Common Ground Leadership Seminars

Save the Dates!!!

October 29, 2008
Common Ground Leadership Seminar: Walkability (morning)
9am to 12pm
Common Ground Leadership Seminar: Bicycling (afternoon)
1pm to 5pm
Special Events Forum, Rutgers - New Brunswick
Keynote speaker: Michael Ronkin

November 13, 2008
Common Ground Leadership Seminar: Community Trails (morning)
9am to 1pm
Special Events Forum, Rutgers – New Brunswick
Keynote speaker: Craig Della Penna

This fall the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center will host a series of
three Common Ground Leadership Seminars. The seminars build on the
foundation of the 2004 Common Ground Conference, which explored how
community design can support healthy lifestyles, specifically through the
advancement of biking and walking. Each event will feature a presentation
by a national expert on the topic, followed by a local panel discussion.
The seminars are intended to empower local officials, municipal staff, and
advocates with the knowledge to address common political, design, and
funding barriers to creating active, healthy communities. This free event
is sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

The speakers:

Michael Ronkin is a nationally-recognized expert on bicycle and pedestrian
design. Formerly the Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager at the Oregon
Department of Transportation, he is currently an independent consultant,
working on everything from individual sites to state and national
guidelines. He is a frequent speaker on roadway safety, aesthetics and
health, and forgotten elements of highway design in America.

Craig Della Penna is the Executive Director of Northeast Greenway
Solutions, a consulting firm that specializes in helping communities
develop rail-trails and greenways. He is also a realtor specializing in
properties near rail-trails and greenways, the owner of a bed and
breakfast in Northampton, MA, the general manager of a land conservancy,
an author and a lecturer on the topic of rail trails and greenways.

We are excited to have Michael and Craig speaking at the Common Ground
Leadership Seminars. If you would like to participate, please make these
dates available. A formal announcement with a detailed agenda and RSVP
information will follow. Space is limited. If you have any questions,
please contact us at bikeped@rci.rutgers.edu.

We are still looking for panelists for each of the three sessions. If you
would like to be a panelist, or would like to suggest someone who has a
story to tell about walkability, bicycling or trails, please send us an
email at the above address.