This presentation is sponsored by ITS-Davis’ partnership with the Pacific Southwest Region University Transportation Center.

Title

The second system: The future of urban mobility might be smaller and closer than we imagined

Time

1:40pm - 3:00pm

Location

1605 Tilia, Room 1103, West Village

Abstract

Nature is expert at building distribution systems. From moving blood (and nutrients) inside mammalian bodies to moving water and nutrients throughout trees and plants.
Human distribution (and transportation) systems are neither as efficient nor effective as those found in nature.
But there’s an unlikely form of transportation (micromobility) that stands to bridge the gap between the natural and the man-made systems.
This talk will discuss the potential of these emerging forms of transportation to transform how we move in dense, urban environments.

Biographical Sketch

Jonah Houston leads IDEO’s portfolio of work in transportation and mobility. He has spent years helping companies become more innovative by exploring ways to deploy the tools of human centered design inside companies to create a culture of innovation.

Jonah joined IDEO in 2000 and has worked on broad range of systemic transportation projects. Imagining the future of security for the Department of Homeland Security as well as the future of urban transportation in 2030 for the U.N. Climate Change Conference. His project work has also gone inside the car to help Fiat “democratize connectivity” for their A/B level cars in South America.

Prior to IDEO, Jonah was a co-founder of American Suspension, the only domestic manufacturer of suspension forks for motorcycles. With the other founders, Jonah co-developed over 50 products in under two years. He was the team manager for the Russell Racing school at Laguna Seca and was responsible for keeping 40 race cars on the track 150 days per year. Jonah was also a member of Team USA in the 1995 Camel Trophy, one of the most world’s most rigorous off-road races.

Jonah earned his BA in Philosophy from the University of Vermont and earned his M.A. in economics from San Jose State University.