12. Building a transit-forward Boston with Jarred Johnson and Ethan Finlan from Transit Matters

How Tech Becomes Law

Jarred Johnson and Ethan Finlan join us from Transit Matters, a Boston-based equitable transit advocacy group to help us envision a transit-forward Boston. Jarred and Ethan frame the conversation by discussing how necessary building sustainable infrastructure is in the US, as well as pointing to its rising importance in tackling climate change and moving us from our auto centric networks. They further discuss their views for the future of regional rail, expanding and streamlining access to the far-flung suburbs of Boston. Finally, they walk through their career paths into transit advocacy. Guest bio: Jarred has been the ED of TM for nearly 3 years. In that time TransitMatters has launched a number of highly regarded reports, and led successful campaigns on Regional Rail, racial equity, and more. Jarred also sits on the board of Abundant Housing Massachusetts. He comes to this position following service as Project Manager for the Codman Square Neighborhood Development Corporation where he managed a variety of complex affordable housing real estate projects and supported organizing efforts for better service on the Fairmount Line. Before that, Jarred helped to start the “Love Your Block” mini-grant project and helped write the City of Boston’s first Volunteer Plan as a part of the Civic Engagement Office. He also has a wealth of grassroots organizing experience working on various presidential, state, and Cherokee tribal races. Jarred joined TransitMatters as a volunteer member in the summer of 2015 and has served on the Board since the fall of that year. Ethan Finlan leads the Regional Rail program at Transit Matters. At Transit Matters, he leads the campaign to bring Boston’s Commuter Rail network into the 21st century through planning and advocacy. He regularly contributes to Market Urbanism Report, and has contributed to Boston Rail Fan and the DC Policy Center. About the podcast: How Tech Becomes Law is a weekly public interest tech podcast about technology, public policy, and career advice. We are your co-hosts, Jinyan Zang and Dhruv Gupta. Each episode uncovers insights from leaders in government, business, journalism, and academia to highlight how technology can be built in the public interest. Interviewees discuss how technology can move society forward, what role they play in shaping this, and how students and young professionals can impact the path forward. We are supported by the Public Interest Tech Lab. Listen to us on your podcast platform of choice. You can find us online at howtechbecomeslaw.org and on social media channels @techbecomeslaw.