October 28-30, 2025
New York University
About
The 12th annual Vision Zero Cities will convene global leaders dedicated to achieving Vision Zero. This gathering unites city officials, planners, engineers, advocates, scholars, and industry leaders to share insights, explore innovative strategies, and discover cutting-edge solutions for challenges facing our cities. Over three days, participants will engage in keynotes, in-depth breakouts, immersive field tours, and personalized networking, all geared towards advancing safer and fairer streets and public spaces.
2025 Sponsors
DESIGN + DELIVERY
Climate Ready Streets: Designing for Resilience and Uncertainty
In many communities, streets represent a significant percentage of public space. Yet, this critical resource continues to be underutilized. How might the right-of-way be rearticulated as a community asset, cooling neighborhoods while also providing environmental benefits such as stormwater management or reduction of excess noise? This panel will present case studies from across the United States where streets have been deployed as part of local or regional resilience goals, addressing quality of life issues while providing new opportunities for recreation, active mobility, and community placemaking.
Taking on the Traffic Industrial Complex: Who Really Controls Our Streets?
Behind every blocked safety bill is a web of influence—auto manufacturers, dealerships, state DOTs, and oil interests. This session breaks down the political power protecting car dominance and shares strategies for shifting decision-making to serve people, not profit.
Winning Across the Map: Strategies That Work in Red, Blue, and Purple States
Traffic violence doesn’t care about political boundaries. In this session, advocates from across the U.S. share how they’re winning safer streets in conservative and swing regions—by building diverse coalitions, aligning with public health and affordability goals, and crafting language that works.
COMMUNITY BUILDING
From Block Associations to City Hall: How Local Organizing Drives System Change
Street safety starts on the block. In this session, grassroots leaders, tactical urbanists, and movement builders share how local wins—like a single crosswalk or bus stop—scale into citywide policy change. Learn what it takes to organize, sustain, and grow power from the neighborhood up.
Smarter Streets, Safer Cities: Using Technology to Save Lives
Technology should protect people, not just promote the latest car feature. From intelligent speed assistance (ISA) to automated enforcement and vehicle design, this session explores how cities can deploy proven tech to reduce speeding, crashes, and harm. We’ll look at what's real, what’s hype, and what cities need to prepare.
Data That Demands Action: Using Transparency to Drive Change
Politicians love to say “we need more data.” But the data’s already here—we just need to use it. Explore how public dashboards – like Transportation Alternatives’ Spatial Equity NYC – crash mapping, bus delay reports, and data storytelling can hold agencies accountable and power safer streets.
SESSIONS
WATCH HERE FOR MORE DETAILS! SESSIONS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
POWER + POLICY
Fixing the System That’s Supposed to Fix the System
Why do proven safety policies stall out at the finish line? Why does political momentum too often turn into months—or years—of delay? What outdated rules or standards get in the way of American streets adopting global best practices for human-centered cities.This session takes a hard look at the structural blockers inside local government that keep life-saving changes from becoming reality. Learn how leaders, advocates, and public servants are navigating broken systems, reforming outdated processes, and building new coalitions to turn policy into action.
Streets Mean Business: Making the Economic Case for Safe Streets
Safe streets don’t just save lives—they also boost local businesses, reduce public health costs, and make cities more affordable. Hear from researchers, BIDs, and advocates who are proving that walkable, bikeable cities are stronger, more resilient economies.
What is
Vision Zero?
Vision Zero is a strategy adopted by governments across five continents that aims to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries. Developed in Sweden, Vision Zero was brought to the United States in 2014 as a result of Transportation Alternatives’ (TA) efforts. As the U.S. enters its second decade of Vision Zero, TA is working to make sure that the promise of Vision Zero worldwide is fulfilled locally. Safe streets save lives, and create more livable communities for all.
Get in Touch!
Amy Klein
Senior Advisor, Development
amy.klein@transalt.org
(212) 629-8080
111 John St. Suite 260
New York, NY 10038
Learn about TA’s Corporate Membership Program!
We can reclaim our streets.
Transportation Alternatives’ mission is to reclaim New York City from cars, transforming our streets into safe, sustainable, and equitable places to walk, bike, take transit, gather, and thrive.
We’ve brought an inclusive, intersectional organizing approach because we know our streets have the potential to create opportunities of all kinds: safer, better connected neighborhoods, cleaner air, more equitable communities, and more economic prosperity.