A Coalition Approach to Equitable Transit

How do we achieve the ultimate goal: transit expansion and related development that happens for and with communities instead of to them? Coalitions in Phoenix and Buffalo have organized to do just this. The Phoenix collaborative, with 50+ partners, connects and empowers dozens of leaders and community members from three distinct, culturally rich areas across the Phoenix South Central Corridor, where a light rail extension is under construction. In Buffalo, a multimodal, cross-sector partnership formed a wider coalition of committed citizens to support equitable transit-oriented development in the Buffalo region and along its Metro Rail Expansion corridor. Their work provides models for creating systems change, building capacity in under-served communities and securing broader benefits from transit projects and related transit-oriented development (TOD) plans.

Moderator: Shannon Scutari, President and Chief Executive Officer, Scutari & Company, LLC, Phoenix, AZ
Francisca Montoya, Director, Innovative Economic Solutions, Raza Development Fund, Phoenix, AZ
Victor Vidales, Realtor/Developer/Founding Member, SoPho Convening, Phoenix, AZ
Fred Frank, Lead Planner, WSP USA, Charlotte, NC
Ashley Smith, Assistant Manager of Government Relations and Development, Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA), Buffalo, NY