A series of interactive sessions focusing on the health and well-being of Silicon Valley—including topics such as better transit systems between De Anza College and East San Jose, or how to get from a Cupertino home to a high speed rail station without getting in a car—are part of the upcoming Let's Get Moving, Transportation Choices and Healthy Communities Summit on Feb. 23.
Community leaders, experts in environment, public health and transportation and the general public are expected to attend the summit hosted by TransForm, a nonprofit organization that works to create walkable communities.
The sessions are tailored toward the average resident so the community can become more informed and engaged in what’s going on, said Chris Lepe, TransForm’s community planner.
Of particular interest to Cupertino residents—especially those who must drive in the tri-school area—may be a session called Creating Safe Routes to Schools. Ernesto Lizaola, Safe Routes to School Manager, from Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition will lead the discussion on how to change the growing trend of all students being driven to and from school.
The session called Stevens Creek Bus Rapid Transit Tour will focus on VTA’s plan for Bus Rapid Transit, which is like light rail on rubber tires.
“Cupertino used to have a trolley system that went down Stevens Creek,” Lepe says, but now the city is somewhat on the “outskirts of suburbia” and some land use patterns in the city “aren’t transit supportive.”
And for anyone who has wanted to speak out or write a comment letter in the public process, but wasn’t confident in their understanding of the process, there is a session called Exploring the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Realizing the Air Quality Benefits of Good Land Use that will explain the basics of Environmental Impact Reports (EIR) and CEQA. It will arm participants with tools and resources and includes a writing workshop based on a local project.
Lepe says attendees can attend all or part of the summit that runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Luther Burbank School at 4 Wabash Ave., in San Jose. Reserve a ticket here or get more information at http://www.transformca.org. Tickets are $10, but Lepe says they have generous grants available to cover the cost for anyone who can’t afford it or only wants to attend one workshop. Lepe can be reached at mailto:clepe@transformca.org.
The full summit topics include:
- Healthy Communities Forum. The Grand Boulevard Initiative: Creating Great Neighborhoods along El Camino Real.
- Urban Growth and Development Without Traffic? Learn how parking strategies can make housing more affordable, provide greater transportation options, and improve parking availability.
- Moving Silicon Valley Forward: A discussion of Housing and Transportation in Silicon Valley as a Matter of Social and Racial Justice.
- From General to Specific: Implementing San Jose’s Forward Thinking General Plan.
- Stevens Creek Bus Rapid Transit Tour.
- Caltrain Modernization and Station Area Planning 101.
- Connecting with High Speed Rail in Santa Clara County.
- Creating Safe Routes to Schools.
- Exploring the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Realizing the Air Quality Benefits of Good Land Use
- Introduction to THRIVE: Tool for Health and Resilience In Vulnerable Environments.
- Creating Safe Routes to Transit: Making it Safer, More Secure and Convenient to Walk and Bike to Transit.
- Inspire a Shared Vision: Storytelling and Public Speaking Training.
