The 90-Minute Transportation Fix Challenge

Seating is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Due to the interactive nature of learning labs, only those with a seat may participate. Please arrive early to secure your spot!

Take a seat at the table with diverse stakeholders in this high-energy simulation tackling Detroit's transportation future. Teams representing advocates, planners, elected officials, and business leaders collaborate on a realistic mobility scenario, navigating the challenge of balancing sometimes-conflicting community interests.

Drawing from the proven success of our standing-room-only NPC23 presentation, "Storytelling in Transportation Planning," this interactive experience immerses you in authentic decision-making complexities. Through structured role play and facilitated problem-solving, develop essential skills: building empathy across stakeholder perspectives, negotiating competing priorities, crafting compelling narratives for change, and resolving friction constructively.

The focus is on a Detroit-centered transportation scenario - emphasizing transit optimization and regional coordination barriers - that reflects the complex transportation issues planners face today. Teams balance efficiency with equity, innovation with inclusion, and technical solutions with community trust.

Each group presents actionable solutions, sparking cross-team dialogue and peer learning. Leave with practical frameworks for stakeholder engagement, conflict resolution strategies, and enhanced capacity for collaborative planning. This presentation directly supports inclusive community planning by centering equity considerations, fostering authentic collaboration, and providing tools to advance transportation justice through effective stakeholder engagement and shared decision-making.
Closed Captioning.