About the Name Change

Why did you decide to change TALC's name?

I have always believed that we can only achieve our vision for world-class public transportation and walkable communities by successfully engaging a huge diversity of people in our efforts, from local activists to decision-makers.  For this reason, TALC embarked on a renaming process in 2007 as part of a strategic communications effort because frankly, our name was a problem.  The Transportation and Land Use Coalition wasn't just a mouthful, it was constantly misprinted and misread.  It was very difficult to remember (even for my own parents!) and the generic words "land use" and "coalition" tended to make eyes glaze over.  Our strange acronym, TALC, didn't directly match the name and worse still, our website, www.transcoalition.org, didn't match either our name or acronym.  As we increased the amount of community outreach and work in Sacramento we did, we realized that our name was an obstacle that needed to be addressed.

How did you pick the new name?

We had many months of brainstorming sessions, several online member surveys, focus groups, and guidance from pro bono marketing professionals.  We had close to 1,000 name ideas generated and hundreds of people participate in the process.

Why did you pick TransForm?

TransForm got the strongest response in surveys and felt the most inspirational.  It also captures our desire to reform transportation and urban form in order to transform communities.  Imagine: a pithy, memorable name that captures both transportation and land use and can't be made into an acronym! 

Are you the same group as before?  If not, what's changing?

We are absolutely the same group!  Only our name, logo, and web address will change (plus we're getting a great-looking new website).  TransForm will always be grounded in the core belief that transportation and land use must go hand in hand.  And our leadership of the 100+ member groups in our regional coalition will continue - even stronger than before.

Do you think the new name will really make a difference?

Absolutely.  I think it's a critical base for better communications.  I think it will serve as a springboard for greater visibility and impact at a time when achieving world-class public transportation and walkable communities has never been more important.  But I know that a new name is just a part of how we can reach more people.  I welcome your ideas about ways to make our communications even more effective.  Feel free to contact me and thanks for your continued involvement in our work!