Rail Volution

TO SERVE AS A CATALYST FOR THE MOVEMENT TO BUILD LIVABLE COMMUNITIES WITH TRANSIT

CONFERENCE:THE RAIL-VOLUTION ANNUAL CONFERENCE CONVENES PRACTITIONERS FROM AROUND NORTH AMERICA (AND BEYOND) WHO WORK TO CREATE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE HEALTHY, ECONOMICALLY VIBRANT, SOCIALLY EQUITABLE, AND ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE, WHERE PEOPLE HAVE TRANSPORTATION CHOICES. IN 2021, WE HELD THE CONFERENCE VIRTUALLY DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. WE BROUGHT TOGETHER 700+ PLANNERS, COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS, TRANSIT OFFICIALS, CONSULTANTS, DEVELOPERS, LENDERS, GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS, ACADEMICS, ELECTED OFFICIALS, HEALTH ADVOCATES AND HOUSING ADVOCATES OVER 4- DAYS OF VIRTUAL SESSIONS AND ACTIVITIES. PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR CONFERENCE IS GENERALLY HELD IN-PERSON. AS NOTED ELSEWHERE, 2020 AND 2021 WERE EXCEPTIONS DUE TO THE PANDEMIC. AT OUR LAST IN-PERSON CONFERENCE, WE HOSTED OVER 1200 PRACTITIONERS. WE EXPECT TO RETURN TO SIMILAR LEVELS OF PARTICIPATION IN 2022 AND 2023.

ACT-2THE ACT2 PROGRAM (ACCELERATE COMMUNITY TRANSIT + COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION) IS A PLACE-BASED LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT AND CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAM THAT SUPPORTS THE CREATION OF LOCAL, CROSS-SECTOR STAKEHOLDER COALITIONS WORKING TO INTEGRATE TRANSIT, LAND USE AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. DUE TO PANDEMIC TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS, WE DEVELOPED A VIRTUAL FORMAT FOR THE ACT2 PROGRAM (CALLED CAPSULE LEARNING) THAT WE LAUNCHED IN THREE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS IN 2021. EACH CAPSULE LEARNING PROGRAM VIRTUALLY CONVENED REGIONAL LEARNING COHORTS OF A DOZEN PEOPLE, TOGETHER WITH EXPERTS IDENTIFIED BY RAIL~VOLUTION. WE ALSO USED 2021 TO PLAN FOR SIGNIFICANT EXPANSION OF THIS PROGRAM AND WILL BE HOSTING 10 OF THESE COHORTS (NOW RENAMED MOVE ROUNDTABLES) IN 2022. IN 2021, THE CAPSULE LEARNING PROGRAMS WERE OFFERED AS A FEE-FOR-SERVICE PROGRAM. IN 2022, WE WILL CONTINUE TO OFFER THIS OPTION TO INDIVIDUAL REGIONS/CITIES, BUT WE ARE ALSO ENTERING INTO FUNDING PARTNERSHIPS WITH TWO DIFFERENT NATIONAL ORGNIZATIONS, EACH OF WHICH WILL BE UNDERWRITING THE COSTS OF FOUR ROUNDTABLES. IN ADDITION TO THE ROUNDTABLES, WE OFFER THE OPTION FOR LOCAL COHORTS TO ATTEND THE CONFERENCE TOGETHER AS A "DELEGATION" THESE DELEGATIONS RECEIVE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT (MEETING SPACE, FACILITATION, EXTRA MEETINGS) FROM US DURING THE CONFERENCE. WE ANTICIPATE THAT BOTH CAPSULE LEARNING AND CONFERENCE DELEGATIONS WILL GENERATE ADDITIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE ACT2 PROGRAM IN THE FUTURE.

RESOURCE HUBTHE INFORMATION EXCHANGE PROVIDES YEAR-ROUND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES VIA PODCASTS, WEBINARS, VIDEOS AND OTHER FORMS OF MEDIA HOSTED ON OUR WEBSITE. OUR MOST REGULAR FORMAT IS THE PODCAST, WHICH WE HOST MONTHLY PURSUANT TO A CONTRACT WITH AN OUSTIDE HOST WHO PRODUCES THE PODCASTS FOR US (THOUGH WE DETERMINE THE CONTENT, SPEAKERS, AND THEMES). THE PODCASTS ARE MADE AVAILABLE BOTH TO OUR AUDIENCE AND TO OUR PODCAST HOST'S AUDIENCE. IN ADDITION, WE HOST WEBINARS AND PRODUCE VIDEOS ENTITLED "VOICES FROM THE FIELD" IN WHICH WE HIGHLIGHT GREAT WORK BEING DONE ON THE GROUND AROUND THE COUNTRY. THERE IS NO REGULAR SCHEDULE FOR THESE TWO TYPES OF MEDIA. INSTEAD, WE DETERMINE WHEN THERE ARE TOPICS OR PROJECTS THAT ARE TIMELY AND THEN PURSUE THE MEANS OF HIGHLIGHTING THEM.

OUTREACH RELATES TO DEVELOPING NEW PROGRAMS FOR THE ORGANIZATION TO UTILIZE IN THE FUTURE.