Third AAM Syposium Attracts 100 Particpants

In 1994, CUTR developed the African-American Mobility (AAM) Symposium to provide a forum to allow the exchange of ideas and information and for the discussion of transportation planning, programming, and policy issues as they relate to the African-American population. On April 14-16, 1996, the third AAM symposium convened in Tampa and realized its objective to continue the discourse on the special transportation needs of the African-American community by building upon the experiences and issues provided from the past two symposia held in 1994 and 1995.

"The project holds national significance for its relevance to ISTEA s citizen participation mandate and the renewed federal effort to address environmental equity issues," said Florida Transportation Commissioner and CUTR Advisory Board member Art Kennedy. "Locally, it provides the opportunity for the exchange of information and ideas among transportation professionals." More than

100 industry professionals and students from throughout the southeast attended the symposium, representing public and private sector organizations, interest groups, and universities.

The symposium was a collaborative effort among CUTR, the U. S. Department of Transportation, the Federal Highway and Federal Transit administrations, the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials, Project ACTION, the Florida Department of Transportation, and the Florida Transit Association. New sponsor for this year s symposium was the Women s Transportation Seminar. Florida State Senator James Hargrett participated as a speaker, and the highlight of the symposium was a riveting and inspirational keynote address by U.S. Representative Alcee Hastings. Session topics included:

• funding of transportation, social service programs, and community development
• esearch and technology and access to and the impacts of advances
• strategic planning and coalition building across communities
• intermodalism and the development of an equitable modal split
• environmental justice and the identification of adverse health or environmental effects and means of relief
• ADA, paratransit services, and the over-representation of African-Americans among persons with disabilities

Results of the 1996 symposium will be presented on an AAMS Web site, at conferences, and in a video production. A proceedings will be published in late 1996.

For further information, contact CUTR Research Associates Eric Hill, ehill@cutr.usf.edu, or Beverly Ward, ward@cutr.usf.edu.