Photo credit: Wikipedia

This Transportation Planner position is located in the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), Policy, Planning Sustainability Administration (PPSA). The incumbent is responsible for formulating transportation and transit planning documents for the District of Columbia’s (District) transportation network which advance the safe and efficient movement of people, goods and information along the public rights-of-way to improve the District’s environmental quality, economic competitiveness and quality of life for its citizens.

This chart, via Jennifer Keesmaat, shows the important nexus between the infrastructure design and public health.. As evident from the chart, when it comes to building healthy communities the United States has a long way to go in catching up with their counterparts and the huge (no pun intended) disparity in % of obese people shows how unhealthy we are as a nation.

Health implications of city design: more walking, cycling and transit means less obesity + chronic disease (via @jen_keesmaat on Twitter)

Spurred by this tweet, I went looking for data on healthcare spending in the US vs. other OECD countries. Sigh! The chart below shows how much we spend on health compared to other countries (slightly older data).  If we spent a few billion dollars on building more walking/biking/transit infrastructure instead of building more highways and encouraged more people to walk/bike/ride transit, may be we don’t have to incur such an expensive medical bills after all.  Despite all the evidence, our lawmakers seems to be favoring the highway lobbies (and the optics of ribbon cutting for new highways) but talk endlessly about healthcare spending every election cycle!

U.S health spending vs. other countries

Here is a snapshot of the US health spending, according to the OECD:

• Health expenditure per capita: $8,713
• Expenditure as a pct. of GDP: 16.4%
•  Obesity rate: 35.3%
• Life expectancy: 78.8 yrs

“Health spending in the United States (excluding investment expenditure in the health sector) was 16.4% of GDP in 2013, well above the OECD average of 8.9% and the next highest spenders – the Netherlands (11.1%), Switzerland (11.1%) and Sweden (11.0%). The share of GDP spent on healthcare has remained unchanged since 2009 and health spending growth has matched economic growth. The share of government spending in the United States as a share of total spending on health has increased from around 44% in 2000 to above 48% by 2013. Over this period there has been an increase in health coverage for the population – in 2006, Medicare Part D, a voluntary drug benefit programme for seniors and certain disabled persons was introduced.

A new TRB report, Shared Mobility and the Transformation of Public Transit examines the relationship of public transportation—including paratransit and demand responsive services—to shared modes, including bikesharing, carsharing, microtransit, and ridesourcing services. The research included participation by seven cities: Austin, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, DC. The report’s conclusion sets out actions that departments, and other local and regional agencies—can take to promote useful cooperation between public and private mobility providers. It also suggests regulatory enhancements, institutional realignments, and forms of public-private engagement that would allow innovation to flourish while still providing mobility as safely, broadly, and equitably as possible (via FHWA)

via Citylab

This interesting chart was a part of a CityLab article that analyses how Germany is less car dependent than the United States by looking data from comparable cities in each of these nations.  What caught my attention, among the many things, is the difference in the carbon footprint.  In the US, Transport sector alone accounts for 32% of our overall CO2 emissions whereas in Germany it is only 19%.  If we ever get around to implementing a carbon tax, it could fall precipitously but I don’t see that happening anytime soon, given the current political discourse.

The data come from a recent comparison of German and U.S. planning approaches led by transport scholar Ralph Buehler of Virginia Tech. Drilling down to the city level, Buehler and collaborators find more of the same driving trends in an analysis of two large metros from each country: Washington, D.C., and Stuttgart.

Photo by m01229

DEADLINE EXTENDED TO JANUARY 25, 2015

TransitCenter, a civic foundation that supports and catalyzes innovation in sustainable urban mobility, seeks a Program Analyst to join its New York City office. The successful candidate will be an integral member of a growing organization and assist in conducting research, developing and implementing programs and projects related to improving transportation in cities, as well as building organizational capacity.

Responsibilities

As part of a small team, the Program Analyst will research issues, develop opportunities, and execute projects that promote sustainable urban mobility, with oversight from the Executive Director and Director of Research & Development. Some projects may be executed through the use of program consultants with specialized subject matter expertise, who the Program Analyst must be qualified to oversee. A sample of works we have previously commissioned can be inspected atwww.transitcenter.org/ourwork.

Initial primary area of focus may include initiatives related to a diversity of topics such as transit planning, technology, rider information, or capital project finance. While specific assignments will be shaped in part by the Program Analyst’s particular background, a successful candidate will have avid interest and versatility to work on a range of other transportation-related subjects as assigned.

The Program Analyst will also share responsibility for communicating TransitCenter’s initiatives through articles, blog posts, and social media.

