Urban and Regional Policy Fellowship

Urban and Regional Policy Fellowship Update: The Urban and Regional Policy Team will not be offering fellowships for the 2017-2018 year. We will be conducting a temporary hiatus. Please check back here for more updates on the next available cycle for the Urban and Regional Policy Fellowship.

Current and Past Urban and Regional Policy Fellows

The Urban and Regional Policy Program is pleased to announce the newest cohort of URP Fellows:

2016-2017 Fellows

Matthew Clarke, the National Director of Creative Placemaking at the Trust for Public Land in New York City is traveling to Berlin, Germany; Brussels, Belgium; and Hamburg, Germany to research creative placemaking as a tool to address inequitable and exclusionary urban development in New York.

Romain Paris, a Director of Urban Planning and Housing Policy with Ville de Montreuil  is traveling from Paris, France. He is investigating community land trusts as an affordable housing solution in Boston, Massachusetts; Burlington, Vermont; and the Bay Area, California.

Jennifer Terry, a Broadband Project Manager with the Mayor’s Office, City of New Orleans will be investigating strategies for building fiber networks and using digital tools to promote equity by traveling to Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm; Sweden; and Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Wayne Feiden, Director of Planning and Sustainability, City of Northampton, Massachusetts

Project: Transforming Small Post-industrial Legacy Cities into Resilient and Successful Places

Feiden has been director of planning and sustainability for Northampton since 1997. In this role, he oversees local economic, environmental, and social initiatives. He also recently served as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Feiden will research various revitalization efforts in smaller European legacy cities, focusing on the policies they are pursuing to reignite the vibrancy of their cities. Where relevant, he will highlight the commitments these places have made to sustainability and resiliency. He will travel to Vejle, Denmark, York, United Kingdom, and Londonderry/Derry, United Kingdom. These lessons will prove to be invaluable to Northampton. Though the city’s downtown has resurged, the city as a whole remains plagued by low investment, a shrinking population, and a host of challenges relating to its position as a small postindustrial city.

Julieanne Herskowitz, Vice President, New York City Economic Development Corporation

Project: Addressing New York City’s Crumbling Infrastructure: Lessons from the London Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy & its Funding of Cross Rail

For the past four years, Herskowtiz has been at the New York City Economic Development Corporation. She is currently vice president, where she is the lead project manager for multiple large-scale public/private redevelopment projects across New York City.

Given the importance of well-maintained infrastructure for the social, environmental, and economic health of cities such as New York City, Herskowitz will research London’s infrastructure levy, a fee applied to new development to address local infrastructure needs. She will also assess the viability of transferring such a model to her hometown. Given the scale of the infrastructure maintenance backlog in New York City and the need for a new and innovative financing infrastructure financing tool, her research will be valuable to the local discussion on solutions.

Lykke Leonardsen, Head of Climate Unit, Technical and Environmental Administration, City of Copenhagen

Project: Implementation of Climate Change Solutions in U.S. cities

Leonardsen has been with the city for past 16 years, and has been head of Copenhagen’s recently established climate unit since January 2014. The unit combines the city’s adaptation and mitigation goals relating to climate change, and is charged with leading the city’s ambitious goal of becoming the first carbon neutral capital by 2025.

She will research emerging best practices for climate adaptation measures in four U.S. cities. She will travel to Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; New York City, NY; and Philadelphia, PA, focusing specifically on what these cities are doing in the fields of storm water management and costal protection. She will also focus on other important aspects of these measures, including implementation and maintenance, citizen involvement, and land use aspects such as zoning. The ultimate aim of the project will be to influence the evolution of Copenhagen’s own climate adaptation strategy.

Karin Morris, Manager, Office of Smart Growth, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission

Project: Age-friendly Cities and Regions: Lessons from Europe’s Policies, Plans, and Development Projects

Morris has been with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the metropolitan planning organization for Greater Philadelphia, since 1999. In her role as manager of the Office of Smart Growth, she works with hundreds of municipalities and government agencies to advance smart growth principles and link transportation and land use policy.

