moderator: Elliot G. Sander, President & CEO, HAKS Group Inc.; Board Chair, RPA
Lew Yii Der, Group Director Corporate Planning and Research, Singapore Land Transport Authority
Joseph J. Lhota, Chairman & CEO, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority
Anders Lindström, Managing Director, Stockholm Public Transport
Elaine Seagriff, Head of London-wide Policy and Strategy, Transport for London

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Building Great in Tough Times

Developers say that it is harder than ever to get large projects moving in this era of funding uncertainties and high construction costs. We will hear from civic leaders and developers on how great projects can succeed despite myriad challenges, from disruptions in financing to regulation to shifts in demand, and what the region should do to encourage excellence.

Moderator: Julia Vitullo-Martin, Director, Center for Urban Innovation, RPA
Vishaan Chakrabarti, Marc Holliday Associate Professor of Real Estate and Director of the Real Estate Program, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation, Columbia University; Partner, SHoP Architects
Douglas Durst, Chairman, Durst Organization; Vice Chairman, RPA Board
Rosanne Haggerty, President, Community Solutions
Fred Harris, Executive Vice President for Development, New York City Housing Authority

Are We Building The Right Housing?

America’s population is growing and changing, with smaller family sizes and lower rates of homeownership. There also are signs of a growing preference for multi-family dwelling units in mixed-use, walkable communities. Yet our housing markets and land-use regulations are still dominated by a single-family model of habitation. Hear from demographers and developers about how changing demographics are driving demand for different housing types than in the past and how this demand is being met (or not met) across the nation and in the tri-state region.

Moderator: Petra Todorovich, Director, America 2050, RPA
Dowell Myers, Professor of Urban Planning and Demography, University of Southern California
Peter S. Reinhart, Director, Kislak Real Estate Institute, Monmouth University
Fatima Shama, Commissioner, Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, City of New York

Cars vs. Bicycles vs. Pedestrians: Can They Learn to Live Together?

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut all have adopted policies to build streets that are safer and more welcoming, incorporating such features as separated bike lanes, new sidewalks and better road signage. In New York City, the results have been dramatic: miles of new bike lanes and greenways that have doubled of the number of bicyclists But some neighborhood groups and local businesses have pushed back on many of these improvements. Can urban centers balance competing demands and values for streets to improve mobility, public space and climate?

Moderator: Trent Lethco, Leader, Americas Transport Consulting, ARUP; Member, RPA Board and New York Committee
Jon Orcutt, Policy Director, New York City Department of Transportation
The Honorable Thomas M. Roach, Mayor, City of White Plains
Samuel Schwartz, President & CEO, Sam Schwartz Engineering
The Honorable Dawn Zimmer, Mayor, City of Hoboken

Strategies to Fund Transportation in the 21st Century

Greater fuel efficiency and flat driving demand have driven down gasoline tax revenue, jeopardizing the funding needed to maintain and improve our nation’s infrastructure. With little political support for raising gas taxes and government at all levels facing financial strains, the panel will look at options for funding infrastructure in the coming years. How much responsibility should state and local government assume for funding transit? Do such funding options as higher fares and tolls, private-public partnerships or congestion pricing/mileage tolling make sense?

Moderator: Michael R. Fleischer, Associate Vice President, HNTB; Member, RPA Board
The Honorable Earl Blumenauer, Congressman, Oregon’s 3rd District, Ways and Means Committee
Ronald Epstein, Chief Financial Officer, New York State Department of Transportation
Janet Kavinoky, Director, Transportation Infrastructure, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
David Yale, Deputy Executive Officer, Countywide Planning and Development, Los Angeles Metro
Jeffrey M. Zupan, Senior Fellow, RPA

Best Practices for Urban Development

What transformational thinking is required for cities to modernize infrastructure, increase efficiency and improve services for the people they serve while competing on the global landscape for investment, ideas and talent? This discussion will explore what the region can learn from cities across the world about how better planning and governance can be used to promote economic, environmental and social goals.

Moderator: Greg Clark, Global City Advisor
Armando Carbonell, Chair, Department of Planning and Urban Form, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Caswell F. Holloway, Deputy Mayor of Operations, City of New York
Abha Joshi-Ghani, Sector Manager, Urban Development and Local Government Unit, Finance, Economics and Urban Development Department, World Bank