Randall Lewis and Highlights from the 2008 Lake Arrowhead Symposium
posted: Feb 26, 2009

Scholars, policymakers, and practitioners met in October for the annual Lake Arrowhead Symposium on the Transportation, Land Use, and Environment Connection. The event focused on "The Future of Cities and Travel," and sought solutions for meeting long-term needs in light of current economic, political, and fiscal uncertainties. Randall Lewis of the Lewis Group of Companies and Advisory Board Member for the UCLA School of Public Affairs shared his observations as a private developer. He urged that compact, dense, and mixed-use development is no longer an alternative lifestyle choice, but a necessity in light of the worst levels of traffic congestion seen in decades. The Lewis Group has been developing housing with amenities such as gym facilities, home offices, and telecommunications centers to reduce residents' transportation costs. Lewis called for more flexible transit systems, and innovative development efforts that will provide multiple benefits in housing, environment, and transportation.

Following Lewis's call, speakers from a variety of industry groups spoke about new solutions, lessons learned, and emerging questions. John German, Manager of Environmental and Energy Analyses for American Honda Motor Company, reported strategies for producing fleets with mixed fuel efficiency targets to better respond to consumer demand and the current instability of fuel prices. Dario Hidalgo, Senior Transport Engineer at EMBARQ, a nonprofit institution that develops sustainable transportation, discussed the high benefits and relatively low costs of implementing flexible bus rapid transit systems around the globe. Political demand for these projects has been driven as much by resource constraints as the demand from riders for flexible services.

Conference proceedings will be available online in early 2009, through the Institute of Transportation Studies website: http://www.its.ucla.edu/events/.

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