The Tactical Urbanism Movement: Short-term Action for Long-term Change

Originally aired March 23, 2015

Mike Lydon and fellow urban experts Valerie Watson and Alexandros Washburn explore the background of the tactical urbanism movement and how practitioners employ it to drive lasting change. The session identifies examples of short-term, community-based projects that are powerful and adaptable new tools for urban activists, planners, and policy-makers seeking to improve their cities through incremental, citizen-led action.

Speakers

David Weinberger (Moderator)

City Partnerships Director, ioby

David Weinberger is City Partnerships Director at ioby, where he works with cities to find, encourage, and support tactical urbanists across the country. Before ioby, he helped develop WalkNYC, the New York City Department of Transportation’s first standardized pedestrian wayfinding system, and has also worked at the MTA, U.S. Department of State, the Democratic National Committee, and PBS. He is primarily interested in promoting meaningful community involvement in urban planning.

Mike Lydon

Principal, The Street Plans Collaborative

Mike Lydon is Principal of The Street Plans Collaborative, an internationally recognized planner and the creator and primary author of the “Tactical Urbanism: Short-term Action, Long-Term Change” reports. He was also co-author of The Smart Growth Manual and “The Open Streets Project.” He works and speaks internationally on smart growth, livable cities, active transportation, and tactical urbanism, and is the co-author of Tactical Urbanism published by Island Press.

Valerie Watson

Urban Designer & Pedestrian Coordinator, Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT)

Valerie Watson works for LADOT as an urban designer and Pedestrian Coordinator in the Active Transportation Division, promoting implementation of pedestrian-focused design, developing active transportation plans and policies, and securing funding to enhance safety for people who walk, bike, and take transit. She has led development of the City’s first Safe Routes to School Strategic Plan and works to infuse data-driven methodologies into the department’s activities.

Alexandros Washburn

Industry Professor & Founding Director, Center for Coastal Resilience and Urban Xcellence (CRUX), Stevens Institute of Technology

Alexandros Washburn is Industry Professor and founding Director of the Center for Coastal Resilience and Urban Xcellence (CRUX) at the Stevens Institute of Technology. He was formerly the Chief Urban Designer of the New York City Department of City Planning under Mayor Michael Bloomberg and previously served as public works advisor and chief architect for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. He is the author of The Nature of Urban Design: A New York Perspective on Resilience.