Mode Shift is one of the founding organizations of the Citizens’ Academy for Omaha’s Future, a joint project presented by community partners designed to provide the “knowledge, skills, and connections that graduates can leverage to advocate for their vision of the community.” Recently, the current class participated in the “Transportation Night” of the academy. Normally the academy presentations are a classroom-type setting where the presenters . . . erm, present. They stand in front of the class. They show a slide deck. They ask if there are any questions. Riveting stuff, to be sure, but for this class, Mode Shift took our curriculum in a more experiential direction.
Mode one: by foot
To start class, the group walked from UNO through a homeowner neighborhood over a participant’s project from the first class which converted an abandoned street into a cut-through walking path.
Boarding the #2 toward Downtown
Then the group rode a bus eastward on Dodge to the Blackstone district and walked to the Coneflower Creamery where they reviewed the walking surfaces and pedestrian accommodations.
Discussion of the pedestrian environment over some delicious, churned-cream goodness
Then the group rode another bus westward to UNO where the class concluded.
Does anyone have any questions? Yes, this is the same stop where they started, we forgot to take a westbound photo.
We provided some videos ahead of time to provide a baseline of knowledge about transportation issues in Omaha.