this is great. foresight with respect to how to accommodate this pda growth everybody is talking about now, as we talk about the sustainable community strategies the mta is working on, i completely empathize with what director heinicke has articulated and my colleagues here have reiterated which is there are some issues, some things we need to address right away. it is going to be hard to talk about 20, 30, 150 years when we have these issues that we're grappling with today. i think that a lot of us would with benefit from learning a little bit more about how these projects that we really are working on today will actually impact and improve the service and the problems and the issues we're hearing about like the t-third will get better with the central subway. once the central subway is up and running, there won't be any t, k combos. it will just be for the most part from what i understand,

just running north and south. and i think that that would be really, really helpful to addressing the issue of capacity. i think as somebody brought up earlier, director heinicke talked about the idea of brt versus light rail and the t-third. you know, the issue -- and i'm excited, i'm always excited about brt, although i'm willing -- i think we should have a conversation about where it's more appropriate to have or not. i'm leaning more and more towards the idea of looking at light rail on geary as some people would suggest and propose. however, i think, though, that we should recognize that the light rail system that we have today that we're working with are very different from brt whereas if a light rail system gets stuck, the whole system shuts down. if you're on an n or you're on a t and the train is funny, it gets stuck, the whole system is stuck whereas with a brt, the buses can move around those vehicles that are disabled.

so, i'm anxious and excited to have those conversations about, you know, where it makes more sense to have these. and i know it's indicated in the process -- in the plan that we're talking about, you know, the next thing to talk about is where are we with light rail. i'm eager to have those conversations. but i also want to make sure that as we move forward, that we do have a plan that's informed with actual data that, you know, the way people move around the city -- i assume you're doing that, but i want to stress that, for example, my partner when she gets on an n, there is a certain n that comes through that we know that she knows turns into a j on an inbound. so, she catches that n at 9:46 or whatever it is, that comes from the sunset. instead of going into the subway, it turns and she has to argue with the operator every time, no, i know that this is

turning into a j, don't kick me off. i'm really going that way to mission. and it really speeds up her commute. she opts not to take bart in that instance. [speaker not understood]. that can be [speaker not understood] by her clipper card travel pattern. looking forward to this plan being informed by data. and then finally, i am excited and eager to talk about how this -- all of this vision is funded over the long term. i think that the sooner that we can have a road map towards funding this, the better off we'll all be in the long term. the sooner wee ellipsed with the case of how much this is all going to cost, the better we're going to be able to make the case to voters, to people who are neglecting to solicit taxes from development. all of these things that are on the table that really need to be funded have to be funded. and the sooner we have that

conversation the better. so, looking forward to a finance plan as well that we can use to inform our conversations. >> [speaker not understood]. >> now that i'm done being stunned by the travel times where we are and where we want to get, i want to loop back to the first thing that mr. reiskin said, which is this is part of a requirement under regional planning, correct? we need to actually, as all the other counties have done, we need to identify those areas and we need to have a plan for how we're going to deal with population growth. so, this is something that's not just important for us to do, but it's also going to inform regional planning, correct? >> in the short term we can meet our planning requirements basically through our county transportation plan and by the projects we submit into the regional transportation plan. but those are really current

projects. it's not really looking far down the road. so, we can technically meet those requirements, but in the end those currently identified projects are not going to meet the needs of the future. so, i hear the feedback that trying to think 50 years when we've got things to fix today is difficult -- >> he's more confident about his long term [speaker not understood]. >> [speaker not understood]. we're talking about a 50 year plan, but i do feel like we kind of need to do both. i have no question, top priority is fixing the system today, but we captain kind of put off thinking for the five years it's going to take. i don't know that i have that long, but for the five years it's going to take to fix this system to put off what we're going to do in the future. so, i think we need to be able to do bet and wrap our minds around both. but i hear you loud and clear.

the priority is fixing what we have now. ~ >> can we have colloquy now before i weigh in with the truth? [laughter] >> very good, very intimidating, too. i have a five-minute plan. i don't disagree with the long-term planning and i didn't say five years, i said, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. and, so, when your 50-year plan is build upon the existing network and improve service to existing customers, those are the first two bullet points the 50 year plan, those to me are items that can be 50 years out, but also need to be one to five years out. so, what i would say, this is sort of like one of our planning sessions, i would like to challenge you and your staff to be back at this board by the end -- before 2013 is over with four concrete ideas, changes, things that we can communicate to the public that will increase speed/capacity on our

existing systems. we've talked about multi-train boarding in the downtown platforms. we talked about work on the duboce church point. we talked about closing market. there are things i believe in my heart that we can do, and that we must at least assess and try to do for the sake of the public confidence, if nothing else, to address these issues. and, so, i'm happy you have a 50-year plan. let's keep having a 50-year plan. but i think it's incumbent upon us to challenge you to now come back and say, if the first spoke of that task or that plan is to improve the existing network, i would like four things, concrete in 2013 that you're going to do to increase speed and capacity in our existing network. either buses, light rail, or both. >> here it goes, here it comes. [laughter] >> i didn't see this as an either/or thing at all. >> right. >> i think, actually, we wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't at least consider that,

