pacific nw transportation consortium region 10 Pactrans

Several months ago, OSU Associate Professor and PacTrans Associate Director, Dr. David Hurwitz, was invited to sit on an expert panel hosted by the Portland Business Journal. The title of the panel was A bright path to progress: A panel of experts on the Rose City’s biggest challenges, “By almost any measure, Portland has been one of the most dynamic cities in the country in the 21st century. Growth and change is constant, and seems to be happening at an ever-faster pace, raising the question of what the future holds for Portland.

Dr. Hurwitz was joined by a handful of experts from the development and finance world. He was not only the only academic but also the only expert there to represent the transportation system and community. He spoke about the parallels between the paradigm shift of the early 20^th century (horse-and-buggy to personal automobile) and the paradigm shift that we are likely to see in our lifetime (ridesharing platforms, autonomous vehicles, and the internet-of-things). He also spoke at length about the importance of policy and infrastructure investments and how those will play a huge role in our changing urban environments.

For the full script of the panel, click here.