OpenThePaths 2025: Advancing Complete Streets Through Data, Collaboration, and Advocacy

A Conference on Open Data Exchange to Improve Multimodal Travel

The University of Washington’s Transportation Data Exchange Initiative (TDEI) will host the 8th annual OpenThePaths conference from March 27-28, 2025.

OpenThePaths is a dynamic gathering of advocates, planners, researchers, and policymakers dedicated to expanding and sustaining pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. Over the past decade, we’ve made incredible strides in prioritizing walkability, accessibility, and active transportation. As the landscape of transportation policy evolves, this conference will explore how data-driven insights, cross-sector collaboration, and community advocacy can help us continue building on that progress.

This year, we are proud to launch OS-CONNECT, the first-ever statewide, standardized accessibility-first sidewalk dataset for Washington State, funded by the WA state legislative proviso. OS-CONNECT is the largest connected pedestrian graph schematized and annotated dataset of pedestrian ways, providing a critical foundation for improving pedestrian infrastructure, accessibility planning, and transportation.

📅 March 27-28, 2025
📍 Bill and Melinda Gates Center at the University of Washington, Seattle Campus (or on Zoom!) 

(CSE2) Plan your way to the event with Accessmap.app!

Registration is open and completely free! Follow this registration link.

In-person attendee registration closes Monday March 24, 2025. Please complete the food option survey by that date.

Registration for virtual attendees closes Wednesday March 26, 2025.

OpenThePaths 2025 Agenda,

Advancing Complete Streets Through Data, Collaboration, and Advocacy

Day 1 – Thursday, March 27, 2025

📍 Zillow Commons (CSE2), Bill & Melinda Gates Center

Time	Session	Details
9:00 – 9:30 AM	Welcome & Coffee	Networking over coffee
9:30 – 10:30 AM	Keynote: Community-First Autonomy	🎤 Speaker: Armand Shahbazian How AVs impact safety, congestion, and equity 🔗 Slide Deck
10:30 – 10:45 AM	Coffee Break	–
10:45 AM – 12:15 PM	Session 1: A Collaborative, Data-Driven Approach to Barrier-Free Non-Motorized Transportation	🎤 Speakers: Anat Caspi, Thomas Craig, Tanisha Sepulveda – OS-CONNECT: WA’s first statewide pedestrian dataset – WA state DOT’s multimodal system – Open data & collaborative governance 🔗 Thomas Craig Slide Deck 🔗 Mary & Grace Slide Deck 2
12:15 – 1:30 PM	Lunch & Poster/Demo Session	Explore transportation tools & research
1:30 – 3:00 PM	Session 2: Shaping the Future of Non-Motorized Mobility – How Transportation Data Tools Shape Discovery, Access, and Travel Experiences	🎤 Speakers: Brian Ferris, Eric Plosky, Bryan Housel – Digital tools shaping accessibility – Open-source routing – Equitable pedestrian and cycling infrastructure 🔗 Brian Ferris Slide Deck 🔗 Bryan Housel Slide Deck 🔗 Eric Plosky Slide Deck
3:15 – 5:00 PM	Designing Inclusive Travel Tools	🎤 Speakers: Laura Loe, Kunal Mehta, Tom Pey, Justin Deno, Sam Yasen, Brandon Biggs – Live tool demos – Community-led UX for accessible navigation 🔗 Hopelink Slide Deck 🔗 TCAT Slide Deck 🔗 Waymap Slide Deck 🔗 Justin Deno Slide Deck 🔗 Audiom Slide Deck
5:00 PM	Wrap-Up & Networking Social	Informal networking & refreshments

Day 2 – Friday, March 28, 2025

📍 Zillow Commons (CSE2), Bill & Melinda Gates Center

Time	Session	Details
9:00 – 9:30 AM	Check-in & Networking	–
9:30 – 10:30 AM	Keynote: Multisolving in Transportation	🎤 Speaker: Adair Hawkins, Mayor of Carnation Holistic approaches to accessibility
10:30 – 10:45 AM	Coffee Break	–
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM	Session 1: Coalition Building to Amplify Our Work for the Greater Good	🎤 Speakers:Kirk Hovenkotter, Paulo Nunes-Ueno 🔗 TCC Slide Deck
12:00 – 1:15 PM	Lunch & Poster/Demo Session	–
1:15 – 2:30 PM	Session 2: Communities and Partnerships for Policy and Funding	🎤 Speaker: Greg Nance – Policy cycles & pedestrian advocacy – Building coalitions for equity
2:30 – 3:15 PM	Funding Complete Streets Initiatives	🎤 Speakers: Clara Cheeves, Grace Young, Cameron Steinback, Nick Abel Aligning funding & policy for implementation 🔗 Sandy Williams Connecting Communities Slide Deck 🔗 Front and Centered Slide Deck 🔗 King County Metro Slide Deck
3:20 – 4:30 PM	Workshop: Multi-Solving Equity	🎤 Facilitator: Anat Caspi Interactive strategy session
5:00 PM	No-Host Happy Hour	📍 Eureka, 2614 NE 46th St, Seattle

Speakers

Speakers: Keynote addresses by Armand Shahbazian and Mayor of Carnation, Adair Hawkins,

In alphabetical order:

Anat Caspi, Director at Taskar Center

Thomas Craig, Washington State Department of Transportation

Justin Deno, Program Manager of Passenger Facing Technology at Sound Transit

Adair Hawkins, Mayor of Carnation

Bryan Housel, OpenSource contributor including iD Editor, RAPiD Editor, and the OpenStreetMap tech stack

Brian Ferris, originator of OneBusAway, GTFS community leader and Google Transit Engineer

Kirk Hovenkotter, Executive Director at Transportation Choices Coalition

Laura Loe, Program Manager at Hopelink for Find a Ride.

Mike May, accessible Navigation Consultant

Kunal Mehta, UX Specialist at Taskar Center

Representative Greg Nance, Kitsap

Tom Pey, CEO and Founder at WayMap

Eric Plosky, Executive Director at Mobility Data

Tanisha Sepulveda, Empower Movement Washington and Taskar Center

Armand Shabahzian, Electric and Automated Mobility Policy Advisor at the City of Seattle’s Department of Transportation

Cameron Steinback, visionary educator at Front and Centered

Wisam Yasen, Developer at Taskar Center

Check back often and follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter for the latest updates, details and deadlines.

If you missed last year’s event, watch our OpenThePaths 2024 playlist on YouTube!

We are grateful for Community level sponsorship by Hopelink and King County Metro