Podar City : San Jose - News

Dear Friends and Associates,   We readily anticipate presenting our fourth annual Podcar City Conference just a few days from now in San Jose, California ~ October 27-29. We are happy to announce that the event will surely be sold-out, with a handful of tickets available at the time of this writing, while the growing volume of traffic on our website suggests the topics covered in our program are both timely and of great interest to many.   On behalf of our event’s charitable organizers, which include members of INIST, ATRA, KOMPASS, the Mineta Transportation Institute, and the City of San Jose, I want to extend a heart-felt thank you to our Sponsors and Exhibitors for your commitment to making this event so successful. It was the vision of the planning committee to inform, inspire, and provide an open networking forum in a pleasant, comfortable environment. Your contribution has helped to make our vision a reality by offsetting the cost of holding the Conference in a place as central, striking and iconic as San Jose’s City Hall and Rotunda Exhibition Center.

To all in attendance, we also Thank You! for your commitment to being an active part of the PCCC experience. We have found that our annual conference brings together a diverse range of people for a three day retreat focused on offering mutual support, education and inspiration within the framework of sustainable city development; frankly, the conversations at lunch and coffee break are often as valuable as time spent in a presentation or panel discussion – everyone has something to offer and for this we are very grateful!

This unique event has clearly grown from modest beginnings in Uppsala Sweden (’07), signified by the fact that our latest assembly has already attracted 250+ professionals from all over the globe, including representatives from such esteemed institutions as: UCSC, UC Berkeley, Stanford, Princeton University, University of Minnesota, The Aerospace Corporation, BAA, Google, AFL-CIO, PG&E, the NJ Institute of Technology, ARUP, Modern Transit Society, Masdar, KHA, HM&M, Calstart, KTH, VTA, California Public Utilities Commission, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the Swedish Consulate General, and many many more!

As always, we are striving to determine the viability and potential benefits of Podcars with both a curious and critical eye. We openly wonder if automated, light-weight, grade-separated, electric transit can enable urban planners, civic leaders, students and community interest groups to completely re-think how we design, build, manage and envision our cities of today and tomorrow? We look at current trends and ask if the age of the automobile is on decline and speculate whether people are ready for an advanced transit alternative? We ask if PRT could tip a mode-switch on campuses, airports and downtowns and help serve the vast majority of “Vehicle Miles Traveled” dedicated to conducting one’s daily duties? Ultimately, we want to know if Podcars have a place in the global “transit tool-belt”? We are not 100% sure, but we’re aiming to learn.

In fact, INIST’s priority is to help broaden the perspective in terms of what is possible for future transit, real estate and energy investments around the world – and to discover if we can finally say goodbye to our petroleum-based economy. At the same time, we aim to make sure that each Podcar City Conference is an absolutely memorable event. This year is no exception, as we are pleased to welcome a top-notch registry of speakers, exhibitors and presenters committed to educating and updating all of us on the most recent PRT/ATN related progress world-wide.

As a fun and informative exercise, our organizers are also helping to open this line of imagination and discussion to as many people as possible. We recognize that many groups and individuals cannot afford the time or full expense of attending the full conference, so we are happy to invite citizens of the Bay Area, and beyond, to attend the PCCC4 Public Night at The Tech Museum’s IMAX Theater on October 27, 2010. Doors open at 6:45 PM, program begins at 7PM.

When considering the difficult choices we have to make in order to secure a more sustainable future, many feel that strategic Podcar systems offer an important way to help heal many of our urban ills. As the PRT industry continues to mature and we continue to grow as an organization presenting these informative events, please know that the partnerships with our sponsors and exhibitors are vital to the success of our immediate and long-term endeavors. You are truly appreciated and we look forward to launching the next successful conference together.

Thanks again and see you on the 27th!

Christer Lindstrom
INIST