If you have an interest in transit, tune in to see Rob Puentes and other Brookings experts discuss their new report:

Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America

** NOTE: This event will be webcast live. To view the webcast, please visit this page on Thursday May 12 between 9:30 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. EDT **

I reviewed the report, and I think it’s terrific. Here is the blurb from their website:

When
Thursday, May 12, 2011
9:30 AM to 12:15 PM
Where
Falk Auditorium
The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC

Against the backdrop of rising gas prices, growing suburban poverty, continued sprawl and uneven transit availability in cities and suburbs, the Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings will release a first-of-its-kind analysis that shows how transit systems link workers to jobs in metropolitan America. The analysis informs critical policy and investment decisions at a time of scarce public and private resources. Vice President and Director of Metropolitan Policy Bruce Katz will moderate a dialogue with U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
Event Information

On May 12, Brookings will host a forum to introduce the report and an accompanying new interactive tool, based on Brookings’ extensive analysis of transit routes and schedules, demographic data and employment information from the nation’s 100 largest metro regions. The report reveals how well transit in each of these metro areas serves cities and suburbs and lower- and higher-income neighborhoods, as well as how effective transit is in helping workers in these communities reach jobs within their regions.

Brookings Senior Fellow Robert Puentes will give an overview of the study, which will be followed by a panel of policymakers and practitioners to discuss the implications of its findings. Vice President and Director of Metropolitan Policy Bruce Katz will moderate a dialogue on federal responses with U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Following each panel, the participants will take questions from the audience.
PARTICIPANTS
Overview
Robert Puentes
Senior Fellow, Metropolitan Policy Program

Panelists
Moderator: Robert Thomson
“Dr. Gridlock”
The Washington Post

Alan Berube
Senior Fellow and Research Director, Metropolitan Policy Program

Ponsella Hardaway
Executive Director
Metropolitan Organizing Strategy Enabling Strength (MOSES)

Matthew R. Mahood
President and CEO
Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce

Keith Parker
Chief Executive Officer
VIA Transit Systems, San Antonio, TX

Discussion: The Federal Role

Moderator: Bruce Katz
Vice President and Director, Metropolitan Policy Program

The Honorable Shaun Donovan
Secretary
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

The Honorable Ray LaHood
Secretary
U.S. Department of Transportation