Designing Sustainable Mobility

Art Center is a leader in transportation design education, and as such, is concerned with the environmental and social cost of our increasingly mobile society. Through lectures, brainstorming, networking and other interactive sessions, the conference will challenge and inspire attendees to conceive and design new and sustainable methods of moving about the planet. The focus will be on the vital role design can play in identifying and achieving sustainable goals.

The stellar line-up of speakers includes Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Jay Baldwin ("Hot-Rodder", Inventor, Industrial Designer), Christopher E. Bangle (Director of BMW Group Design, BMW Group), Christopher Flavin (President, Worldwatch Institute), Dean Kamen (Inventor, Founder of DEKA Research & Development Company), Amory Lovins (CEO, Rocky Mountain Institute), Joel Makower (Co-Founder, Clean Edge, Inc.) and many others, including many faculty members from Art Center.

For more information, visit the conference site here.

The Pre-Summit is the more affordable option and is geared towards students, faculty and professionals who are new to sustainability. The main Summit is quite a bit more expensive and is targeted at established designers, engineers, scientists, product planners, government officials and leading educators who are seeking creative new ways to achieve sustainable mobility through design. The main Summit will be limited to 100 participants. Both parts of the conference have very limited spots available so visit the site soon if you want to learn more about this promising event.

From the site:

THE PRE-SUMMIT
Whether you are new to the topic of sustainability or want to deepen your understanding of it as it relates to design and mobility, this one-day intensive introduction to the topic of sustainability is designed to give a broad overview of sustainability concepts, a glimpse into sustainability in practice and an opportunity to see how sustainability practices might shape the future. Scientists, educators and topical experts from around the country share their experience to assist you in:

• Understanding the underlying science
• Identifying the areas of concern
• Reviewing indicators of sustainability progress
• Studying sustainable design methods and strategies

THE MAIN SUMMIT
The two-day event will feature a mix of presentations, discussions and brainstorming sessions with an emphasis on how designers—and those who partner and work with them—can turn ideas into profitable business solutions. With an eye toward concrete results, the Summit will bring together a community of design and business professionals to facilitate constructive, real-world change.

Goals

• Provide a forum to generate and discuss creative and constructive approaches to sustainability—particularly as they relate to transportation and mobility design.
• Identify the roadblocks to sustainable mobility and explore solutions to overcoming them.
• Serve as a launch pad for ongoing discussions, forums and future summits.
• Identify, discuss and prioritize design strategies that encourage consumers and businesses to embrace sustainable mobility.

Benefits

• Meet, network with and become part of a community of professionals committed to taking real steps to achieve sustainable mobility.
• Learn the latest sustainability developments, trends and concerns.
• Discover how design can turn sustainable ideas into actionable plans.
• Come away empowered and excited about contributing to the realization of sustainable mobility.