Mpact Transit + Community 2025: Key takeaways from a bold return to Portland
This October, Mpact’s annual Transit + Community conference returned to Portland for four days of big ideas, field trips, and practical conversation about how transit, land use, and new mobility modes knit together to make better places for everyone. The conference lineup included more than 50 sessions and 27 mobile workshops — and one standout micromobility conversation: “Not Just Scooting By: Shared Micromobility for Everyone,” led by Breen Masciotra, AICP, evolveEA’s Mobility Studio leader.
In addition to Breen, evolveEA was on the ground— represented by Christine Mondor, Sarine Sahakian, Valeria Duque-Villegas, and Ashley Cox — joining practitioners from transit agencies, cities, advocates, and industry partners to share lessons and explore tools for equitable, resilient mobility.
The micromobility panel was a timely part of the program, as cities work to make shared scooters and bikes safe, accessible, and integrated with transit. Mpact’s Portland program emphasized the conference themes of mobility, community, and possibility — returning the gathering to a city with a long history of transit-led place-building.
Key takeaways from Mpact 2025
Micromobility must be integrated, not siloed.
Panels and sessions made it clear that scooters, bikeshare, and other small vehicles work best when they’re planned as part of the broader transit network — integrated fares, wayfinding, and first-/last-mile planning reduce friction for riders and increase mode shift.
Equity and accessibility are non-negotiable.
“Shared for everyone” isn’t marketing — it’s the operational challenge. Operators, agencies, and advocates pushed for pricing models, parking and curb policies, ADA-compliance, and targeted outreach that prioritize historically underserved neighborhoods.
Data + governance = better outcomes.
Cities and agencies are relying more on shared data standards, performance metrics, and clear regulatory frameworks to measure safety, equity, and environmental benefits — and to hold private operators accountable.
Partnerships unlock capital and creativity.
Many sessions highlighted how public-private partnerships, philanthropic grants, and cross-sector collaborations fund pilots and scale what works — especially when local community groups have a seat at the table.
Place matters: design decisions shape ridership.
From curb management to protected bike lanes to transit stop design, small design choices have outsized impacts on whether people feel safe and willing to use micromobility options — reinforcing the conference’s theme that mobility and land-use planning must be done together.
Strategic Messaging for Transit and Economic Development.
Effective messaging came across a a success strategy tying transit development directly to business and economic growth. Some key strategies included being honest and educational with voters, and tailoring the conversation to address the needs of businesses (e.g., moving clients and workforce) with quantifiable data.
Addressing Displacement in Development.
When talking about development with communities, one of the main concerns is displacement, addressed as “gentrification”. Preventing displacement requires a multi-faceted approach, including diverse development
timelines (short, medium, long term), small business and homeownership assistance (like the AHFC model), and policies to help people return to areas where displacement has occurred.
During the Mpact Transit + Community Conference, we enjoyed mobile workshops featuring Portland’s neighborhoods and the infrastructure that connects them.
Why this matters to practitioners and cities
Mpact’s Portland gathering reinforced a simple but powerful idea: mobility options only deliver full benefit when they’re planned with place, people, and equity front and center. For firms like evolveEA and for local agencies, that means designing projects that connect riders to homes, jobs, and services — not just chasing the latest vehicle trend. The MPACT conference pushed attendees toward practical next steps: stronger data sharing, clearer curb policy, proactive accessibility upgrades, and community-led pilots.
While also providing a platform of shared knowledge, seeing case studies across the country, finding support in private partners and public agencies, especially in moments of uncertainty, MPACT provides spaces where place-based knowledge is shared while addressing the challenges reminding us that there is still so much to be done but also so many people willing to put in the work and let us learn from it, to make more sustainable communities (one bus route at the time).
See how we are integrating these ideas in our mobility work: click the button below.