Transition Asheville Social to hear presentation on New York City’s pedestrian renaissance

Vaidila Satvika, formerly the director of the NYC Plaza Program, will speak at the Transition Asheville Social scheduled Monday, Feb. 9, at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church.

From press release:

Transition Asheville Social

Time: 6:30 pm – 8:00pm

Place: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Asheville

Presentation Topic: Transportation, Pedestrians, and Energy: Lessons from New York City’s Pedestrian Renaissance.

Description: Vaidila Satvika, formerly the director of the NYC Plaza Program, will discuss the radical approach that is leading New York City to take back underutilized streets to make more space for people. In the densest city in the U.S., leaders are demolishing streets to build places for people to sit, for children to play, and for plants to grow. How is this possible? What lessons can we learn? And what is causing cities everywhere to think more seriously about the transportation paradigm?

The NYC example is rebalancing streets through a multimodal effort that has brought about bus rapid transit, a drastically expanded bicycle program, and renewed focus on the pedestrian experience throughout all of the city’s five boroughs, most notably at the center of Manhattan’s Times Square. The 180-degree turn for the Department of Transportation took effect because of a change of leadership. Although the city was ripe for pedestrian and bicycle improvements for many years, the significant changes took place only after a few visionary leaders were given the authority to turn the ship around.

In cities throughout the U.S., leaders are realizing that quality of life and resilient communities depend upon having various transportation options, which in turn has led to the explosion of bike share programs and efforts to consider pedestrians in planning streets and neighborhoods. Asheville is no different: bike lanes are few and sidewalks disappear and reappear throughout the city, but the streets are beginning to change. How can this city more fully awaken to the pedestrian and bicycle renaissance? What are Asheville’s strengths and weaknesses when it comes to human-powered transport? What factors are determining whether the city is progressing at a reasonable rate? What can you do to be a part of Asheville’s transportation transformation?

For more information, visit http://www.transitionasheville. org/events.
Transportation, Pedestrians, and Energy: Lessons from New York City’s Pedestrian Renaissance.

SHARE

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.