Morris will research how select European cities and regions are meeting the dual challenges of aging and urbanization, as Europe has the highest median age in the world, with life expectancy increasing into very old age. She will investigate how cities, particularly those in the U.K. Urban Ageing Consortium, have integrated age-friendly concerns into urban planning and design, specifically in housing, transport, and public spaces. The ultimate aim of this research will be to see how these strategies could be implemented in the 352 municipalities that are within the Commission’s purview.

Matteo Robiglio, CEO & Senior Designer, TRA architecture

Project: Adaptive Reuse and Housing: the Potential of Industrial Infrastructure for Sustainable Urban Regeneration, Community Development, Mixed Use and to Provide Permanent Affordable Housing

In addition to his position at TRA, a Torino-based architecture firm, Robiglio is a professor at the Politecnico di Torino. His research topics include energy efficiency, green architecture, community design, and urban design. He has also held numerous advisory and consulting positions for urban planning projects in Torino, Milan, Rome, and many other Italian cities.

Robiglio’s project will focus specifically on adaptive reuse and the potential of industrial area to ignite and support creative urban regeneration, and will catalog emerging best practices in U.S. cities with a focus on key factors promoting successful reuse such as placemaking, sustainable design, and community involvement. Through his research outcomes, he will hope to influence local community groups, practitioners, and public authorities locally and beyond.

Leah Shahum, Executive Director, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

Project: Saving Lives, Expanding Mobility: Vision Zero Lessons for San Francisco & Beyond

For the past 11 years, Shahum has been the executive director of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. In this role, she advocates on behalf of bicycle policy for the city and engages within the broader transportation and sustainability dialogue within the city.

Shahum’s project will take her to Northern European cities to study their Vision Zero policy frameworks for reducing and ultimately eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries while simultaneously promoting non-automobile transportation options. Her travel will take her to places such as Sweden, where traffic fatalities have decreased over 30 percent since adoption of Vision Zero in 1997. Given that San Francisco has adopted a Vision Zero goal for 2024, her findings will be particularly timely to determine how exactly the broad coalition behind the vision should move forward with implementation.

Celine Gipoulon, Project Manager, French National Agency for Urban Regeneration

Project: Empowering Neighborhood Revitalization: Lessons for France from Three U.S. Cities

Mathias McCauley, Director of Regional Planning and Community Development, Northwest Michigan Council of Governments

Project: Regional Planning as a Means toward Talent Attraction

Eric Eidlin, Sustainability Lead and Community Planner, Federal Transit Administration 

Project: Making the Most of High-Speed Rail in California: Lessons from France and Germany

Joan Byron (May-June 2012), Policy Director, Pratt Center for Community Development, New York, NY

Project: Global Cities, Inequality, and the Public Realm

Cities: London, Paris, Amsterdam 

Christine Grimando (October 2012), Town Planner, City of York, ME

Project: Recognizing Scale: Sustainability in Smaller Urban Places

Cities: Totnes, UK; Ferrara, Italy

Tony Mazzella (October 2012), Transportation Planner and Strategic Advisor, City of Seattle Department of Transportation

Project: Developing and Implementing a Transit-First Policy for Seattle

Cities: Munich, Zurich

Gareth Potts (Summer 2012), Policy Advisor, Office of Civil Society, Cabinet Office, United Kingdom

Project: The New Barn-Raising: A toolkit for citizens, politicians, and businesses looking to sustain community and civic assets 

Cities: Minneapolis, Detroit, Washington DC, Baltimore 

Dr. Potts also recorded a webinar on his topic.

Andreas Roehl (October-November, 2012) Head of Bicycle Planning, Copenhagen, Denmark

Project: Promoting Liveable Cities Through Public-Private Partnerships

Cities: Portland, Long Beach-San Diego, Boulder, Denver

Andreas also published an account of his fellowship in a magazine for Danish Bike Retailers (in Danish).

Nat Bottigheimer (July 2011), Former Assistant General Manager, WMATA

Project: Balancing Transit Mode of Access with Urban Design Considerations in Suburban Settings

Cities: Brussels, Copenhagen, Munich, Lyon

Rex Burkholder (September-October 2011), Councillor, Portland Metro

Project: Building Stakeholder Support for Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategies

Cities: Stockholm, Birmingham, Bologna

Burkholder published an article on the lessons learned from his fellowship travel.