TransitCenter’s philanthropic activities are effectively in start-up mode, so the Program Analyst will also be expected to play a hands-on role in operations and shoulder a portion of the organization’s administrative and clerical duties as assigned.

The position is based in New York City. The salary range is $55-70,000 commensurate with experience, with a competitive benefits package.

Requirements

The successful candidate will have:

• Fundamental understanding of the principles underpinning sustainable urban mobility and an intuitive appreciation of the role that transportation plays in contributing to urban vitality. While technical knowledge of transportation can be a plus, it is not a requirement, and is secondary to natural curiosity and passion for the mission.
• Keen ability to scan developments in research or case studies, make connections across disciplines, and draw hypotheses and/or rigorously-supported conclusions.
• Research capacity to build a case through solid evidence. General knowledge of common primary and secondary sources for issues related to urbanization and transportation.
• A background in the methods and practice of civic action and/or philanthropy will be considered a plus.
• Excellent writing and presentation skills and a strategic communications mindset. Because our work intends to change or shift policy, design, practice, and culture, how something is communicated is nearly as important as what is being presented.
• Attention to detail and strong organizational skills will be useful in project implementation.
• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in a field related to urban planning, public policy, development, business, or economics; we strongly invite applicants with undergraduate degrees in the humanities, physical sciences or liberal arts to apply if they additionally possess a master’s degree or work experience related to urban transportation.
• At least 3-5 years of professional experience in an organization related to urban planning and development, civic activism, transportation, the environment, and/or public policy.
• Technical facility with at least one of the following will be favorable: Adobe Creative Suite, GIS, social media, or web publishing.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to form connections with people of diverse backgrounds, flexibility and a sense of humor to accommodate the organization as it evolves.

To apply: 

Send a letter explaining your interest, a C.V., and one writing sample to dbragdon@transitcenter.orgby 12:00 Noon (EST, GMT -5) on January 25, 2015.

Check out this infograph from Pembina Institute that clearly lays out the case for public transportation (i.e., Rapid Transit) and shows how much money can be saved..

Source: Pembina Institute.

We all know our “developed” societies have way too many cars and often choke up our streets and take up valuable space, resulting in terrible congestion and chronic bottle necks.. If a lot of people chose to leave behind their cars and instead opt for public transportation, it will be a perfect anti-dote for the chronic congestion that plagues our streets. So, how do you tell this story effectively? Here is one way to do it.. I call this the mother of all sustainable transportation images (courtesy of The Atlantic)

Let me tell ya.. The amount of road space saved when a few dozen people switch from driving cars to riding the public transport is ENORMOUS.

SubWars from SeanSoong on Vimeo.

(Source: APTA)

Have you ever wondered what is the key to a good health and long life – I knew that it has to be the public transport.  Look at the Europeans —  healthy & happy– riding their bikes, trains, trams, buses, etc.  If you still don’t believe what I’ve said, you now have the proof.

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has released a report that explores ways that public transportation affects human health, and ways to incorporate these impacts into transport policy and planning decisions.

Evaluating Public Transportation Health Benefits, a study conducted for APTA by Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute aggregates the findings of several recent studies and concludes that people living in transit-oriented “smart growth” communities enjoy several health benefits, not seen in other communities, including residents drive less, exposing them to a lower risk of fatal vehicle accidents.

People who live or work in communities with high quality public transportation tend to drive significantly less and rely more on alternative modes (walking,cycling and public transit) than they would in more automobile-oriented areas. This reduces traffic crashes and pollution emissions, increases physical fitness and mental health, andprovides access to medical care and healthy food. These impacts are significant in magnitude compared with other planning objectives, but are often overlooked or undervalued inconventional transport planning.

Various methods can be used to quantify and monetize(measure in monetary units) these health impacts. This analysis indicates that improving publictransit can be one of the most cost effective ways to achieve public health objectives, and publichealth improvements are among the largest benefits provided by high quality public transit andtransit-oriented development.

Some of the key findings from the report are listed below:

Related articles by Zemanta

• APTA Report Prescribes Public Transport to Improve Public Health (streetsblog.org)
• Does driving make you fat? Can public transportation, biking and walking keep you skinny? (green.autoblog.com)
• Two transport reports (energybulletin.net)
• Report Says Public Transportation Makes You Skinny (inhabitat.com)
• Transit Benefits Your Health and Saves Your Life (cleantechnica.com)
• Save $9,330 a Year by Riding Transit (cleantechnica.com)
• Residents Who Live Near Public Transportation Live Healthier, Longer Lives (urbanplanningblog.com)
• Evaluating the Economic Impact of Transit-Oriented Development in California (thecityfix.com)