By SALLY SWANSON, AIA
Have I gone Back to the Future?!
So here I was in Minneapolis in early August set to participate in the 2017 American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Sustainability and Multimodal Conference.
First of all, this was my first time in Minneapolis and I always enjoy exploring a city new to me through its museums. Lucky for me (and even better for the residents of Minneapolis) that this city is home to the Walker Art Center, a contemporary art venue with a sensational sculpture garden and a wonderful restaurant where I took the time for a leisurely and delectable meal.
Did you know that the Walker Art Center was designed by Herzog & de Meuron the architectural team who also designed the de Young Museum in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park? Again, an instance that strikes the right chord in the heart of this architect.
But I digress.
The APTA is an organization that I joined in 2016 and it has offered me an inspiring collaboration with peers who hold a similar and insatiable interest in Universal Design. (Truly, these are people I would be friends with even if we weren’t involved in the APTA.) I had been invited to speak on a panel organized by Tian Feng, the District Architect of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART). My contribution on the panel was a presentation entitled “A Global View of Wayfinding and Universal Design”.
All of us gathered here for the panel in Minneapolis are individuals at the very top of our game having spent decades developing our specific expertise. Learn something new every day, however, is a general precept I hold to, and so it never ceases to amaze me – with each and every conference where I am selected to present – that just when I think I know it all, something profound spins me around and – voila! – I’ve learned something new.
And so, it was no different at this particular APTA conference.
The timing was spot on and I was caught up in the sheer energy, imagination, and insight that unveiled (for me) a new movement in the arena of transportation. Much of the conference was focused on the emergence of electric buses, their shelters and how to keep these buses charged throughout their busy and sometimes circuitous routes.
Much time, discussion and presentation was also devoted to the current development of driverless cars. And, I must say that this topic absolutely mesmerized me. Just think about it, with driverless cars on the road emotions will no longer rule the highway. What a great and sensible improvement to bring sanity back to long-haul road trips or one’s daily commute. Get ready for it, because this is the wave of the future. And, it’s much closer than you might realize.
But back to my panel’s presentation: we had an engaging workshop in which we shared our collective and individual knowledge about building transit and affordable housing. A common theme became evident quite quickly amongst us: in communities where there is no separation between where transportation hubs are located and where one lives fosters a new understanding of what a neighborhood means. In the very near future it will be those who embrace this convergence that will shape what becomes commonplace for urban design for generations to come. Those who champion and integrate this type of development will be at the forefront in constructing an entirely new landscape as is currently underway by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro).
The diverse voices of our committee set the tone for a presentation that was entirely collaborative as it touched on transit development in each of the cities in which we are based. As members of this professional transportation working group we have one goal for the near term which is to complete the Universal Design document with which we have been tasked. Throughout our endeavor we have worked collegially as a team of experts. No struggle of egos has been evident. We are not competing with one another for a commission. Our deadline is drawing near, but we are operating as a serious think tank in concert with one another and focused on preparing a product that will provide meaningful solutions for transit organizations nationwide. Transit organizations that have serious concerns about how to make travel accessible for all regardless of age or physical ability and creating travel opportunities that provide an enjoyable experience.
In the future people will be traveling differently and the growing need will demand that infrastructure change with the times. New designs will need to be developed and put in place. Change of this magnitude, however, will not be easy. Our government knows that they need to do this to set the country on the right course. It’s a high priority that has been given a backseat for decades. As citizens, we need to hold the government to accountability. It is not enough to hear those who govern say that they will make forward strides. Inaction is not acceptable. The future of the United States demands nothing less.
Minneapolis was a great place to hang out with like-minded colleagues, explore a new and exciting cosmopolitan city, and the weather (incredibly) for this deep summer visit was the absolute best. I’d welcome a return there anytime.
