Watch a video of the lecture here

Access the slides here.

Tamika Butler (@TamikaButler), executive director of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, will deliver the Ann Niles Active Transportation Lecture this year. She is an advocate and activist who works in support of LGBTQA rights, as well as fighting for social justice and healthy communities. She moved to Los Angeles from Omaha, Nebraska, and became interested in active transportation when she met her wife. It was on bike rides that she fell in love with the city. Uniquely positioned as a queer black woman to understand what marginalized people experience every day, she brought passion, energy and intersectionality to the quest for better bicycle access as the executive director of the Los Angeles Bicycle Coalition. In her new role with the L.A. Neighborhood Land Trust, she continues to help address social and racial equity through building parks and gardens in park-poor communities across Greater Los Angeles. Butler was a featured speaker at the 2017 National Walking Summit in St. Paul this September, and gave the keynote at the 2016 NACTO Designing Cities conference in Seattle.

Prior to leading the L.A. Bicycle Coalition, she was the director of social change strategies at Liberty Hill Foundation, and worked at Young Invincibles as the California director. She received her J.D. from Stanford Law School and her B.A. in Psychology and B.S. in Sociology in her hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. 

READ MORE about Tamika's new role here on StreetsBlog LA "Tamika Butler to Step Down as Head of LACBC; Leaves Behind Strong Legacy of Inclusion in Transportation" 
WATCH MORE of Tamika and view her 2016 NACTO Designing Cities keynote address

INITIATIVE FOR BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN INNOVATION (IBPI) 
Each year, the Ann Niles Active Transportation Lecture Endowment brings a guest speaker to Portland, Oregon. We seek people from all over the world who have made great strides in advocating for health, safety, and bicycle and pedestrian access, and bring them together with the Portland transportation community to share methods and inspiration. The annual forum furthers IBPI's mission to facilitate the exchange of knowledge among scholars, practitioners and community advocates focused on walking and biking. Read more about the Ann Niles Active Transportation Lecture endowment.

Portland State University's Lincoln Recital Hall (Room 75, Ground Fl, 1620 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR 97201) 

Want to learn more about the work we do and how it intersects with equity in transportation? Read more.

We will be providing ASL interpreters and CART services at this event.

The lecture will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m; doors and seating to the lecture hall begins at 5:00 p.m.

Every year the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State brings a world-class speaker to speak on active transportation - with the support of the Ann Niles endowment for our program the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI). This year the lecture is part of the annual Portland State of Mind.

This year, in celebration of Portland State’s "Disability as Diversity" month of October here on campus, we invited Elise Roy to share her unique perspective on how active transportation interfaces with the Deaf community and others with unique needs. In the City of Portland and surrounding regions, it’s critical that we consider all users at the beginning of the design process for walking, biking, and transit.

Elise Roy (see full bio) is a deaf human-centered designer, former lawyer, and motivational speaker who works in the vanguard of the disruptive innovation movement. She is a passionate proponent of the notion that when we design for disability, we often develop solutions that are better than when we design for the norm. A highly skilled public speaker, she has given talks at Microsoft, the U.S. Institute for Peace, the United Nations, and the World Bank. Her TEDx talk, "When we Design for Disability, We All Benefit," has over 1.2 million views.

Elise’s deafness has always given her a heightened awareness of how profoundly design shapes the social, emotional and physical environment and this led her to study human-centered design in Maryland Institute College of Art’s (MICA) Social Design program. She completed a master’s degree with a thesis that investigated the barriers that exist for individuals with hearing loss in the fabrication technology and design realm. In 2016 Elise founded Elise Roy & Associates, a social enterprise that helps organizations analyze problems from the vantage point of people with disabilities to disrupt markets and industries. The organization is founded on the notion that when we design for extremes we come up with better solutions than when we design for the norm.

Part of the evening will include a conversation between Elise and Dr. Paula Carder, Director of Portland State University's Institute on Aging, as they explore further how universal design in mobility options and infrastructure truly does benefit everyone at every stage of life.

DIRECTIONS

The accessible entrance to Lincoln Hall is on Broadway. Enter on the ground floor and proceed straight ahead down the hall to the opposite end of the building, then turn left and the Recital Hall will be one of two doors on your left.

