Metronauts: Brainstorming Solutions for Transportation
Metronauts Transit Camp initiative looks to public for new perspectives on regional transportation plan.
By Mark Kuznicki, Remarkk! Consulting
With the population of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area growing quickly, transportation issues in the region are moving to the forefront of public conversation.
The Transit Camp community, with the sponsorship and active participation of Metrolinx (Greater Toronto Transportation Authority), is pleased to announce Metronauts, a project that aims to engage citizens to imagine the future and offer solutions for the region's transportation plan.
The new initiative is made up of two parts: an online community at http://metronauts.ca and a series of community events held across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton region between April and September 2008.
Transit Camp began as a grass-roots event in Toronto in 2007, created without official support or sponsorship, and has since spread to other cities. The initial event was so successful that Metrolinx decided to sponsor this series of events and online activities by the Transit Camp community.
The first of such Metronauts Transit Camp events will take place on April 5, 2008, at the MaRS Centre in Toronto. The event will be organized as an unconference, where every participant will have the opportunity to suggest topics for discussion and share their knowledge and experiences with the group.
The event aims to attract transit riders, as well as drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and anyone else concerned with how they get around the city.
Mark Kuznicki, steward of the Toronto Transit Camp community, stresses, "this is not a complaints department, it is a solutions playground." The event is not about airing grievances; it's about working together to make things better.
Registration for the event will begin on March 25, 2008, at the newly-launched Metronauts.ca website. The website will provide event participants and interested citizens another avenue for discussion about transportation in the region, and will also facilitate individual and group projects for those looking to get involved directly.
Information on future events and initiatives will be listed on the Metronauts website as they become available.
About Metronauts
Metronauts is a joint initiative between Metrolinx and the Transit Camp community. The project will include the online community site, http://metronauts.ca, and a series of community events held across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton region between April and September 2008.
If you'd like more information about Metronauts Transit Camp, or to schedule an interview with Mark Kuznicki, please email Wendy Koslow.
