Creating Places for People:
Placemaking in Transit-Friendly Downtowns
Friday, December 6, 2019
9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Edward J. Bloustein School
James J. Florio Forum
33 Livingston Avenue
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Register for forum
NJTOD.org, Downtown New Jersey, and NJ Transit invite you to a panel discussion with experts working to create great places in downtowns and transit-accessible communities.
Hear from planners, community members, and others on the frontlines of creating welcoming places in downtowns and transit-oriented areas throughout NJ. Learn about their experiences and understand:
- What is Placemaking?
- How “people-first” places support successful downtowns and TODs
- How to use downtown and TOD assets to create places for people in NJ’s communities
Transit-Oriented Development concentrates development around transit facilities, most commonly near train stations, but also near bus, light rail, or other public transit facilities. Development is typically mixed-use and dense, providing residents, workers, and visitors amenities in close proximity. The goal of TOD is to create livable and sustainable places without requiring the use of a car.
Moderator:
- Stuart Koperweis, Economic Development Strategists, LLC
Our speakers:
- Christine Blanco, Manager of Facilities Signage and Transit Arts, NJ TRANSIT
- Laura Torchio, Deputy Director, Transportation at Project for Public Spaces
- Lillian Cho, Project Lead, Urban Essex Coalition for Smart Growth
- Paul Silverman, Principal and Co-Founder, SILVERMAN
- Robb Sewell, Public Relations Specialist, Educator, & Author
- Amy Garcia Phillips, Executive Director, Rahway Arts + Business Partnership
This event has been approved for 2.5 AICP CM continuing education credits.
NJTOD.org
Published since 2005, the NJTOD.org (aka the Transit-Friendly Development Newsletter) is designed to keep municipal officials, planners, and advocates up-to-date on the potential for development and redevelopment around transit stations. This partnership between NJ TRANSIT and the Bloustein School’s Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) at Rutgers University aims to enrich the TOD conversation in New Jersey’s diverse communities by highlighting what is happening in the state and around the country: best practices, model programs, legislation, and local problem-solving experiences.
Downtown New Jersey
Downtown New Jersey (DNJ) is a non-profit membership organization of individuals, businesses, developers, government agencies, and local and regional entities that are passionate about downtowns. Downtowns reflect our communities’ unique identities, provide a focal point, a convenient local place of commerce, and offer a sense of place where people can gather and truly be a community. DNJ provides advocacy, education, and technical assistance resources dedicated to ensuring the vitality of our downtowns.
NJ TRANSIT
The NJ TRANSIT Transit-Friendly Planning, Land Use and Development Program (TFPLUD) supports transit use by working with communities to provide for an appropriate mix of land uses around NJ TRANSIT terminals, stations, and stops. Beginning in the mid-1990s, the TFPLUD Program has enabled NJ TRANSIT to participate in transit-supportive development through activities such as public education and on-call technical assistance, along with projects focused on enhancing transit ridership, creating non-farebox revenue, spurring local economic revitalization, and leveraging transit to improve quality of life. NJ TRANSIT is now strategically updating the TFPLUD Program, refining program initiatives and offerings to best serve the diverse stakeholders engaged in transit-supportive activities throughout New Jersey.