Vision Zero is not just a policy goal - it's an imperative.

Held from October 19 - 21 at the Center for Architecture, Vision Zero Cities will bring together leading industry & policy experts, advocates, & elected officials. Explore the challenges & opportunities facing us as we work to build a world with zero traffic deaths.

Join us for both virtual & in-person sessions, keynotes, breakouts, deep dives, & field tours, all focused on building safer streets & more livable cities.

Program
View Speaker List Here

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Virtual: Enough with the E's

When Vision Zero spread across the U.S., the traditional Safe Systems approach that had been saving lives across Europe was disregarded for a focus on the century-old "three E's" of education, enforcement, & engineering. But over-emphasizing education & enforcement efforts as panaceas to end traffic violence has led to ineffective & inequitable outcomes while re-engineering roadways have gotten a short-shrift of attention & resources. It's time to refocus on self-enforcing streets, speed management, & a true Safe Systems approach. Join us to learn the latest research into the shortfalls of the "3 E's" approach & how to ensure that Safe Systems are at the core of your Vision Zero efforts.

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Virtual: Vision Zero Vignettes: Lessons From Around the World

Hear brief, 10-minute perspectives from some of the authors of our 2022 Vision Zero Cities Journal. Presenters are international experts on topics related to implementing, reporting on, & democratizing Vision Zero.

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Virtual: Slow It down: Managing Speed for Safety

Every year, speeding is a contributing factor in nearly 1/3rd of all fatal crashes. In 2020 alone, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that speeding killed over 11,000 people on U.S. roads. For every one mile per hour increase in a vehicle's speed, an individual is three percent more likely to be killed in a collision. Small differences in speed can mean life or death. Combatting this deadly driving behavior with every possible tool - policy, street design, technology - is critical to the safety of all road users, particularly our most vulnerable. Join us to hear from elected representatives, engineers & planners, & advocates who are proving we can (and must!) manage speed for safety.

6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

In-Person: Vision Zero Cities 2022 Opening Reception at Liberty Park at World Trade Center

Join us for an in-person networking reception to kick off Vision Zero Cities 2022.

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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20
* All sessions are hosted in-person at the Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place, NYC (map) *

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM | Check-In & Breakfast

9:00 AM - 9:45 AM | Opening Keynote: The Honorable Ravi Bhalla, Mayor of Hoboken, NJ

10:00 AM - 11:15 AM | Morning Breakout Sessions

Gender Equity in Transportation & Public Space

Our public space has been intimately shaped by gender & power relationships. How cities are built affects everything from bus wait times to frequency of public benches, bathrooms & adequate street lighting. Gender also impacts access to affordable transportation: in New York City, more women than men depend on public transportation, often facing longer commutes with multiple stops, while 60% of people who commute by car are men. This panel will consider the role of gender in transportation access & equity, asking who has our public space been built for & how do we make it accessible for all of us?

Creative Solutions for Safe Streets

Overuse of cars in cities occurs when the harmful consequences - traffic, pollution, crashes, etc. - are larger than the benefits. Almost every city experiences this imbalance of negative & positive externalities & the proposals to lower car overuse span from planting more trees to fully banning private vehicles. But what methods are most successful in achieving this goal? Join us for an exciting panel & find out what the research & on-the-ground experience show to be most effective in order to shift trips from cars to more sustainable & safer modes of transportation.

Towards Safer Fleets

From our city's vehicle fleets to for hire vehicles & freight operators, those operating some of the largest fleets are exploring new, creative & tech forward approaches to advance safety & greater efficiencies. In this panel, we'll hear about the City of New York's new pilot to bring speed limiters to thousands of vehicles, how Uber uses data & technology to change driver behavior, & groundbreaking new ideas across some of the nation's largest fleets.

11:15 AM - 12:15 PM | Networking Lunch

12:30 PM - 1:45 PM | Afternoon Breakout Sessions 1

Defining & Engineering for the New Wave of Micromobility

In 2021, the US imported more two-wheel electric vehicles than electric cars.

This panel will look at the huge growth of sustainable, micro-mobility options like stand-up electric scooters, e-bikes & mopeds.This recent development in our cities has been met with both praise & concern. Supportive voices cite their ability to provide safer, cleaner & often faster alternative forms of transportation for large segments of working cyclists & others who benefit from electric assist during their ride. We also see growing attention to overcrowded bike infrastructure & safety concerns from vehicles with electrified components like batteries.This panel will consider how we can thread these dynamics to allow the sustained growth of micromobility options & support cities meeting their mode shift goals.

