This episode we take the show across international waters, welcoming Stacey Matlen, Senior Mobility Strategist from City of Detroit. 

She is joined by Taylor Gouge, WSP Associate Transport Engineer, and recent co-author of white paper COVID-19 & Public Transport: From Response to Recovery. Also joining the conversation is friend of the show, Michael Tyrpenou, WSP’s Social Strategy and Design Lead in Australia.

From travelling to work, education or socialising – this week we look at how we can put people at the centre of our plans to transition back into moving freely in public places. We dive into some of the initiatives used to keep our essential workers moving to where they need to be, along with what transport modes might see an increase in the post COVID-19 world.

What will we need from our public spaces to support the shift and make it desirable to dwell again? 

How can we measure the success of our initiatives? 

Tune in to find out!

Show-notes

00:00 - Intro 
01:18 - Stacey's role
02:12 - Explaining new mobility
04:29 - Situation in Detroit and the US
07:49 - Handling Supply and Demand
12:31 - How can we ensure equitable access for those not in the city?
14:40 - Will this be something long lasting?
16:02 - Sydney based active transport initiatives and public health benefits
18:33 - The need for end of trip facilities
19:07 - Cultural context for designing post COVID-19 transport planning
22:21 - Are we doing enough? Decentralisation vs centralisation
25:14 - What should our measures of success be?
28:10 - Last minute thoughts
32:06 - Slowride and other “place” initiatives outside of COVID-19 that might grow
34:18 - Wrap up