SPONSORS
	Corporate CWA Inc. Miriello Grafico Edward J. G. Mracek, Willis Allen Real Estate Individual Carina Courtright Karen Dietz
	PROGRAMMATIC DONORS
	Eric Anderson Sarah Catz M. Neil Cummings Richard Farson Richard Flierl Dr. Alan Gin Alexandra Hart James McJunkin Chad Thompson Photography Harry Watkins

High Speed Transit Forum
Design's Impact on High Speed Rail, Maglev Trains and Personal Rapid Transit
Testimonials | ArtRocks! Interview | KUSI 9 News Segment | Forum Prize Winner | Dii Team Members |

Click here for scenes from the event
Joe Sterling's visual mapping of the event

Thursday, November 12, 2009 6-8 P.M.
Brown Chapel, Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego, California

Imagine being able to leave your house, zip to the airport and to destinations beyond without ever having to use your car. Now picture yourself taking the high speed train comfortably and quickly transporting you to business meetings and vacations via links throughout the west. With recent funding, this new and efficient form of mobility is now reality.

OVERVIEW
The United States has designated ten federal high-speed rail corridors. The federal administration, earlier this year, announced its plan to fund high speed rail to the tune of $8 billion stimulus dollars, a move that indicates officials' desire to see increased cooperation between regions in the field of high speed train travel. Designation as a rail corridor improves the chances for a given proposed project for that zone to receive federal funding.

The California corridors run north and south with a coastal and interior artery and east and west on the newest designated line along Interstate 15 that links Southern California with the Las Vegas area. While the designated corridors lie in the realm of preferential systems, the government would like to see applications from other geographical areas. Non-corridor proposals will be received with "quality" as the determining factor for funding. This is an exciting opportunity in either case for San Diego and Southern California.

Complementing the existing competing proposals for the high-speed train is another transit modality called Personal Rapid Transit (PRT), a provocative concept - the Airport Without Runways. The combination of these concepts with high speed trains has the potential to create a stunning new model for inter-modal transit for San Diego and Southern California.

THE HIGH SPEED TRANSIT FORUM
The Design Innovation Institute (Dii) is pleased to present a timely design forum that will look at innovative, alternative transit modalities. The Forum will be uniquely positioned to thematically explore how the tools of integrated design can perfect the ergonomics of the proposed transit systems. The forum's goal will be to bring together students as well as distinguished leaders interested in the recent federal and state endorsement of high-speed transit alternatives.

The High Speed Transit Forum anticipates significant design student interest and attendance. Accordingly, It will be promoted at institutions of higher learning in San Diego and the region. These young people will no doubt contribute to the future shape of applied and policy design of alternative transit modalities.

Another target audience segment is composed of leaders in transportation and public administration. A far-reaching goal of the forum is to begin a conversation on how design can further the public's acceptance of new transit innovations. Leaders will gain creative perspective as they work to align public concerns with policy design. Aiding that outcome, will be the Institute's production of a forum "White Paper" memorializing the event through photos, video and analysis.

The Design Innovation Institute is privileged to collaborate with the Department of Art and Design of Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. The University has agreed to host this forum on campus in Brown Chapel with maximum seating capacity for 1,800 people.