Line drawing of man jumping over missing step in staircaseBy Brett Wood, CAPP, PE

The past 15 months have taught us many valuable lessons, including some aroudn increased awareness and adapting to change. Our industry has certainly managed this change in its own unique way, with parking and mobility programs implementing improvements that were rooted in being proactive and using policy, operations, technology, and service as a means of strengthening our communities and promoting wellness and accessibility without compromising safety.

As we leave the final stages of the pandemic and move into the full stages of recovery, the lessons learned from the pandemic era will serve us well as we encounter new and different disruptions along the way. From the immediate effects of changing commutes to the longer-term impacts of climate change and a transportation system shifting to autonomy and shared-fleet services, our industry will continue to face disruption. And the last year has proven we don’t really know what’s in store for us.

At next week’s virtual IPMI Mobility and Innovation Summit, the IPMI Research & Innovation Task Force has assembled a panel of parking and mobility professionals who are facing immediate and long-term disruptions head on and moving their communities forward with transformational projects, pilots, and policy changes:

  • Jeff Petry from Eugene, Ore., is implementing community-based changes to promote equity in the community and support re-opening efforts.
  • Phil Garcia of Facebook is preparing the campus for a return to work with innovative practices to support changing commutes.
  • Perry Eggleston, CAPP, DPA, of UC Davis is implementing a new payment structure rooted in transportation demand management and flexible options for changing commutes.

We hope you’ll join us for the Summit and this particular discussion on Wednesday June 30, at 4:15 p.m. Eastern. And we hope you’ll continue to prepare yourself and your community for change in a positive way!

Brett Wood, CAPP, PE, is president of Wood Solutions Group.