especially with these projectionses, these numbers, residents and jobs and all of that. i'm also thinking the two billboards on the bayshore you may have seen. one says one-third of everybody born to be will live to be 100. another said somebody reading this, somebody will live to be 150. so, i was kind of reading the [speaker not understood] maybe at 68, let's say. >> the truth on a bill board? >> i think it's the responsible thing to do. i certainly wouldn't want to see that in lieu, but i don't think there is anything in that. so, is there anyone from the public who wishes to address the board? >> mr. chairman [speaker not understood]. the only person who turned in a speaker card. can we do maybe three minutes on this? >> actually two minutes all the time. go ahead. another minute on the long-term future would have been nice.

i appreciate the presentation and i appreciate the tip off that this item was coming. i think the context is not entirely clear here. it was sort of expressed a bit. but i'm not really sure the relationship to other plans and programs, if this assumes the t.e.p., the t.s.p., the entire existing communities strategy, the real estate vision, other thing that are ongoing. i mean, whether those things happen really informs whether we have the capacity in our yards, the facilities or other things to be able to deliver some of these suggested investments. it's difficult to assess the relative merit of some of these investments why the n and not the l. i'm sure there was some thinking behind that, but that wasn't clear articulated. and these priorities

fundamentally are not balanced. i think there are some equity implications here, title 6 and otherwise, why continuing a downtown based system makes sense rather than a modified grid or, you know, facilitating more cross-town travel. and actually, somewhat inclined toward director heinicke's comments, not that we shouldn't have long term but we need to have near term projects that deliver some of these concerns. i would be happy to engage further with staff. i think this does need some more discussion with not just the cac, but a variety of present and past and future stakeholders. we should be talking to frankly the youth commission about this. >> thank you. this is the beginning of the

conversation, of course, there will be plenty of opportunities as we go on. further opportunities for public comment. >> okay. mr. sullivan. good afternoon again, director mark solomon. working on the parking and the north mission we try to work with people who are very car focused on what true north is for transit. saying that if we take these steps we'll have transit for you and you can give up your car and it will be okay. but i have no north star to point them to saying this is where we need to go. this could be that but it's not quite there yet. in 50 years we'll have transporters and jet bags. we have video phones. we're on our way there. let's focus on next 10, 15 years here at the latest. t.e.p. is supposed to be to be this but it's been put on an anorexic diet. [speaker not understood]. we already spent 4 million on the t.e.p. it's been sundowned. [speaker not understood] there is no real push to make it happen. the 25-year plan is for the ta. it's currently having

constituency saying give me this, give they this. there's no real vision, no coherent star that says this is where we want to go to make it so you can give up your car. 3.1 billion out of the billion needed for our current investment is funded forted 25 year plan. this is' almost a billion short. there is nothing for the greenhouse gas component upon which all this development zoning has been based. so, what we need to do is tell developers which [speaker not understood]. there is so much money behind those entitlements. you condition those to actually paying for it and the tsp, tsf doesn't get us to half of that amount. director brinkman, these are complicated systems. i don't know if anyone in this room is smart enough if we change a thing here, there aren't any deleterious effects. the c-e-q-a can get us so far. we celebrate on the 22, 23, 34 to bring us down around for the cross town and be able to get people around with the radio lines providing linkages there.

that kind of investment will do t. i think we need to look at if you give us 10 billion, give us 20 billion, we can do this, this and that. and show folks just blue sky conversation as to what we can do with the resources will be the best way to get the resources. you may have poison the pot on central subways [speaker not understood]. it is an informed project that's out the door. if not something we can build upon [speaker not understood]. >> anyone else here to address the board? seeing none, [speaker not understood]. >> mr. chairman, that's all on your agenda today. >> we are adjourned. thank you all very much. [adjourned] c transit take stone

88. we are at mount davidson and it has the highest point of elevation in san francisco hitting a whopping 928 feet. mt. davidson provides a peaceful 30-acre owe ace and great hiking trails. the spectacular views offers a perfect place to watch the sunrise or suffer sun set with someone you louvre, wear sturdy shows to conquer the stone trails and denly inventory advantage gives you hikers the

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to you. tick. go to fightglobalwarming.com while there's still time. >> we came to seven straight about 10 years ago. -- 7th street about 10 years ago. the environment is huge. it is stronger than willpower. surrounding yourself with artists, being in a culture where artists are driving, and where a huge amount of them is a healthy environment. >> you are making it safer. push, push.

