On February 6, 2025, PacTrans WDI kicked off its first-ever Design Innovations in Active Transportation course, held from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM at the University of Washington Botanic Gardens in Seattle, WA. Around 20 Region 10 transportation professionals, both in-person and online, attended the course despite the PNW winter storm conditions!
The “Design Innovations in Active Transportation” course was designed to provide an in-depth examination of how active transportation design philosophies and design guidance resources are applied in the design of real-life innovative active transportation facilities. Learning outcomes included:
- Participants learned how designers draw on active transportation design philosophies and how they use guidance documents to inform the design process.
- Participants learned how context informs design, including urban vs. rural settings, new-build vs. retrofits, and how they address the user experience.
- Participants explored how planners and designers are creating better walking and bike facilities through proper facility selection, addressing levels of stress, accessibility, and climate resilience.
- Participants investigated how designers navigate trade-offs by exploring real-world design examples.
The day also featured four experts from Toole Design Group, the nation’s leading planning, engineering, and landscape architecture firm specializing in active, multimodal transportation. Instructors listed below:
Amalia Leighton Cody, PE, AICP
Director of Engineering, Western U.S.
Toole Design
Jakob Ward, PE
Project Engineer II
Toole Design
Kristen Lohse, ASLA
Principal Urban Designer, Trails and Wayfinding
Toole Design
Dylan Passmore, MScPl, P.Eng.
Principal Engineer
Toole Design