Presented by MassINC and the Gateway Cities Innovation Institute, in partnership with the WGBH Forum Network, the TTOD (Transformative Transit-Oriented Development, pronounced “TOD”) Talks are a series of lectures and panels designed to explore the many ways in which planning, development and local policies affect the socioeconomic and political inequities in our communities – with a special focus on the legacy cities outside of Boston known in Massachusetts as Gateway Cities.
TTOD Talks are designed to encourage regional collaboration, share ideas and best practices, and highlight the positive developments in Gateway Cities. At the same time, each TTOD Talk interrogates systemic racism and socioeconomic exclusion, and the myriad of ways they appear in and influence the day to day lives of those who live in Massachusetts and our nation.
On this page, you can find links to each TTOD Talk, as well as Talk descriptions and panelists.
The Case for Equity in Transit-Oriented Development – June 11, 2020
Protests have erupted across the U.S. sparked by the recent deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, but more than a reaction to police violence, these protests address a chronic problem rooted in centuries of racism and injustice stemming from unfair laws and policies across federal, state, and local institutions.
WGBH News Transportation Reporter Bob Seay leads a conversation about equitable policies and practices with MassINC’s Dr. Tracy Corley (lead author of the research paper), and Susan A. Wood, co-author of the American Planning Association’s Planning for Equity Policy Guide.
>>>Learn More
Biking While Black: Tackling Racism in Cycling and TOD – June 26, 2020
Los Angeles-based Social Justice Advocate and Consultant Tamika L. Butler, Esq., MassINC’s Dr. Tracy Corley, WGBH Reporter Bob Seay, and Alex Weck of R.A.D in Springfield, MA discuss how cycling, transit, and other systems and infrastructure in our cities and neighborhoods perpetuate the excessive monitoring and policing of Black and Brown bodies in public spaces. They discuss these challenges, what more we need to do to bring anti-racist policies and practices to cities across the Commonwealth, and how equitable transit-oriented development can help transform our relationships with each other in public places.
>>>Learn More
It Takes a Village to Make a City: Why We Need Equity in Urban Planning
To address the exclusion of people of color in urban planning that perpetuates and institutionalizes patterns of harm, MassINC has proposed a new practice called Joint Local Planning — community-centric and coordinated district, municipal, and regional planning — as a remedy for historically exclusive processes and inequitable outcomes. But what is community-centric planning, why do we need it and how is it done?
Monica Tibbits-Nutt of the 128 Business Council and Leah Bamberger of the City of Providence’s Office of Sustainability share with MassINC’s Dr. Tracy Corley and WGBH News Transportation Reporter Bob Seay how they have helped transform community engagement in urban planning across North America.
>>>Learn More
15-Minute Cities For Pandemic Recovery? Start With Streets!
15-Minute Cities, a COVID-19 recovery tool lauded by mayors around the globe, puts most of a resident’s needs within a 15-minute walk or bike ride from home. Having essentials a short walk away helps people follow public health guidance and stay close to home. The concept also promises to refill municipal coffers drained by critical services to address the public health and economic crisis. But are Gateway Cities in Massachusetts primed to follow the lead of other metropolitan areas in leveraging this tool for recovery?
GBH Reporter Bob Seay and MassINC Researcher Dr. Tracy Corley welcome Tom Skwierawski of the City of Fitchburg, Francisco Ramos of NewVue Communities, Aimee Gauthier of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, and Denise Delgado, Executive Director of Egleston Square Main Street to probe this topic.
