For three days next week, October 24-26, the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) and NYU’s Rudin Center are hosting a conference that seeks to “forge a common vision for cities to achieve national objectives for healthier, more sustainable, equitable, and efficient cities of tomorrow.” The transportation officials, planners, architects, designers, and urbanists in attendance will be able to learn about a variety of topics, including parking management, transportation infrastructure financing, car sharing, bus rapid transit, and more.

The event will open with a keynote address from United States Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, and will also include remarks from the Brookings Institution’s Bruce Katz and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Transportation department heads from major United States cities—including New York—will join together on a Commissioners’ Panel to “explore the politics of sustainable transportation in the 21^st century.” The conference will also give attendees the opportunity to participate in a variety of “walkshops,” which will take them out into the city to get a first-hand look at New York’s streets and public spaces.

As part of the event, Tri-State Transportation Campaign Executive Director Veronica Vanterpool will moderate a panel entitled Engaging Community: How to Invite the Community into the Planning Process and Embrace Change. The panel will be held October 25^th from 3:45 pm-5:00 pm.

Designing Cities: Leading the Way to World Class Streets will take place at NYU’s Kimmel Center, which is located at 60 Washington Square South (some events may be located elsewhere; check the program for details). For more information about the event, visit www.nacto.org/designingcities.