The Power of Personal Stories: Sharing Victim Stories With Impact & Care

Every day in America, crashes kill over 100 people. Every day in America, gun violence kills over 100 people. All over the country, survivors, victims, & their loved ones have turned their anguish into action to prevent other families from experiencing the pain of traffic violence & gun violence. They share their stories through interviews, op-eds, & protests that build support for their efforts while also building solidarity among other survivors & allies. This panel will bring together activists, journalists, & people who have been personally impacted by both traffic violence & gun violence to discuss how storytelling is effective for policymaking & can be empowering for victims. The panel will focus on the dos & don'ts for reporters, advocates, & others who want to include personal stories in their work & how to support & be sensitive to individuals through this challenging yet important process.

Raw Data, Real Results: Visualizing Data For Change

Spatial equity is a way to understand how public space is distributed, restricted, used, & made unusable, & the different outcomes that result for different communities. The goal of Transportation Alternatives' soon-to-be-released data tool, Spatial Equity NYC, is to empower New Yorkers with data about local disparities in public health, environmental resilience, & transportation access that result from how public space is used - & to provide concrete solutions to these inequities that can be implemented quickly on a local level. This panel will bring together data experts, urban planners, activists, & local elected representatives to discuss how data-driven & community-informed small-scale, spatial solutions can chip away at the harm caused by systemic racist & classist policies & make immediate & meaningful improvements to the lives of all residents.

2:00 PM - 3:15 PM | Afternoon Breakout Sessions 2

The 15-Minute City: Designing for More Walkable Communities

Popularized by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, the 15-minute city allows residents to accomplish most daily necessities by either walking or biking from their home in 15-minutes or less. This panel will situate this new way of designing cities within Vision Zero & provide insight for the ingredients needed to create it. Hear about the historical context of the concept & a new 15-minute city being developed in Utah among other topics.

Protecting the Curb Presented by VADE

The United States is facing a crisis in road safety, with motor-vehicle crashes resulting in 1,400 bicyclist deaths & another 120,000 injuries in 2020 alone. This panel will discuss new solutions to measure & mitigate the growing number of preventable crashes in an equitable way driven by data.

Lifesaving Artistic Activism: Artists Light the Way to a Living Future

In this session we will start by looking at lifesaving artistic activism past & present, from the iconic collective of the AIDS crisis, Gran Fury, to Peatnito, the superhero-defender of pedestrian rights. Then we will get to work, brainstorming a collaborative piece of artistic activism for the streets of New York City. No professional experience necessary; only enthusiasm for saving lives on our streets.

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM | Closing Remarks & Reception

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21
9:00 AM - 11:30 AM | Morning Field Tours + Deep Dives

The Joy of Walking (Brooklyn walking tour)

Slowing down isn't just for cars. With all our focus on making streets & cities safer for pedestrians, let's take some time to remember what's so beautiful about being a pedestrian in the first place. Head to Brooklyn & take a stroll with Matt Green, who has spent the last decade walking every street in the five boroughs of NYC, & Kathy Price, Transportation Alternatives's very own Brooklyn Organizer. Through a specially curated route, we'll explore the neighborhood together -- the streets, the parks, the nooks & crannies, & we'll even check out some notable pedestrian infrastructure while we're at it. Come enjoy some fresh air & take in the city with fresh eyes.

9:30 AM - Your City Your Voice Activist Training (at Center for Architecture)

1:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Afternoon Field Tours + Deep Dives

Achieving Vision Zero: Lessons Learned from Hudson County, New Jersey (bicycle tour)

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, achieving Vision Zero has proven challenging for municipalities & counties across the U.S. With traffic fatalities reaching a 16-year high in 2021, high impact, quick build solutions for reducing roadway violence have proven to be both efficient & effective. This tour will explore successes & future opportunities in Hoboken & Jersey City. With Hoboken having achieved 0 traffic deaths over the past four years, the tour will explore examples of replicable street design that have helped achieve this milestone. Recent wins in Jersey City including the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Mall will also be visited. Tour participants will take the PATH train to Hoboken where a short 5 mile tour will conclude in Old Downtown Jersey City. A post-tour happy hour will be offered, with easy access to Manhattan via the PATH Grove St station. Citi Bikes & PATH passes provided for tour participants.

Keynote Speaker

Ravi Bhalla
Mayor of Hoboken, NJ
Hoboken recently marked an exceptional milestone: four years without a single traffic death.

Mayor Bhalla, who has served as the city's mayor since 2017, has pledged to end traffic deaths & serious injuries, & invested in improving access to micromobility by expanding Citi Bike to Hoboken to create a regional bike share system covering Hoboken, Jersey City, & New York City. Bhalla has also accelerated the pace of complete streets redesigns, with over 40 percent of city streets now incorporating bike lanes & more than 40 curb extensions added since 2019.