[sustran] Sustran update on "Messages to America" plus call for contributors and ideas

eric britton eric.britton at ecoplan.org
Sat Feb 7 19:06:25 JST 2009


Submittal guidelines for international contributions to National Journal
Transportation Panel:

 

The National Journal in Washington, DC, has created an expert blog in which
they've invited a couple dozen "transportation insiders" (in their words) in
order to provide counsel and guidelines to be transportation team of the
incoming Obama administration.  You can see all about it at
http://transportation.nationaljournal.com/2009/01/transportation-beyond-our-
borders.php .

 

The idea is that each week the editors are asking the expert panel to
respond to a question in the hope that some interesting ideas will appear
there and make their way into the discussions and considerations of the
incoming team at the Department of Transportation. The question to which I
would like to draw your attention here is:

 

“What lessons can America learn from the rest of the world in terms of
transportation developments that are safe, efficient, cost-effective, and
sustainable?

 

“We Americans often think of ourselves as sitting at the very top of the
social, economic, technological, entertainment, and political pyramid.
After all, we invented human flight, the Super Bowl, the Interstate Highway,
the transcontinental railroad, and Rock ‘n’ Roll.  But perhaps we’re not as
advanced as we like to think.  Perhaps innovations in transportation, land
use, and energy consumption are much more evenly distributed around the
world than we ever thought possible.  Indeed, perhaps America is closer to
the middle or bottom of the pyramid when it comes to transportation
investments.  What lessons can America learn from the rest of the world in
terms of transportation developments that are safe, efficient,
cost-effective, and sustainable?”

 

Since the editors originally invited me to join this panel, I guess in part
because they think I have something to say from an international
perspective, I have had a bit of a role in getting this question onto the
agenda.  As those of you who know me can well imagine, I think I have
something to say on this . . . however I think I have an even better idea
than that, so let me share it with you.

 

Specifically, I would like to offer you the chance to respond to this
question terms of the following routine, if you agree:

 

1.     Please address ONE AND ONLY ONE IDEA OR TOPIC either to me privately
via  <mailto:eric.britton at newmobility.org> eric.britton at newmobility.org, or
if you feel it will be of interest to the group as a whole to the New
Mobility Café at  <mailto:NewMobilityCafe at yahoogroups.com>
NewMobilityCafe at yahoogroups.com   (if you do this, kindly conserve the above
Subject line).

 

2.     Closing date for submittals:, 19 February 2009



3.     Start with a short topic statement/summary (ten words or less)

 

4.     Kindly make your point in less than 400 words.

 

5.     Sign it in a succinct matter with your name, institutional
affiliation, country, and e-mail.

 

6.     Allow me to edit it on the understanding that I will not denature
your commentary.

 

Finally, let me invite you to have a look at the latest addition of the
report in progress which you can find by clicking to
www.messages.newmobility.org.  I think that the report itself is the best
guide to what we are trying to achieve, and you will find some additional
guidelines in the first two pages as well as examples of the contributions.

 

Just below you have a list of countries thus far covered -- if your country
there?  Do not you think it should be?  -- and the authors who have thus far
joined the project.  In addition to hoping to get contributions from further
countries, we are very interested to have more contributions from the Global
South, both from the vantage of what the developing countries have to
demonstrate and teach transportation planners and policymakers in the United
States (quite a bit I would say) as well as expressing your need for more
appropriate model for sustainable transportation from the United States
which is an important reference for people in the developing world wishing
to Institute meaningful transportation reforms.

 

I very much hope that this will be of use to you and look forward to hearing
what you have to suggest.

 

With all good wishes,

 

Eric Britton

 

PS.  A quick word on future plans for this collaborative project.  First, we
will be making the final submittal of report to the National Journal and its
readers at the US Department of transportation and other agencies on 26
February.  Second, we intend to publish a revised and extended version of
report as a special number of the Journal of World Transport Policy and
Practice in April.  Third, we are looking into organizing our first
international video and audio working session which will be open to all of
our colleagues at no cost sometime early this spring.  Additional
information will be provided on this as soon as things firm up here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Austria, Australia, Canada, Estonia, Europe, France, Germany, Global South,
Iceland, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines,
Poland, Singapore, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the 
United States of America

 

Robert Anderson, Alexander Berthelsen, Eric Britton, Dave Brook, Martin
Cassini, Julien Chantefort, Colin Clarke,  Andrew Combes, Philippe Crist,
Andrew Curran, Todd Edelman,  Paul Fenton, Geoff Gardner, Jan Gehl, Marie
Danielle V. Guillen, Ann Hackett,  Peter Hotz, Adhiraj Joglekar, Jeff
Kenworthy, Murray King, Martin Kroon, Morten Lange, Roy Langston, Zvi Leve,
David Levinger, Michael Lewyn, Todd Litman, Sabine Lutz, Margaret Mahan,
Karel Martens, Rory McMullan, Paul Minett,, Mikel Murga, Peter Newman,
Pascal van den Noort , Richard Oram, Carlos Felipe Pardo, Joanna Parr,
Anthony Perl, Gil Penalosa, Ian Perry, Mark L. Potter, Gordon Price, Danijel
Rebolj, Per Schillander, Robert Smith, Gladwyn d'Souza, Joseph Szyliowicz,
Dino Teddyputra, Marek Utkin, Chu Wa, Conrad Wagner, Paul White, John
Whitelegg, Peter Wiederkehr, Peter Wilbers, Paul Wren, Gus Yates, Michael
Yeates

 

 

 

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