Via City Fix Blog

Photo by mariordo59

The World Bank and EMBARQ Mexico – in collaboration with TransMilenio S.A. – will host the third annual “Building Leaders in Urban Transport Planning” course, which provides tools for systematic integrated mobility planning, corridor management, public transport planning evaluation alternatives, governance, finance, and public-private partnerships – all of which are key issues facing Latin American cities and cities worldwide. The course will use a hands-on learning approach, making extensive use of case studies, group exercises, and site visits – all aimed at highlighting linkages between the various components of the urban transport system. The deadline to apply to the course is January 9, 2015.

The event is part of the World Bank’s “Leadership in Urban Transport Planning” (LUTP) capacity building series, which develops leadership, awareness, and implementation strategies for urban integrated mobility planning. It is designed specifically for senior level decision makers at the national, provincial or city level – those who have a responsibility for urban transport at the policy making level, rather than a purely technical level. Academics, consultants, and other members of civil society are also encouraged to apply.

The Building Leaders in Urban Transport Planning course will consist of two parts. The period from January 19 to February 21, 2015, will be devoted to self-study, covering topics in land use and transport planning, and incorporating the environmental and social issues of urban transport planning. Participants will then partake in a seven-day hands-on workshop from February 22 to February 28 in Bogotá, Colombia – a city with a track record of leadership in sustainable urban transportand development. Following the workshop, participants will also have the option to partake in a six-month mentoring program to provide advice and guidance as participants work on city-level projects.

In addition to other special guests, #LUTPColombia 2015 will have the following distinguished faculty:

• Thierry Denis Desclos, Urban Transport Specialist, World Bank
• Ivan Jaques, Head of Energy Efficient Cities Initiative, ESMAP
• Arturo Ardila, Urban Transport Specialist, World Bank
• Dario Hidalgo, Director of Research and Practice, EMBARQ
• Adriana Lobo, Director of EMBARQ México
• Fernando Páez, Transport Director, EMBARQ México

Learn more about the event and apply here.

The event will be conducted in Spanish, and is organized with support from the Public Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility (PPIAF) and the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP). Follow updates on the proceedings on social media from @EMBARQMX and#LUTPColombia. 

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(Source: Streets Blog)

Bogotá’s TransMilenio carries 1.4 million riders per day. This bus- and bike-only transitway operates in the historic city center. Photo: Shreya Gadepalli/ITDP.

New York City made a major public commitment to Bus Rapid Transit in 2006 when, after years of discussion, the MTA and DOT put forward plans for pilot routes in each of the five boroughs. In the meantime, the city’s BRT agenda has encountered a few setbacks in Albany and made a partial breakthrough on Fordham Road, with a service that incorporates some nifty bus improvements, but not enough to merit the BRT designation.

Perhaps no one knows the ins and outs of BRT better than Walter Hook (right). As director of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, Hook has advised cities on four continents about BRT implementation, including Jakarta’s seven-corridor network, the first full-fledged BRT system in Asia.
Streetsblog caught up with Hook — in between trips to Cape Town and Mexico City — for an email Q&A about why New York City needs Bus Rapid Transit, common misconceptions of BRT in America, and what will make BRT succeed here. This is the first of four installments.

Streetsblog: Is BRT the right mode for New York City at this moment in time? A lot of folks think that BRT is no substitute for light rail or a subway system. How would you pitch the idea of BRT to New Yorkers?

Walter Hook: I was in Philadelphia a few months back, which is a real rail and streetcar-loving town, and I took a lot of heat for suggesting BRT had a place in U.S. cities like New York and Philadelphia, particularly from my friends in the sustainable transportation advocacy community. I understand why a lot of folks in the U.S. see BRT as some sort of marketing trick to pawn off low-quality bus improvements as mass transportation. I think it’s because we don’t really have a full BRT system in the U.S. Not very many people have been to Bogotá, or Curitiba, or Pereira or Guayaquil to see the best BRT systems. These are not exactly tourist Meccas.

Click here to read the rest of this interesting conversation.