Six months ago today, I launched MZ Strategies, LLC to focus on the two areas where I believe communities and advocates need more effective strategies to create lasting change: 1) Strategic alignment of resources (human and fiscal) to implement and maximize sustainable results from public and private sector investments; and, 2) Navigating the state and federal policy and rule making path to make equitable sustainable development easier. Enormous thanks to each of my clients for their financial support, collaborative spirit and enthusiasm for my approach.

Some photos and quick impressions from my recent visit to Stuttgart, Germany for Virginia Tech as part of the Transatlantic Urban Climate Dialogue with local leaders and academics from the USA, Canada and Germany.

Later this week I will travel to Stuttgart, Germany to participate in a Transatlantic Urban Climate Dialogue through my work with Virginia Tech.  In past travels, I have been struck by the similarities of our two transportation systems and the tremendous distinctions.  In Germany, transport accounts for 20% of GHG emissions compared to over 30% in the US (2010 figures), and annual per capita  CO2 emissions from passenger transport per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) were 2.4 times greater in the U.S. than in Germany. Over the past two decades Germany has made notable strides to increase public transit usage. The social impacts from this change became personal to me in witnessing the health impacts that active living brought to my father-in-law during his time teaching in Ingolstadt.

Moving forward from the election the need for finding common ground takes on increased urgency if we are to overcome the challenges and seize the opportunities facing our country.  Collaboration is becoming a key strategy in a growing list of regions to heal local political divides, bridge growing disparities and ensure their region’s long-term economic competitiveness.  Similar objectives are needed nationally and accelerating this kind of partnership should be a priority for the second Obama administration. MZ Strategies, LLC offers three specific strategies that should inform this work, be it at the regional or national scale:

The Center for Transportation S​tudies at the University of Minnesota releases new research brief, “Maximizing the Benefits of Transitway Investment,” written by MZ Strategies, LLC. The summary provides highlights and policy implications of new research by Humphrey Institute Professor Yingling Fan on the projected land use impacts to regional transit accessibility. The full report, "Enterprising Twin Cities Transitways: Regional Competitiveness and Social Equity in an Integrated Land Use and Transit Context," examines different scenarios for locating jobs and housing near the Twin Cities 14 future transit corridors.