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Transportation Professionals Gather at National Rural Transportation Conference; Training Presentations Posted Online

Carrie Kissel — Thu, 02 May 2013 15:57:40 +0000

On April 24 – 26, in Greenville, South Carolina, 150 regional transportation professionals from small metro and rural regions attended the National Rural Transportation Peer Learning Conference. The training sessions have been approved for AICP Certification Maintenance credits. Speaker presentations have been uploaded to the conference website, under Agenda and Presentations (select the session to access the “View Presentation” link for content on each presentation).

Conference attendees heard an engaging keynote address from South Carolina Deputy Secretary of Commerce George Patrick III, an update on activities from the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, and information from Federal Highway Administration staff on MAP-21 implementation.

Additional best practice sessions focused on public participation techniques, freight and economic development, long-range planning, regional transit, transportation and health, rural safety, and more, many relevant learning opportunities will be available to participants. Longer workshops included an exclusive off-site visit to BMW Manufacturing Company to learn about freight and economic development, a Road Safety Audit workshop in the Town of Travelers Rest near Greenville, a walking and cycling tour of Greenville to discuss planning and implementation for its vibrant downtown, and an interactive session on equity and public involvement. The Excellence in Regional Transportation Award winners were also recognized during the conference (read more about the winning projects here, PDF).

View more photos from the conference in our Facebook photo album.

The conference was sponsored by AirSage, the Appalachian Regional Commission, Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Development District Association of Appalachia, Federal Highway Administration, National Association of Development Organizations Research Foundation and NADO’s RPO America, along with other partners. Exhibitors included Easter Seals Project ACTION, Federal Highway Administration/Federal Transit Administration Transportation Planning Capacity Building Program, LeFleur Transportation, Rural Assistance Center, Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP2), Transit Cooperative Research Program, and URS Corporation. The contributions of Brazos Valley Council of Governments and J.R. Wilburn & Associates are much appreciated for their role as Conference Supporters.

Please visit www.nado.org/events/rpo2013 for the agenda and presentations. For more information, contact NADO Associate Director Carrie Kissel at 202.624.8829 or ckissel@nado.org.

RPO America Annual Business Meeting and National RPO Council of Peers Meeting

Agnieta Sharpe — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:40:36 +0000

In this session at the 2013 National Rural Transportation Conference, Kathy Ruffalo of Ruffalo & Associates gave a special guest presentation.

View her presentation below:

MAP-21 Update – Kathy Ruffalo

View more presentations from RPO America.

Closing Plenary: Future Directions for the Federal Surface Transportation Program

Agnieta Sharpe — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:05:11 +0000

In this session at the 2013 National Rural Transportation Conference, speakers included Harlan Miller, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Planning, Stefan Natzke, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Human Environment, and Stuart Thompson, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Safety.

View their presentations below:

Future Directions for the Federal Surface Transportation Program - Stefan Natzke

View more presentations from RPO America.

Workshop: Getting a Perspective on the Human Landscape

Agnieta Sharpe — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:54:22 +0000

In this workshop session at the 2013 National Rural Transportation Conference, speakers included Jeff Moore, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet – Department of Highways, District Three Bowling Green and Anne Morris, Anne Morris and Associates, LLC.

View their presentations below:

What is Social / Environmental Justice and Why Should We Care – Anne Morris

Workshop Exercise (PDF)

Community Profile: this is a 15 minute exercise where small groups analyzed the special “needs” of communities and its unique citizens as to “effective engagement”. Examples include Sesame Street, Great Land of Oz, and Hundred Acre Wood.

What is Really Happening in the Community: Validating Official Data - Anne Morris

State of the Practice in Community Engagement: Tales from the Field – Jeff Moore

View more presentations from RPO America.

Healthy, Active Transportation

Agnieta Sharpe — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:40:31 +0000

In this session at the 2013 National Rural Transportation Conference, speakers included Rachel Beyerle, Easter Seals Project Action and Elijah Sharp, New River Valley Planning District Commission (VA).

