WWU to Host Charles Marohn and Ted Carlson Oct. 20 for Discussions on Transportation Planning and Urban Growth

Western Washington University’s Huxley College of the Environment Speaker Series will host a pair of discussions on Thursday, Oct. 20 dealing with transportation issues and urban planning; both presentations are free and open to the public and will be followed by question-and-answer sessions.

Charles Marohn, founder of Strong Towns (http://www.strongtowns.org/), will discuss resilience and urban planning at 2:30 p.m. in Miller Hall 138; he will be followed at 4 p.m. by Ted Carlson from the City of Bellingham, who will discuss local transportation planning.

Strong Towns is a nonprofit organization working to support a model of development that allows America’s cities, towns and neighborhoods to become financially strong and resilient. In his Speaker Series talk titled “Strong Towns: Curbside Chat,” Marohn will discuss the financial health of American towns and cities, covering topics such as America’s Suburban Experiment; the Growth Ponzi Scheme; the illusion of wealth; mechanisms of growth; and incremental and traditional development models.

Marohn is a Professional Engineer (PE) licensed in the State of Minnesota and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP). He is the founder and president of Strong Towns. He has a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Institute.

Ted Carlson has been the Public Works director for the City of Bellingham since 2009.  He has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Washington.

Transportation planning is intricately tied to land use, the pattern of development, and the local economy that evolves as an urban area grows. Bellingham’s city-wide multimodal transportation system includes various travel modes, such as pedestrian, bicycle, transit, automobile, freight truck, marine ferry, railroad, and airplanes. In his Speaker Series talk titled “Bellingham’s Transportation Successes and Challenges,” Carlson will discuss Bellingham's successes and challenges in implementing programs and projects to provide, manage, and maintain safe, well-connected complete networks for major modes of transportation and users.

The Huxley College Speaker Series, sponsored by Western’s Huxley College of the Environment, is intended to bring together environmentally-minded members of the WWU and Bellingham communities. Speakers address topics of contemporary environmental concern in the region and the world.

WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment is one of the oldest environmental colleges in the nation and a recognized leader in producing the next generation of environmental professionals and stewards. Huxley’s distinctive, interdisciplinary curriculum reflects a broad view of the physical, biological, social, and cultural world, and has earned international recognition for quality.

For more information, please contact WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment at (360) 650-2554.