Tuesday, October 28
VIRTUAL SESSIONS
Vision Zero
Vignettes
11:00am - 12:00pm ET
Hear directly from the experts featured in this year’s Vision Zero Cities Journal. Speakers will share insights, research, and real-world experiences on street safety, traffic planning, and reducing car dependency in cities.
Featuring:
Elif Ensari, Research Scholar, NYU’s Marron Institute of Urban Management
Jack Greenwood, Research Associate, Transportation Alternatives
Isaac Levy, Senior Transportation Planner, City of San Antonio Transportation Department
Qiuyang Lu, Senior Transportation Engineer, Institute for Transport and Development Policy
Anna Zivarts, Author, When Driving Is Not an Option: Steering Away from Car Dependency
The Politics of Street Safety: Challenging Power and Priorities
12:30pm - 1:30pm ET
This panel examines how political decisions and power structures directly influence street design and safety outcomes. Experts will unpack how funding, governance, and institutional priorities determine whose needs are met—and whose are overlooked—in transportation planning. The conversation will explore strategies to challenge entrenched power, build political will, and advance policies that create more equitable, people-centered, and lifesaving streets.
Featuring:
Laura Kavanagh, Former Commissioner, New York City Fire Department
Giovanni Pintor, Founder, adessobasta
Ruth Rosas, Program Manager, America Walks
Angie Schmitt, Author, Right of Way: Race, Class and the Silent Epidemic of Pedestrian Deaths in America
10 Years of Vision Zero: What’s Working & What’s Next?
2:00pm - 3:00pm ET
After a decade of Vision Zero in the U.S., many are asking: Is it really working? The answer lies in both measurable progress and ongoing challenges. Communities like Hoboken, Seattle, and Austin are proving that Safe System strategies save lives, while others are learning that real change takes time, leadership, and persistence.
Vision Zero has transformed how we think about road safety, shifting the focus from “human error” to system design, from speed to safety, and from siloed work to cross-sector collaboration. Reflect on progress, lessons learned, and what it will take to achieve lasting safety in the decade ahead.
Featuring:
Tiffany Smith, Program Manager, Vision Zero Network
Kristina Curtiss, Senior Transportation Planner for Vision Zero, Seattle Department of Transportation
Joel Meyer, Program Manager, Vision Zero Program, Austin Transportation Department
Claire Yates, Program Manager, Vision Zero Louisville