Abstract Manager

Canada’s aspiration to become a Just Society and the United States’ vision of a Great Society date back to the 1960s and remain relevant today as both countries grapple with unprecedented population growth and expanding socioeconomic disparities. Yet, half a century later, transportation equity data, public reporting, methodologies, and policies are still in a nascent state as many historical inequities persist. In a fluctuating and increasingly polarized political landscape, it becomes evident that long-lasting equitable outcomes do not happen on the wings of a promise for ideal societies; they must be built on nonpartisan guiding principles and data-driven frameworks.

This presentation will feature Canadian and American Transportation Equity consultants, Lee Caragiale and Mike Washington, who have each played a part in moving organizations closer to acknowledging inequities resulting from policies and practices and adopting plans to address them. Over their careers, Lee and Mike have collaborated across organizational and jurisdictional boundaries to create and share best practices to measure and address transportation equity. They will share case studies and reflect on the contrasts and commonalities of their personal journeys and work with equity in neighbouring countries to identify lessons learned that can be leveraged to promote equitable and evidence-based decision-making.

The intent of this presentation is to recognize the challenges of advancing equity in a rapidly changing world, and to propose tangible strategies to create more resilient and just transportation systems for an uncertain future.