SUPPORT PROVIDED BY

Ann Niles Endowment

National Institute for Transportation and Communities

Age-Friendly Portland

RELATED EVENTS

In addition to this fall lecture, TREC is excited to continue the conversation on orientation and mobility with our future upcoming events:

• (Sept. 14, 2018) Integrating Universal Access and Equity into Pedestrian Planning and Design - A four-hour workshop as part of the larger Transportation and Communities Academy 2018 at Portland State
• (March 11, 2019) Mobility Matters 2019 - Co-hosted with the Graduate School of Education, a one-day summit on orientation and mobility at Portland State

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The Ann Niles Active Transportation Lecture is a unique opportunity to bring world-class thinkers on pedestrian and bicycle issues to Portland State University (PSU) and the active transportation community in the Portland metro region. The annual lecture serves as a legacy to Ann Niles who was a strong advocate for livable neighborhoods, safer pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and served on many transportation-focused boards and committees in Portland. The forum furthers the mission of our Initative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI) program to facilitate the exchange of knowledge among scholars, practitioners and community advocates around issues of active transportation. By promoting dialogue across disciplines and interests, this lecture series supports PSU's mission to "let knowledge serve the city."

SAVE THE DATE! Every year the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State brings a world-class speaker to speak on active transportation - with the support of the Ann Niles endowment. This year Angie Schmitt of Streetsblog will deliver the lecture at a luncheon on October 15, 2019. Save the date, registration opens in September!

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

 Miss the lecture, or want to share it with someone?

• Watch the recorded video
• View the presentation slides (PDF)
• Check out photos from the event
• Read the great recap from Jonathan Maus at BikePortland.org

THE SPEAKER

Angie Schmitt is the editor of Streetsblog USA. Streetsblog is a daily news site that connects people to information about how to reduce dependence on cars and improve conditions for walking, biking, and transit. Since 2006, their reporters have broken important stories about efforts to prevent pedestrian injuries and deaths, build out bicycle networks, and make transit more useful. Angie has been reporting on the movement for sustainable transportation for nine years and is a frequently cited expert. She is currently writing a book about the pedestrian safety crisis, to be published in 2020 by Island Press. Angie holds a degree in urban planning and lives in Cleveland, OH with her husband and two young children.

THE LECTURE

The Pedestrian Safety Crisis in America: Why it's happening -- from SUVs to gentrification -- and what we can do about it. More than 6,000 pedestrians are getting killed every year on American streets, representing an enormous 50 percent increase from the first part of the decade. We'll talk about the social trends that are putting people at risk. And why fundamentally, it is a problem of inequity.

THE TICKETS

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT. This afternoon lecture includes catered lunch, and the ticket fee covers that cost. To increase access and remove barriers to participation, we are offering a sliding scale option. Access to learning should be lifelong, participatory, and affordable - please let us know if you need additional support at asktrec@pdx.edu:

• $20 Luncheon Ticket
• $10 Luncheon Ticket (Choose this price if you are a student or an employee of a community-based organization)

Refund Policy: You may cancel your ticket and receive a full refund up until two weeks prior to the event. Refunds close on Monday, October 1st. You may tranfer your ticket to another individual at no cost, at any time.

The Ann Niles Active Transportation Lecture is a unique opportunity to bring world-class thinkers on pedestrian and bicycle issues to Portland State University (PSU) and the active transportation community in the Portland metro region. The annual lecture serves as a legacy to Ann Niles who was a strong advocate for livable neighborhoods, safer pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and served on many transportation-focused boards and committees in Portland. The forum furthers the mission of our Initative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI) program to facilitate the exchange of knowledge among scholars, practitioners and community advocates around issues of active transportation. By promoting dialogue across disciplines and interests, this lecture series supports PSU's mission to "let knowledge serve the city."

Each year, the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State brings a world-class speaker to speak on active transportation with the support of the Ann Niles endowment.

