Mass Transit

SEP-OCT 2014

Mass Transit magazine features agency profiles, industry trends, management tips and new product information.

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26 | Mass Transit | MassTransitmag.com | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2014 Eric Eidlin, AICP Community Planner and Sustainability Lead Federal Transit Administration Jason E. Dunn Chairman of the Board Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority ERIC EIDLIN has continued his long- time passions for sustainable transportation and sustainable urban development as a community planner with the Federal Transit Administration. His management portfolio of projects include such me- ga-projects as the $2.3 billion BART to San Jose Extension and the $1.9 billion Transbay Transit Center Project. Eidlin also has a special function in the ofce as the sustainability coordinator to the Federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities (PSC). Trough his PSC activ- ities, Eidlin spearheaded the creation of a working group focusing of the identifcation and development of policies and programs in the San Francisco Bay Area that integrate transportation and land use with the potential of serving as a national model. Te group published a report showcasing more than 100 policies, tools and projects aiming to overcome the barriers to housing and transporta- tion coordination. Eidlin's exemplary leadership and contributions resulted in his receipt of the FTA's Award of Special Merit in 2011. Eidlin also served as a key member of the city of Fresno's Strong Cities Strong Communities (SC2) team. Eidlin's leadership eforts led to a change in the routing of Fresno's frst bus rapid transit (BRT) line to better connect the BRT to Fresno's historic core and main street, the Fulton Mall. Eidlin was a Fulbright Scholar in 1999-2000 and studied Urban Sociology at the Humboldt Uni- versity in Berlin, Germany, that year. In part because of that expe- rience, in 2013, Eidlin was award- ed a prestigious fellowship from the German Marshall Fund's Urban and Regional Policy Program to study HSR stations in France and Germany. As one of only three candidates selected from a highly competitive feld of 80 international applicants, Eidlin has present- ed his research in important venues, including the Transportation Research Board's Annual Meeting and at SPUR, a Bay Area urban planning think-tank. www.MassTransitmag.com/11617597 JASON DUNN volunteers ap- proximately 140 hours per month as chair of the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority Board of Trustees, in support of one of the most vital economic drivers for the greater Cincinnati area — public transportation. Dunn led the SORTA Board of Trustees to pass a resolution extending health and dental insurance benefts to same- sex married couples/domestic partners to enhance Metro's standing as an employer of choice. He also developed the frst "State of Metro" annual meeting, where SORTA lead- ers presented accomplishments and its vision for the future. He also helped present a University of Cincinnati Economics Center study showing Metro as the most operationally efcient system compared to peer cities. Success is evidenced by a news series about the public transportation system and broader community dialogue about public transit's future in greater Cincinnati. Dunn is leading the planning for the 2014 State of Metro, which will continue to advance this discussion. Dunn was integral to the implementation of SOR- TA's strategic plan, which places the attainment of regional transit at the center of all operations. During one of greater Cincinnati's most suc- cessful endeavors, the 2012 World Choir Games, he was a leader in ensuring Metro bus service successfully provided about 60,000 rides during the 11-day international event. In his role as the director of multicultural afairs and com- munity development for the Cincinnati USA Convention & Visitors Bureau, Dunn de- velops and manages the CVB's comprehensive multicultural strategy. He has taken his regional perspectives from his job and applied them to his roles with SORTA, enabling him to have a 360-degree view of the issues that afect public transportation and the region at large. Dunn said he enjoys the thought and act of help- ing Cincinnati reach its fullest potential. In order to do that, they have to drive economic development, create jobs and get people to work. www.MassTransitmag.com/11617609 "Public Transportation is the key to all economic development; without transportation, a city's economy is stagnant." "I think that fragmented local governance is one of the biggest challenges for public transportation in the U.S. … I think that with more integrated transit governance … we may be able to move toward transit service that is more seamless in every sense ..."

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