The Mountain and Resort Town Planners Summit (MRTPS) is a small and interactive conference, where ideas, questions and responses flow freely among participants, facilitators, and the host communities. The summit is multi-disciplinary, with programming designed for planners, designers, conservationists, elected officials, and anyone else interested in preserving the uniqueness of their mountain community. Past attendees have found the conference to be extremely helpful in finding solutions to day-to-day challenges, creating a network of peers from similar communities, and fostering big picture thinking. The conference format typically includes keynote speakers, guided tours, and peer-to-peer roundtable discussions led by expert facilitators. This year, Mobycon is proud to be a sponsor of the event, with Integrated Mobility Specialist Zach Vanderkooy leading a session and joined by Brian Schilling from the Town of Jackson, WY, and Andy Esarte from the Town of Canmore, Canada.
Dutch-Inspired Transportation Solutions in Mountain Towns
Presenters: Zach Vanderkooy (Mobycon) with Brian Schilling (Town of Jackson, WY), Andy Esarte (Town of Canmore, AB, Canada (joining virtually))
Thursday, October 13 @ 3:15-4:45 MDT
Cities and towns of all sizes are working fast to remake their transportation systems to address climate, livability and safety goals. Mostly known for its widespread use of bikes, The Netherlands is an established global leader for its comprehensive approach to active transportation and people-oriented public spaces. Dutch practice has long been a major source of influence and inspiration for North American planners and policy-makers working to rebalance mobility to undo the negative effects of excessively car-focused urban planning and design.
Focused more on the “how” than the “why,” this session will examine the experiences of two communities in adapting and “translating” Dutch-influenced solutions: Jackson, Wyoming and Canmore, Alberta. (Spoiler: it’s not a simple copy and paste exercise!) From policy and leadership to multi-modal network planning and the implementation of next-generation protected bike lanes and intersections, these towns will share their successes, failures, obstacles overcame and practical lessons for peer mountain and resort communities working to build mobility resiliency and bring a more human-scaled approach to their streets.
‘Dutch urbanism may seem like magic at first glance, but it’s the result of courageous (and replicable) choices made by human beings. Experience from the Netherlands has tremendous power to inspire and inform the creativity we need to build more resilient, safe, equitable and prosperous communities.’
