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OCR for page 22
Keynote Address
Thomas B. Deen, Consultant
T
homas B. Deen began his keynote address by dis- basis of these facts, Mr. Deen cannot see how one can
cussing previous efforts that have been under- argue that sustainability has any traction in the real
taken on issues of sustainable transportation. world; even the most optimistic would say that we must
Many of the participants in this conference were active do better.
10 years ago, when work in this area was just begin- The daunting task of this conference is to move
ning. Today, through this conference, participants are beyond endorsing sustainability in principle and to
taking the concept of sustainability one step further and obtain political traction to influence transportation pol-
asking how to operationalize it and make it effective. icy and activities. Mr. Deen provided the conference par-
There are four broad human aspirations: peace, free- ticipants with some optimism. While a single definition
dom, economic well-being, and a good physical envi- of sustainability eludes diverse groups, it is not the first
ronment. The last two of these are linked in that new powerful concept that suffers from the lack of a precise
industry (or economic well-being) often leads to envi- definition. Precise definitions also elude art and religion,
ronmental degradation. This is the crux of sustainable but progress in these areas has been made. Soon a point
development--how to have economic growth without will be reached where even critics will see the limits of
environmental decay. In the short term, jobs and growth the earth's resources and man's effects on them, and
tend to trump environmental concerns. Examples are change will be forced.
the increase in the percentage of workers driving alone, The job of the conference participants is to figure out
the decline in carpooling, the drop in transit share, the how to put sustainability objectives into the real world
increased length of the peak hour, the decline in urban and make changes. It is necessary to be prepared for the
density, and ever-increasing energy imports. On the time when crisis demands ideas that can be implemented.
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