THE LECTURE

Roadways for People: Building Safe, Just and Affordable Communities

When Lynn Peterson began working as a transportation engineer, she was taught to evaluate roadway projects based only on metrics related to driver safety, allowable speed for the highest number of cars, project schedule, and budget. Involving the community and collaborating with peers were never part of the discussion. Today, Peterson is a nationally recognized leader in transportation planning and engineering, known for her approach that is rooted in racial equity, guided by a process of community engagement, and includes collaboration with other professionals. Lynn Peterson will draw from her personal experience and interviews with leaders in the field to showcase new possibilities within transportation engineering and planning.  Join us in a discussion on how to pave the way towards more inclusive communities.

THE SPEAKER

Author of Roadways for People: Rethinking Transportation Planning and Engineering, Lynn Peterson’s career has led her on a journey from building projects to building communities that work for everyone. Lynn’s 30-year-plus transportation career has covered an impressive range of experience. From building and designing roads to serving as an elected and appointed official in both Oregon and Washington, respectively, she has worked on policy and implementation of transportation projects and trained State DOTs on forward-thinking transportation planning processes. Nationally recognized as a transportation and land use integration expert, she understands the pitfalls of being a white urban woman working with communities that are culturally and racially different from her own. She also recognizes that in order to do her best work, she must always strive to keep an open heart and mind in order to understand the perspectives of individuals in her communities.

THE TICKETS 

This lecture includes a catered lunch, and the ticket fee covers that cost. To increase access and remove barriers to participation, we are offering a sliding scale option. Access to learning should be lifelong, participatory, and affordable - please let us know if you need additional support at asktrec@pdx.edu.

• $10 Luncheon Ticket (Choose this price if you are a student or work for a community-based organization)
• $25 Luncheon Ticket

Refund Policy: You may cancel your ticket and receive a full refund up until two weeks prior to the event. Refunds close on Wednesday, May 10. You may transfer your ticket to another individual at no cost, at any time.

The Ann Niles Active Transportation Lecture is a unique opportunity to bring world-class thinkers on pedestrian and bicycle issues to Portland State University (PSU) and the active transportation community in the Portland metro region. The annual lecture serves as a legacy to Ann Niles who was a strong advocate for livable neighborhoods, safer pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and served on many transportation-focused boards and committees in Portland. The forum furthers the mission of our Initative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI) program to facilitate the exchange of knowledge among scholars, practitioners and community advocates around issues of active transportation. By promoting dialogue across disciplines and interests, this lecture series supports PSU's mission to "let knowledge serve the city."

Each year, the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) at Portland State brings a world-class speaker to speak on active transportation with the support of the Ann Niles endowment.

THE LECTURE

Places for People: A Conversation with CityNerd

Ray Delahanty of the popular YouTube channel CityNerd will come to Portland State University for a conversation with Lillian Karabaic, host of OPB's "Weekend Edition."

Join in for a lively discussion with the PSU community about active transportation, urban planning, and all things in between.

Have a question already in mind? Use this form to ask it—We will reserve time for these questions during the lecture!

THE SPEAKERS

Ray Delahanty is the creator behind CityNerd, a YouTube channel that explores urbanism, transportation, and all the things that make cities unique. The channel's point of view is strongly influenced by his professional background in transportation planning and traffic analysis. Prior to starting his YouTube channel in 2021, Ray's career spanned 15 years as a planner and project manager for consulting firms and public agencies in Portland, Oregon. Ray is a graduate of Portland State University's Master of Urban and Regional Planning Program.

Lillian Karabaic lives in Portland, Oregon where she teaches personal finance to millennials through workshops, courses, and a weekly podcast, Oh My Dollar! She also makes a lot of graphs, wonks about transportation, rides a beautiful yellow custom bicycle, and organizes people and things.

THE TICKETS

"Places for People: A Conversation with CityNerd" will be held at the Aladdin Theater. Doors open at 6:30 pm, event begins at 7:00. Register here. 

The Ann Niles Active Transportation Lecture is a unique opportunity to bring world-class thinkers on pedestrian and bicycle issues to Portland State University (PSU) and the active transportation community in the Portland metro region. The annual lecture serves as a legacy to Ann Niles who was a strong advocate for livable neighborhoods, safer pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and served on many transportation-focused boards and committees in Portland. The forum furthers the mission of our Initative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI) program to facilitate the exchange of knowledge among scholars, practitioners and community advocates around issues of active transportation. By promoting dialogue across disciplines and interests, this lecture series supports PSU's mission to "let knowledge serve the city."

