Atkins is pushing deeper into its future proofing of cities concept with ideas on how to future proof transit.
Jon McDonald, vice president, business sector manager, transit and rail for Atkins, said the company is showcasing its process on preparing transit for the future to make it more resilient and create cities everyone wants to live in.
“This is a way to get to the future we’d all like to have versus the one we’re going to end up with if we don’t do anything,” he said.
McDonald said future growth rates can harm quality of life if steps are not taking to address them now. Los Angeles at its current rate could have a density coupled with poor quality of life like in Mexico City compared to Singapore, which has the same density, but with a 60 percent transit ridership.
McDonald said the plan takes a cyclical approach to future proofing and addressing issues given the need and lack of funds. It challenges transit agencies to look outside of the traditional ways of planning or doing business in exchange for a world view of how things are done.
Joe Petrie | Associate Editor
I came to Mass Transit in 2013 after spending seven years on the daily newsbeat in southeastern Wisconsin.
Based in Milwaukee, I worked as a daily newspaper reporter with the Waukesha Freeman from 2006-2011, where I covered education, county and state government. I went on to cover courts for Patch.com, where I was the main courts reporter in the Metro Milwaukee cluster of websites.
I’ve won multiple awards during the course of my career and have covered some of the biggest political events in the past decade and have appeared on national programs.
Having covered local government and social issues, I discovered the importance of transit and the impact it can have on communities when implemented, supported and funded.
