It has been demonstrated widely that transportation policies have had a major impact on public health. Most notably, air pollution from cars and trucks, has been documented to have deleterious effects on health with many of the worst areas being low-income communities often populated by people of color. This is no accident. During the heyday of highway building from the 1950s to the 1990s low-income neighborhoods were targeted because housing prices were lower and the people had a lesser voice. However, it is not limited to air pollution. Other deleterious impacts are from: noise, crashes, inaccessibility to jobs, stores and medical facilities, less walking, loss of social interactions, and more. But, transportation policies that integrate goals of improved health, better equity and accessibility for all, have been shown to reduce crashes, pollution and increase physical activity. Mr. Schwartz will discuss this and look at the impact Covid-19 has had and will have on transportation, cities, and public health in the future.
Samuel I. Schwartz, P.E.
Chief Executive Officer + Founder
Sam Schwartz Transportation Consultants
United States of America
Mr. Schwartz is CEO of Sam Schwartz Transportation Consultants, a firm that specializes in transportation planning and engineering. He also writes a column on traffic for The New York Daily News. Previously Mr. Schwartz was New York City’s Traffic Commissioner and was the Chief Engineer of the NYC Department of Transportation. He started his transportation career in the late 1960’s as a NYC cabbie and joined the Traffic Department, as a junior engineer, in 1971. Mr. Schwartz, often referred to by his nom de plume “Gridlock Sam,” released the word “Gridlock” into the lexicon during the 1980 NYC Transit strike.
Mr. Schwartz’s most recent books, No One at the Wheel: Driverless Cars and the Road of the Future (2018) and Street Smart: The Rise of Cities and The Fall of Cars (2015) lay out a recipe for cities faced with rapid changes in modes, automation, demographic shifts and travelers’ preferences. He has long highlighted the inextricable link between public health and transportation and has been a member of the International Professional Association for Transport & Health (IPATH). He is the principal author of Public Transit and Covid-19 Pandemic: Global Research and Best Practices.
Mr. Schwartz has been an adjunct professor for 40 years at some of New York City’s most respected colleges and universities including Cooper Union, Long Island University, Hunter College and Brooklyn College. He is a Charter Board Member of the Institute of Design & Construction (IDC) Innovation Hub at NYU's Tandon School of Engineering, Dept. of Civil & Urban Engineering. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics at Brooklyn College and received a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Florida.
Chief Executive Officer + Founder
Sam Schwartz Transportation Consultants
United States of America
Mr. Schwartz is CEO of Sam Schwartz Transportation Consultants, a firm that specializes in transportation planning and engineering. He also writes a column on traffic for The New York Daily News. Previously Mr. Schwartz was New York City’s Traffic Commissioner and was the Chief Engineer of the NYC Department of Transportation. He started his transportation career in the late 1960’s as a NYC cabbie and joined the Traffic Department, as a junior engineer, in 1971. Mr. Schwartz, often referred to by his nom de plume “Gridlock Sam,” released the word “Gridlock” into the lexicon during the 1980 NYC Transit strike.
Mr. Schwartz’s most recent books, No One at the Wheel: Driverless Cars and the Road of the Future (2018) and Street Smart: The Rise of Cities and The Fall of Cars (2015) lay out a recipe for cities faced with rapid changes in modes, automation, demographic shifts and travelers’ preferences. He has long highlighted the inextricable link between public health and transportation and has been a member of the International Professional Association for Transport & Health (IPATH). He is the principal author of Public Transit and Covid-19 Pandemic: Global Research and Best Practices.
Mr. Schwartz has been an adjunct professor for 40 years at some of New York City’s most respected colleges and universities including Cooper Union, Long Island University, Hunter College and Brooklyn College. He is a Charter Board Member of the Institute of Design & Construction (IDC) Innovation Hub at NYU's Tandon School of Engineering, Dept. of Civil & Urban Engineering. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Physics at Brooklyn College and received a Master of Science degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Florida.