Friday Transportation Seminars at Portland State University have been a tradition since 2000. You can join us online or in-person at 11:30 AM. All presentations are recorded and shared on the event page afterwards.

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

• Video
• Slides
• PDH Certificate

THE TOPIC 

This presentation provides a broad overview of work conducted by the Oregon Department of Transportation in the field of freight analysis supporting long range planning. The information shared will touch upon the data and tools used to conduct analysis, describe the importance of economic context, and share examples from a range of different analyses. Content will be geared toward building understanding of how analysis is used to guide data-driven decision making in the public transportation sector. The presentation will highlight the importance of testing potential public policy to avoid unintended consequences, evaluate tradeoffs across different policy objectives, and test policy resilience against external forces outside of public agency control.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Exposure to ODOT freight planning
• Overview of the tools and data relied upon to do this work
• Real world examples of conducting freight related analysis used in everyday practice of the agency

SPEAKER

Becky Knudson, Senior Transportation Economist, Oregon Department of Transportation

Becky Knudson is passionate about exploring data and generating information from what appears to be wild and chaotic. Becky is a senior transportation economist for the Oregon Department of Transportation with responsibilities ranging from program management to technical analysis.  She develops and applies economic, land use and transportation forecast models for use in long range planning and policy analysis. She has worked for ODOT for 25 years, moving to Oregon from North Dakota after earning a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Minnesota – Moorhead. Becky earned a master’s degree in Economics from Oregon State University and worked for the state soon after to pursue her goal of public service.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute seminar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We can provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

Photo courtesy of Oregon DOT

Portland State University's Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) is home to the U.S. DOT funded National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), PORTAL, BikePed Portal and other transportation grants and programs. We produce impactful research and tools for transportation decision makers, expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engage students and professionals through education and participation in research.

Friday Transportation Seminars at Portland State University have been a tradition since 2000. You can join us online or in-person at 11:30 AM. All presentations are recorded and shared on the event page afterwards.

PRESENTATION ARCHIVE

• Video
• Slides
• PDH Certificate

THE TOPIC 

Conventional risk assessment approaches in infrastructure management do not fully capture the system-level impact of structural failure or service disruption. As a result, the priorities of preservation projects may be misidentified, leading to suboptimal maintenance schedules and waste of resources. In this presentation, we will first illustrate why conventional risk assessment is not suitable for transportation structures and networks due to interdependency between assets, and then demonstrate how system-level preservation policies can be devised using novel algorithms adapted from the field of deep reinforcement learning. Results from a series of case studies showcase that the system-level risk management is essential to correctly identifying key assets and work priorities, devising adaptive maintenance policies, and lowering life-cycle costs of transportation infrastructure.

KEY LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Difference between asset- and system-level risk assessment and its implications to infrastructure management
• Challenge in achieving system-level risk management and the role played by novel algorithms in artificial intelligence
• Benefits of system-level risk management enabled by deep reinforcement learning

SPEAKER

David Yang, Portland State University

Dr. David Y. Yang is an Assistant Professor of Structural Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Portland State University. His research focuses on structural reliability and risk, and risk-informed decision-making for infrastructure systems. His recent work specializes in unifying risk and resilience assessment in multi-hazard scenarios, devising novel machine learning techniques for infrastructure management, and risk-informed infrastructure adaptation to climate change. He is the recipient of the 2022 Moisseiff Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). He is the author of 29 journal papers, 3 book chapters, and over 10 contributions to various national and international conferences.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

This 60-minute seminar is eligible for 1 hour of professional development credit for AICP (see our provider summary). We can provide an electronic attendance certificate for other types of certification maintenance.

Portland State University's Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) is home to the U.S. DOT funded National Institute for Transportation and Communities (NITC), the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), PORTAL, BikePed Portal and other transportation grants and programs. We produce impactful research and tools for transportation decision makers, expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engage students and professionals through education and participation in research.