Program Mission
Support the regional success of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) in the Metro Denver area by providing relevant & timely information to help policy makers, business leaders, and the general public make informed decisions regarding transportation and community development investment.

Desired Outcomes
Academy graduates will:
o Actively educate other citizens regarding transit oriented development.
o Actively educate other citizens regarding transportation infrastructure investment.
o Actively gather, analyze and summarize relevant data.
o Support efforts to secure public and private funding.
o Develop and use active listening skills to bring shared meaning to the vocabulary associated with TOD.

Schedule
The second Citizen’s Academy will be offered on Wednesdays, 6 to 9 pm beginning on September 26 and finishing on November 14. There will be no class on October 31, 2007.

Framework

Session 1: Reshaping Metro Denver -- the legacy of Transit Oriented Development

Citizens' Academy Overview (PRESENTATION)
Presented by: Kathleen Osher, Executive Director, Transit Alliance

Group Discussion:
What does successful Transit Oriented Development look like? Features, attributes, characteristics, elements of TOD?
RESULTS

Small Group Work: Pick 5 Items from Group Discussion and develop benefits, goals or measures for success in one of three categories (social, economic and environment)
RESULTS - SOCIAL; ECONOMIC; and ENVIRONMENT

Session 2: The Denver Region & TOD

Reshaping the Denver Region
Presented by: Peter Park, Manager of Community Planning & Development, City & County of Denver

Session Overview (PRESENTATION)

Small Group Work: Develop a Guiding Principle for one of the categories (Social; Economic; Environment) based on the 10 features/attributes developed per category in Session 1 (RESULTS)

Session 3: The Denver Region's Plan for Growth

Planning for Growth in the Denver Region (PRESENTATION)
Presented by: Simon Montagu, Director of Customer Resource and Support, Denver Regional Council of Governments

Session Overview (PRESENTATION)

Small Group Work: Based on previous weeks, create a list of five goals and performance measurements for the chosen Guiding Principle. RESULTS - SOCIAL; ECONOMIC; and ENVIRONMENT

Session 4: Transit Oriented Development - The Public Perspective

RTD & Transit Oriented Development (PRESENTATION)
Presented by: Gideon Berger, TOD Associate, RTD-FasTracks

Session Overview (PRESENTATION)

Session 5: Developing Mixed Income Housing

Developing Mixed Income Housing (PRESENTATION)
Presentation by: Jim Mercado, j.mercado & associates
Concept Paper by: Jim Mercado (PAPER)

Session Overview (PRESENTATION)

Session 6: Mock Hearing on Station Area
Transit Alliance created a mock public hearing as part of the sixth week of the Citizens’ Academy. Academy participants were assigned specific roles and asked to research this perspective. These roles were the basis for their involvement in the public involvement exercise.

Session 7: Individual action plan presentations

Session Overview (PRESENTATION)