What IS Rail~Volution?
Rail~Volution is, first
and foremost, a conference for passionate practitioners - people from
all perspectives who believe strongly in the role of land use and transit
as equal partners in the quest for greater livability and greater communities.
You should attend the conference if you:
- Want to see your
community adopt an innovative approach to transit and other alternative
forms of transportation.
- Work in the private
sector and want to have meaningful interactions with potential new
clients.
- Work in the public
sector and want to learn best practices along with colleagues from
around the U.S. and beyond.
- Want to have a stronger
voice in how your community plans for future growth.
Attending Rail~Volution
is like being in the midst of a living, breathing laboratory where the
best new ideas from around the country are introduced, tossed around
with great fervor, researched and tested thoroughly, and then shared
among like-minded colleagues. Expect to attend hands-on workshops that
feature case studies and how-to discussions, symposia that provide in-depth
explorations of issues facing every community, and inspiring plenary
sessions that showcase some of the best livability minds in the country
and the world. Attend Rail~Volution and you are guaranteed to return
home with a palette of new ideas and a toolbox of new strategies for
making your community more livable.
What is Rail~Volution's History?
Rail~Volution started in 1989 as a series of outreach
and advocacy events geared towards developing real advocates for the
Portland metropolitan region's MAX Light Rail System. At the conference
in 1994, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (District 3, Oregon) announced
that in 1995, Rail~Volution would become a national conference. From
this point, Rail~Volution acted as a loose federation of sponsoring
Partners and Affiliates, united by common interests and dedication.
In the year 2000, the National Steering Committee realized the need
for a more formal organization, and a strategic planner was brought
in to assist this process. The National Steering Committee decided Rail~Volution
should develop into a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization.
