Media Contact:
Merina Zeller 
mzeller@itdp.org
617-482-0042
 

New York, NY, 11/20/2020 – The United States program of the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP) announced today it has convened a group of national advisors. Comprised of leaders from around the country in the fields of transportation, urban planning, just sustainabilities and mobility justice, the advisors will provide strategic guidance to shape the future of the ITDP U.S. program.

The U.S. program is the newest focus area at ITDP, which has historically centered on the Global South with regional offices in China, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Kenya, and Mexico. The U.S. program developed as increasing numbers of U.S. cities are exploring solutions such as bus rapid transit (BRT), bicycle infrastructure, and pedestrian-centered streets – particularly in response to COVID-19 and climate change.  These cities are seeking to overcome longstanding U.S. challenges around highway sprawl, over-reliance on driving infrastructure for most travel and lack of safe walking environments. U.S. mobility infrastructure, along with land use policies, have also historically been used to segregate communities. The U.S. program partners with cities, communities and advocates on sustainable mobility efforts in Boston, Los Angeles, Richmond,  Albuquerque, Dallas, Denver and many other regions. 

“Now is the moment for people in cities across the country to come together to create reliable transit systems, inclusive public spaces and that help us meet our urgent climate goals,” said ITDP U.S. Director Michael Kodransky, who is convening the advisors. “As the ITDP U.S. program continues to evolve, this advisory group will provide invaluable insights to ensure our efforts are effective, equitable, and tied to the needs of local communities.”

Members of the ITDP U.S. Advisory Group are: 

●    Julian Ageyman, Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Tufts University – Julian Agyeman is a Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University. He is the originator of the increasingly influential concept of Just \Sustainabilities, the intentional integration of social justice and environmental sustainability. He centers his research on critical explorations of the complex and embedded relations between humans and the urban environment, whether mediated by governments or social movement organizations, and their effects on public policy and planning processes and outcomes, particularly in relation to notions of justice and equity. He is the author or editor of 12 books. In 2018, he was awarded the Athena City Accolade by KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden, for his “outstanding contribution to the field of social justice and ecological sustainability, environmental policy and planning.”

●    Tilly Chang, Executive Director, San Francisco County Transportation Authority - Tilly Chang serves as Executive Director of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority. The Transportation Authority’s mission is to make travel safer, healthier, and easier for all. The agency plans, funds and delivers local and regional projects to improve travel choices for residents, commuters, and visitors throughout the city. Ms. Chang has 25 years of experience, including 15 years with the Transportation Authority where she previously served as Deputy Director for Planning. Prior to the Transportation Authority, she held posts with the World Bank, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and a technology startup.

●    Benjamin de la Peña, Founder, Agile City – Benjie de la Peña runs Agile City (agilecity.co) and consults for cities, city leaders, and transportation tech companies. He also writes Makeshift Mobility, a fortnightly e-newsletter about informal transportation. He served as the first-ever Chief of Strategy and Innovation for the Seattle Department of Transportation where he was working to prepare the agency and the city for institutional and technological change. He’s worked on urban development issues that cover technology, transportation, and informality. His ideas have been featured in Citylab, Atlantic Cities, Next City, FutureEverything, and TED City 2.0.

●    Crystal Kornegay, Executive Director, MassHousing – Chrystal Kornegay has 20+ years of experience in community development in a variety of roles. In February 2018, Kornegay became MassHousing’s Executive Director. MassHousing lends over $1 billion annually to produce and preserve affordable rental housing and create homeownership opportunities for low- and moderate-income borrowers. Under Ms. Kornegay’s leadership, MassHousing launched a highly successful Down Payment Assistance Program; secured substantial additional resources to expand MassHousing’s Workforce Housing initiative and achieved one of the best lending years, in overall volume, in the Agency’s 53-year history. Before joining MassHousing, Ms. Kornegay served as the Baker-Polito Administration’s Undersecretary for Housing and Community Development in Massachusetts. 

●    Beth Osborn, Director, Transportation for America - Beth serves as the director of Transportation for America, which is Smart Growth America’s transportation arm. In this position she leads transportation policy development and technical assistance with departments of transportation. She was previously at the U.S. Department of Transportation, where she served as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy beginning in 2009. At USDOT, Beth managed the TIGER Discretionary Grant program, the secretary’s livability initiative, the development of the Obama administration’s surface transportation authorization proposal, and the implementation of MAP-21. Before joining USDOT, Beth worked for Sen. Tom Carper (DE) as an advisor for transportation, trade and labor policy, as the policy director for Smart Growth America and as legislative director for environmental policy at the Southern Governors’ Association. 

●    Dr. Adonia Lugo, Cultural Anthropologist - Adonia E. Lugo, PhD, is Interim Chair of the Urban Sustainability department at Antioch University Los Angeles. Dr. Lugo began investigating sustainable infrastructure during her graduate studies at UC Irvine, when she co-created the bicycle event CicLAvia in Los Angeles. After receiving her doctorate in 2013, she worked at the League of American Bicyclists in Washington, D.C. as a national leader in building better “human infrastructure” (diverse social networks and cultural norms) to promote bicycling. Today, Dr. Lugo looks for ways to bring her racial justice expertise toward planning equitable and sustainable urban futures. She is currently collaborating with partners around the country to define “mobility justice,” a concept that highlights the complex difficulties that people of color and other marginalized groups face both when traveling through public spaces and in urban planning and development processes.

In addition to her role as an educator at AULA, Dr. Lugo is involved in a number of projects designed to uplift the voices of multiracial communities in mobility planning. She is a core organizer of The Untokening, an urban anthropologist with Pueblo Planning, and the manager of the Bike Equity Network email list. Microcosm Publishing released her book, Bicycle/Race: Transportation, Culture, & Resistance, in 2018.

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About ITDP
The Institute for Transportation & Development Policy (ITDP) is a not-for-profit organization based in New York City with offices worldwide. ITDP works to promote environmentally sustainable and socially equitable transportation policies and projects around the world. Our work is to accelerate change toward sustainable mobility, access to opportunity and a just future.