that is better. when i start thinking, i see it actually -- sometimes, i do not see it, but when i do, it is usually from the inside out. it is like watching something being spawned. you go in, and you begin to work, excavate, play with the dancers, and then things began to emerge. you may have a plan that this is what i want to create. here are the ideas i want to play with, but then, you go into the room, and there maybe some fertile ideas that are becoming manifest that are more interesting than the idea you had initially set out to plan. so there has to be this openness for spontaneity. also, a sense that regardless of the deadline, that you have tons of time so the you can keep your creativity alive and not cut it off and just go into old habits.

it is a lot like listening. really listening to watch what is going to emerge. i like this thing where you put your foot on his back. let's keep it. were your mind is is how you build your life. if you put it in steel or in failure, it works. that works. it is a commitment. for most artists, it is a vacation and a life that they have committed themselves to. there is this notion that artists continue to do their work because of some kind of the external financial support. if that was taken away, artists would still do their art. it is not like there is a prerequisite for these things to happen or i will not do it. how could that be?

it is the relationship that you have committed to. it is the vocation. no matter how difficult it gets, you are going to need to produce your art. whether it is a large scale or very small scale. the need to create is going to happen, and you are going to have to fulfill it because that is your life. good evening and welcome to tonight's meeting of the commonwealth club in formed division, connect your intellect. that is our tagline. i am the president of the inform board. tonight, we have larry hardy.

the founder of burning man and he is here to talk about the amazing place and phenomenon known as black rock city. he is one of the original planners and architects. we are going to talk about the path of burning man, the future as well. before we jump into the question that had to do with what is going on, tell us about your new headquarters and how that came to be, why the move into the heart of san francisco? >> well, we were on third street, in what is left of san francisco's industrial district

, and we got lonely, really. [laughter] we saw real estate values dropping precipitously. as far as we were concerned, that was a good thing because it enabled us to move into market street. the city had encouraged us to do so, too, as they were very much interested in revitalizing market, 6th and market, which is essentially part of the tenderloin. we thought there were a lot of opportunities there.

we know something about making urban environments vital. given the present political move, people are open to new ideas. that is true across the country. our burners are being asked to come into centers of various cities for aetna. -- right now. whehowever, as soon as things gt better, they are escorted out. but we might begin to break that cycle. it is just wonderful to walk out on the street and see the world walking by. >> are you giving the twitter

deal? >> yes, we are. we just founded a new nonprofit. black rock arts foundation, which is dedicated to spreading interactive, a collaborative art throughout the world. now we have founded but we call the burning and project. -- what we call the burning man project. it eventually leads to the event itself. this is a wonderful opportunity. the thing about burning man, when you look at the variety of people that go there, when you

look at this environment, where all the normal boundaries are down in every department of human knowledge and endeavor. if you ask what possible application that we have created that may be useful loud in the desert, -- what would it have an application to? education, urban planning, disaster relief. needless to say, we are ambitious than we think we can affect the course of things. we hope to in this century. >> i wanted to dig a bit more into that. i would love it if you could maybe help contrast the radical

levels of participation and involvement that you see at burning man with the current status of san francisco. for a city that has so many creative and imaginative folks, perhaps there could be more to be done on the civic involvement front here. >> we formed a relationship with mayor newsom a while back. i met him at his office and presented to him -- major artistic genre at black rock.

and this is portable monumentality. we told him there are great portable monument works of art all around the bay area. not so much in san francisco, but certainly in oakland. in the east bay. there are some facilities left in the city. being an acute politician, he soon realized what that meant. it was the answer to a political problem. if you put a piece of art in a neighborhood, community members will bicker about it endlessly. if it is only there to be there three months, that is something

else coming in deed. i could see a light bulb above his head when we said that. -- something else, indeed. one could just create art paths out of durable materials upon which you could amount to such works of art. then the entire city, given the supply of createive talent, the whole city could be a revolving work of art. that would be wonderful. that is what black rock city is. why not transpose that to san francisco? i think the city is now looking at doing art paths for that

purpose. it would not be hard, given the abundance of -- after so many years in the desert, there is a huge backlog of brilliant art. magnificent piece is done by armies of artists working together. so that is an obvious things that could be instituted. i also pulled him that we did not have any trash cans in our city. we did not really continue that dialogue. [laughter] >> the question that everyone in san francisco is asking now, i'm going to ask you as a formality. are you going this year? have you ever missed one? have you ever wanted to?

>> no. [laughter] at one time, i was very much needed -- i am still needed, from time to time. although, if i and my partners have done our job, we should not be needed that much. i am like anyone else out there. it is a big place. it is hyperactive. not only are there 100 things, but they are all happening at one time. thousands of things happening at one time. i feel dwarfed by it. it is humbling. i have an idea of what is coming up, but you have to realize, burning man is very much a

spontaneous creation, and the emergent phenomenon. that means you do not really know what is going to be there. we fund art, but that is only a fraction of the art that happens. we had a guy a few years ago show up unannounced with a 10- story modular skyscraper. i just want to see what is going to happen. [laughter] >> speaking of what is going to happen, looking at the activities going on around the monumental art,