Saturday, March 17, 9:45 a.m. – 4 p.m.
The automobile revolution of the early 20th Century unfolded without a great deal of thought or planning to reduce its negative impacts. As a result, the domination of the automobile produced urban sprawl, creating a new distance between home and daily destinations that could only be overcome by ownership of a car.
This virtual requirement of car ownership levied a huge cost on American households. Transportation is now the second largest expenditure of the average household.
The coming autonomous vehicle and ride service revolution could go far to reduce social inequality if communities start making decisions now to shape that revolution. Without community control, the revolution could result in a nightmare scenario of more urban sprawl, greenhouse gas emissions, and unhealthy communities.
The keynote speaker at the Transportation Justice Conference is Elizabeth Deakin, professor emerita of City and Regional Planning at UC Berkeley, where she headed the UC Transportation Research Center. She’ll talk about the decisions that communities need to start making in order to ensure that new technology serves our needs.
The Conference will also feature workshops on Public Transit for All; Advocacy for Safe Bicycling and Walking; and Affordable Housing.
Presenters include: • Cathy DeLuca, Policy Director for Walk San Francisco • Adam Millard-Ball, UCSC Professor of Environmental Studies • Eduardo Montesino, former mayor of Watsonville and President of UTU (Bus drivers union) • Barrow Emerson, Chief Planner for METRO • and Rebecca Garcia, Watsonville City Council Member.
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Free admission (donations appreciated); $10 lunch by India Joze. Sponsored by the Campaign for Sensible Transportation.