According to the Metropolitan Planning Council, the time has come for bus rapid transit (BRT) in Chicago. Around the world, BRT systems are transforming cities, revitalizing neighborhoods, easing congestion, and increasing quality of life. Nowhere is that more true than in Bogotá, Colombia, where the world’s premier BRT system has remade that city. Here in the U.S., early attempts at BRT in places like Cleveland, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles have been instructive, but haven’t fully lived up to BRT’s potential as a cost-effective and transformative transportation investment. One reason is that BRT investments have yet to be sufficiently aligned with such livability goals as providing people better access to educational and employment opportunities, or connecting underserved neighborhoods to existing rapid transit networks.

Join the Metropolitan Planning Council for the release of Bus Rapid Transit: Chicago’s New Route to Opportunity, a vision for Chicago’s transportation and community development future that puts people—not steel, rubber, or pavement—first. Bus Rapid Transit: Chicago’s New Route to Opportunity assesses the top 10 routes in Chicago where BRT is feasible, best supports existing community assets, and fills accessibility gaps in the current transit network.

The roundtable will feature Enrique Peñalosa, former mayor of Bogota and current board president of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), will examine that city’s BRT experience and lessons learned. ITDP’s Annie Weinstock will make the case for gold-standard BRT, and Chicago Department of Transportation Commissioner Gabe Klein will examine the new administration’s BRT goals.

Lunch will be provided. You may request a vegetarian meal when you register. Ticket cost is $15 for current MPC donors and $30 for all others. Register for the event at the MPC website.