View their presentations below:

The Transportation Connection to Healthy Living in Small Urban & Rural Communities - Rachel Beyerle

New River Valley’s Bikeway, Walkway, Blueway Plan - Elijah Sharp

View more presentations from RPO America.

Plenary Session: RPO America Peer Symposium

Agnieta Sharpe — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:13:44 +0000

In this session at the 2013 National Rural Transportation Conference, speakers included Jack Cebe, Alta Planning + Design, Pat Steed, Central Florida Regional Planning Council, Paul Black, Land-of-Sky Regional Council and French Broad River MPO (NC), and Chris Cummings, Oregon DOT.

View their presentations below:

Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning in Rural Regions – Jack Cebe & Jean Crowther

A Coordinated Approach to Enhancing Mobility - Pat Steed

Planning for Transportation Infrastructure – Paul Black

ConnectOregon – Chris Cummings

View more presentations from RPO America.

Opening Plenary: Putting Federal Resources to Work to Create Vibrant Regions

Agnieta Sharpe — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 17:48:32 +0000

In this session at the 2013 National Rural Transportation Conference, speakers included Misty Casto, Buckeye Hills Hocking Valley Regional Development District and Second Vice President, Development District Association of Appalachia, Patrick Tyndall, Federal Highway Administration, South Carolina Division, John Frece, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Wayne Leftwich, City of Greenville.

View the session presentation below:

Connections for Sustainability – Wayne Leftwich

View more presentations from RPO America.

Southeast Region HUD Peer Exchange Materials (Greenville, SC)

Brett Schwartz — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:27:29 +0000

Wayne Leftwich, community planner with the City of Greenville, discusses the city’s neighborhoods during a tour of A.J. Whittenburg Elementary School.

On April 23-24, 2013 in Greenville, South Carolina, NADO hosted a Southeast Region Peer Exchange for HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning and Community Challenge Grantees working in rural or small metropolitan regions to develop plans and partnerships to bolster their communities’ economic competitiveness by engaging place-based strategies.

Through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the NADO Research Foundation is one of eight teams providing capacity building and technical assistance to HUD and EPA sustainable communities award recipients. The capacity building teams are forming networks among the grantees to exchange ideas on successful strategies, lessons learned, and emerging tools for community and economic development.

Below are links to the peer exchange materials, including presentations, worksheets, and grantee background information. If you have any questions about this peer exchange, these materials, or NADO’s work as a capacity building team, please contact Brett Schwartz.

Workshop Materials / Grantee Information

Growing Economic Competitiveness with Place-Based Strategies
Mary Douglas Hirsch, Downtown Development Manager, City of Greenville, SC

5×5 Presentations: Sharing What’s Working
Participant presentations

Building Local Leaders and Experts for Long-term Community Change
Linda Giltz, Senior Planner, Land-of-Sky Regional Council

Prospering as an Entrepreneurial Community
Don Macke, Director, Center for Rural Entrepreneurship

Collaborating with New Partners to Implement Community and Economic Development Plans
Participant discussion

Rural Transportation Safety

Agnieta Sharpe — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:05:53 +0000

In this session at the 2013 National Rural Transportation Conference, speakers include Jesse Day, Piedmont Triad Regional Council (NC), Libby Thomas, University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center, and Stuart Thompson, Federal Highway Administration.

View their presentations below:
FHWA Roadway Safety Data Program – Stuart Thompson

Speed Management Action Planning for Randolph County, NC - Jesse Day & Libby Thomas

View more presentations from RPO America.

Freight and Economic Development: Understanding Freight Flows

Agnieta Sharpe — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:24:10 +0000

In this session at the 2013 National Rural Transportation Conference, speakers included Paula Dowell, Cambridge Systematics and Mark Burton, University of Tennessee-Knoxville.

View their presentations below:

How Can Freight Corridors and Gateways Work for My Region? – Paula Dowell

Metro Intermodal and Rural Communities – Mark Burton

View more presentations from RPO America.