2019 APBP Conference 
The 2019 Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals Conference will be held in Portland, OR from Sunday, August 25 through Wednesday, August 28. We’re looking forward to seeing you there! Here’s where to find us:
Alta-Sponsored Opening Reception
Sunday, August 25 | 4-7:00 pm
Join APBP for the Opening Reception at the Oregon Rail Heritage Center, conveniently located on the Sunday Parkways route! Light snacks and drinks will be provided.
Monday Morning Mobile Tour: Biking Tour – Portland’s Future Central City
Monday, August 26 | 9:45 am – 12:15 pm
Portland’s Future Central City in Motion 7-mile bike tour will take you throughout Portland’s downtown and inner eastside to showcase many of the upcoming bike/ped/transit projects that have been planned and approved as part of the Central City in Motion project. Ride bike routes in their existing state, discuss and observe the future improvements that have been approved for near-term design and construction, learn how the bike network improvements were planned in conjunction with improvements to the pedestrian and transit networks, and ultimately get a good understanding of what the future of Portland’s Central City may look like!
Hosted by: Kirk Paulsen
Roundtable: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Transportation Sector
Monday, August 26 | 9:45 am – 12:15 pm
Local, regional, and state transportation agencies are seeking ways to define, implement, and evaluate equitable planning. For many, this is centered on recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce, however, transportation equity involves and requires so much more. This session will provide transportation practitioners an opportunity to discuss these topics in a small group, roundtable setting, and will explore and exchange several facets of how to build, lead, and maintain an equitable organization – one that moves away from policies and practices designed for and by white dominant culture. Discussions will include diversity, inclusion, community engagement, equity in street design, and measuring equity. We’re eager to share our experience working on these issues and to learn from you about strategies that have been effective in your agency and community.
Presenter: Marisa DeMull
Panel: Safe Routes to School Planning and Engagement in Diverse Communities
Monday, August 26 | 1:45 – 3:15 pm
This group of seasoned planning and public health professionals will share their experiences engaging and facilitating Safe Routes to School (SRTS) planning efforts with a racial equity lens in diverse communities in the cities of Seattle, Washington, and Santa Ana, California. The project teams strove for an equitable process and outcomes to robust stakeholder involvement that respects the ethically and linguistically diverse communities. Panelists will share the execution of an equity focused SRTS program and present ways to help attendees understand how they can implement similar practices.
Panelist: Ryan Johnson
Panel: Transforming Communities Through Planning, Policy, Advocacy… and a Little Rule Breaking
Monday, August 26 | 1:45 – 3:15 pm
The typical suburban community is designed around cars and is neither safe nor welcoming for people wishing to walk, bike, or ride transit. Solutions to make our suburbs more walkable, healthy, and equitable are long overdue. This session dives into projects currently underway to transform suburban mobility in Chicago, Philadelphia, Portland, and Toronto. Panelists will discuss and share lessons from specific projects in suburban communities, including mobilizing residents as changemakers, implementing policies and plans that help biking, walking, and transit initiatives thrive, and introducing new mobility options – like dockless e-bikeshare and e-scootershare.
Panelist: Matt Pinder
Panel: Your Brain on a Bike: Psychology-Informed Approaches to Active Transportation
Monday, August 26 | 3:45 – 5:15 pm
Transportation decisions get made by humans, but bicycling experts have spent far too little time using psychology to understand the complex way these decisions get made. Join this panel to hear from three efforts that put psychology and evidence front and center: Arthur Orsini (Vancouver Coastal Health) will discuss how he has applied the Stages of Change behavior change theory to create employee walking and bicycling commute programs that really work; Seth LaJeunesse (Highway Safety Research Center at University of North Carolina) will discuss the potential for applying diffusion theory to build support for Vision Zero policies; Jessica Roberts (Alta Planning + Design) will discuss in-progress behavioral science research she is leading and advising to create more effective transportation mode shift programs.
Panelist: Jessica Roberts
Panel: Equity-Driven Pedestrian and Bicycle Planning: Lessons Learned from Oakland and Portland
Tuesday, August 27 | 3:45 – 5:15 pm
This past year, Oakland’s Department of Transportation (OakDOT) and Portland’s Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) placed equity and community partnerships at the core of their bicycle and pedestrian planning efforts. In a new approach that tossed out the old playbook, the cities directly engaged underserved communities whose voices have historically been overlooked, investing in community-based organizations as core project team members, community storytelling, and establishing data-based, equity-driven prioritization for bicycle and pedestrian investments. OakDOT and PBOT staff will be joined by community participants on a panel to discuss their respective roles in the planning and engagement process, outcomes, and lessons learned.
Moderator: Jeff Knowles