I am an urban planner based in Portland, Oregon. I work to make sustainable transportation an attractive and viable option in neighborhoods and cities. My primary areas of interest are in bicycle and pedestrian planning, transit-oriented development and neighborhood vitality and livability.
I have experience working in economic development and capacity-building aiming at making local communities and businesses stronger; in social and policy research seeking to making government more responsive to community needs; and in transportation planning pushing to make transportation infrastructure projects more efficient and effective.
I recently completed a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning at Portland State University.
I can be reached at:
Phone: 503.683.3437
E-mail: nathan at nwurban dot com
Take a look at my Resume here. In addition to my current research at the Portland State Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) lab and the Center for Transportation Studies, I have worked in the following places:
Planning and Related Experience
Foothill Planning Associates, Portland, OR
Planner, Final Product Manager, Oak Grove Neighborhood Center Plan
January – June 2010
• Gathered input and feedback from the community of Oak Grove, OR , an auto-oriented unincorporated area characterized by strip-style development, through community interviews, walking workshops, open houses and presentations.
• Provided recommendations for the area to transition to a multi-modal, vibrant and sustainable community.
• Plan and background available at FoothillPlanning.com.
Metropolitan Transportation Authority, New York, NY
Transportation Performance Auditor, Office of the Inspector General
June 2007 – August 2008
• Conducted audits of MTA agency operations to identify systematic failures, limitations and replicable successes.
• Interviewed agency design and construction managers to assess construction processes.
• Evaluated the New York City Transit capital program and the MTA contractor evaluation system.
• Produced recommendations, and monitored agency progress.
Vera Institute of Justice, New York, NY
Research Assistant, Child Welfare Health and Justice Program
November 2006 – June 2007
• Vera is an independent center for policy and practice working to improve government and make justice systems fairer and more effective through research and innovation.
• Researched case files and wrote narratives for HIV+ children in foster care enrolled in HIV clinical trials.
• Examined issues of the adequacy of informed consent, relevant documentation, and issues surrounding the children’s experience in the foster care system and the medical system.
Structured Employment Economic Development Corporation (SEEDCO), New York, NY
Program Assistant, Capacity Building
November 2003 – September 2005
• Worked to strengthen non-profit organizations in the areas of organizational leadership, mission articulation, program management, and budgeting.
• Provided technical assistance, including outcomes-based management and planning support to direct service nonprofit organizations in economically distressed communities of New York City.
• Coordinated Seedco’s Family Loan Program.
• Provided business planning assistance to nonprofit organizations considering launching for profit businesses to benefit their social mission.
Presenter / Guest Lecturer
Bike/Ped Research: Going from Questions to Answers, November 2, 2010
Portland State University, Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning course, ~40 attendees
Bikeability and the 20-Minute Neighborhood, October 8, 2010
Portland State University Transportation Seminar, ~50 attendees + streaming online
Re-Creating Community: How the “Oak Grove Neighborhood Center Plan” helped the Community Re-envision Itself, August 12, 2010
Metro Regional Government (Portland, OR), Brownbag, ~30 attendees from Metro and the community
Oak Grove Neighborhood Center Plan, May 26, 2010
Oak Lodge Community Council (Oak Grove, OR), ~80 attendees from the Oak Grove community
Bike Boxes at Signalized Intersections, April 12, 2010
American Planning Association annual conference (New Orleans, LA), Presented a poster of research and findings to ~100 conference attendees
Other Experience
University of Auckland, Faculty of Education, Auckland, New Zealand
Administrator, TEAM (Total Education Advice and Management) Solutions
April – July 2006
Kaituna Vinyards, Marlborough, New Zealand
Vineyard Worker
January – March 2006
Columbia University, Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy (ISERP), New York, NY
Research Assistant
2003
