Skip to content

Symposium: The Future of Urban Transportation

This symposium will gather some of the leading scholars and practitioners in the transportation field for a discussion of the forces shaping the future of urban transportation -- and the strategies for managing transportation systems to address these changes. The event is being held in honor of the contributions of Robert E. Paaswell in honor of his 70th Birthday.

This symposium will gather some of the leading scholars and practitioners in the transportation field for a discussion of the forces shaping the future of urban transportation — and the strategies for managing transportation systems to address these changes. The event is being held in honor of the contributions of Robert E. Paaswell in honor of his 70th Birthday.

Preliminary Agenda

12:30 – 1:00: Registration

1:00 – 1:30 pm – Welcome

  • Dr. Gregory H. Williams, President, City College of New York
  • Dr. Neville Parker, Dept. of Civil Engineering, City College
  • Dr. Joseph Berechman, Dept. of Economics, City College

1:30 – 2:45 Drivers of Change in the Urban Transportation System
Moderator: Dr. John Falcocchio, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Polytechnic University

  • Dr. Martin Wachs, RAND Corporation
  • Dr. Michael Meyer, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
  • Dr. Genevieve Giuliano, Senior Associate Dean for Research and Technology, University of Southern California

2:45 – 3:00: Coffee Break

3:00 – 3:45: Keynote Address: Jay Walder, McKinsey & Company
Introduction: Peter Derrick, Bronx Historical Society

3:45 – 5:00 Managing the Transportation Systems of the Future
Moderator: Dr. Allison L. C. de Cerreño, Director, NYU Wagner Rudin Center

  • Dr. Isaac Takyi, New York City Transit
  • William Millar, President, American Public Transit Association
  • Cheri Heramb, Commissioner of Transportation, City of Chicago*
  • Dr. Will Recker, Dept. of Civil Engineering, University of California, Irvine

                *invited

5:00 – 5:30 Recap and Concluding Remarks

  • Dr. José Holguin-Veras, Dept. of Civil Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
  • Dr. Joseph Berechman, Professor and Chair, Department of Economics, CCNY
Photo of Aaron Donovan
Before he began blogging about land use and transportation, Aaron Donovan wrote The New York Times Neediest Cases Fund's annual fundraising appeal for three years and earned a master's degree in urban planning from Columbia. Since then, he has worked for nonprofit organizations devoted to New York City economic development. He lives and works in the Financial District, and sees New York's pre-automobile built form as an asset that makes New York unique in the United States, and as a strategic advantage that should be capitalized upon.

Read More:

More from Streetsblog New York City

Report: NYPD’s Dangerous Increase In High-Speed Pursuits Did Not Decrease Crime

November 2, 2026

Would A One-Way Conversion Fix Brooklyn’s Grand Street Or Make It Worse?

November 2, 2026

Monday’s Headlines: A Cry for Justice Edition

November 2, 2026

Brooklyn Crash Victim’s EMT Twin Sister Calls Out City, DSNY for Reckless Driving

October 30, 2026

Dangerous Drivers At ‘Trunk-Or-Treat’ Show How Cars Are A Horror For Kids All Year Long

October 30, 2026
See all posts