Rail~Volution Chicago 2006, Nov. 5 to 8, will feature 22 mobile workshops highlighting communities in northeastern Illinois, northwestern Indiana, and southeastern Wisconsin offering residents greater access, choice and convenience through transportation connections
(CHICAGO)….. As the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) continues to
build consensus for much-needed state funding to support transit with the Moving Beyond
Congestion strategic plan, Rail~Volution Chicago 2006 is ready to roll through
greater metropolitan Chicago from Sunday, Nov. 5, through Wednesday, Nov. 8.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters will kick off the
conference at the Opening Plenary at 8 a.m., Monday, Nov. 6. Rail~Volution will
feature different locations in the tri-state region where commuter train
stations, pedestrian-friendly streets, and bike routes, connected to
mixed-income homes, retail shops and job centers, are supporting economically
vibrant, livable communities. Some 22 mobile workshops will take participants by
train, bike and foot to places like Blue Island, Ill.; Gary, Ind.; and Kenosha,
Wis., to highlight how the Chicago region – widely considered the “granddaddy of
transit-oriented development” – has and continues to use innovative
transportation connections to build great neighborhoods and a healthy region.
Learn more about Rail~Volution Chicago 2006 by visiting Rail~Volution's Web
site.
WHAT:
Rail~Volution Chicago 2006
WHO:
Featured speakers include U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E.
Peters; U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.); and RTA Board Chair James R. Reilly.
The
Regional Transportation Authority and the nonprofit Metropolitan
Planning Council are co-hosting Rail~Volution Chicago 2006. Several locally
based
organizations,
including the American Planning Association and Congress for the New Urbanism
are Rail~Volution Chicago 2006 affiliates.
WHEN:
Sunday, Nov. 5, through Wednesday, Nov. 8
WHERE:
Technical assistance workshops and a
transit-oriented development marketplace will take place at Marriott Magnificent
Mile Hotel, 540 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago. Click here for
a complete program of events.
Mobile workshops will depart from the hotel. Times and
locations vary. Click here for a complete itinerary.
NOTE:
Media may attend at no cost;
however, advance registration, both for conference sessions and mobile
workshops, is required. To assure a space in a particular mobile workshop,
reporters are advised to pay for it. Workshops are either $35 or $40. Visit the
Rail~Volution Web site
for specific information.