Frank Fernandez (July 2011), Executive Director, Green Doors 

Project: Opportunity Based Affordable Housing

Cities: Brussels, Copenhagen, Valencia

 

Denver Igarta (October-November 2011), Urban Planner, City of Portland 

Project: Livable Streets Where People Live: Fostering People-Friendly Streets by De-emphasizing Automobile Traffic in Residential Areas

Cities: Munich, Rotterdam, Copenhagen, Malmö

Igarta also kept a detailed blog of his travel.

Carol Kuester (July-August 2011), Principal Planning Coordinator, Metropolitan Planning Commission

Project: Providing Traveler Information to Encourage Greener Trips

Cities: Brussels, London, Berlin, Munich

Thomas Straatemeier (Fall 2011), Senior Advisor, Transport and Land-use Integration, Goudappel Coffeng

Project: Transit- Oriented Development in the United States: What can the Dutch learn?

Cities: Portland, Washington, DC

Steve Wertheim (June-July 2011), Planner, San Francisco Planning Department

Project: Capitalizing on De-Industrialization to Sustainably Address the Demands of Growth and Modernization

Cities: Turin, Lyon, Copenhagen, Amsterdam

Wertheim also produced a presentation, called Lessons from Europe in Planning and Happiness, summarizing his research and travel while in Europe.

2010-11 Fellows

Autumn Bernstein (October – December 2010), Director, ClimatePlan 

Project: Regional Collaboration to reduce Auto Dependence: Lessons for Implementing SB 375 in California

Cities: Torino, Lyon, and Stuttgart

Bernstein also kept a detailed blog of her travel.

John Colm (September – October 2010), President and Executive Director, WIRE-NET

Project: Manufacturing Sustainable Urban Regions

Abby Hall (September 2010, January – February 2011), Policy Analyst, U.S. EPA

Project: Building Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience with Smart Growth and Green Infrastructure

Publication: Building Climate Change Adaptation with Smart Growth and Green Infrastructure: Adaptive Planning Policies from Rotterdam, Lyon, and Barcelona

Hall presented the results of her research to the HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities (View Powerpoint).

Milos Kovacevic (September – December 2010), Member of Savski Venac Municipal Council, Belgrade, Serbia

Project: Building Sustainable and Inclusive Businesses in Central Cities

See a Serbian television program (English subtitles) on Kovacevic’s fellowship and the incubation center here. A podcast of a GMF interview with Kovacevic can be found here.

Matt Nichols (February to May 2010), Principal Transportation Planner, City of Berkeley, California

Project: Optimizing Large-Scale Transit Investment Benefits through Mobility Management and Land Use

Publication: Planning High Speed Rail Stations for Sustainable Urban Development: European Case Studies

2009-2010 Fellows

Oliver Mietzsch (December 2009 – February 2010), Senior Policy Officer, Deutscher Städtetag (German Cities Association) 

Publications: Non-Fiscal Instruments of Public Transit Infrastructure Funding: Engaging Beneficiaries and Private Capital at the Local Level (for a longer version of the policy brief, click here) 

Anne Mariani (October 2009 – December 2009), Chargée des programmes Energie Air Climat, Conseil Regional de Bretagne (Regional Council of Brittany)

Project: Energy and Climate Action Plans: A New Driver for Policies and Action at the Local and Regional Level

Presentation: Climate Action Plans: Best Practices from Pittsburgh, Denver, and Seattle and Perspectives for France (en Français)

Publications: Energy and Climate Change: A New Driver for Local Policy and Action? (en Français) (For a longer version of the policy brief, click here.)

Michelle DeRobertis (August – November 2009), Senior Transportation Planner at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority

Project: Transit-Oriented Development in Germany and Italy

Publication: Land Development and Transportation Policies for Transit-Oriented Development in Germany and Italy: Five Case Studies 

Tim Campbell (May – October 2009), Chairman of the Urban Age Institute

Project: Smart Cities: Converting Knowledge to Innovation

Publication: Torino as a Learning City (click here for a version in Italian, courtesy of Cluster)

Campbell published a book on the topic in 2012 entitled Beyond Smart Cities.

Iolanda Romano (May – September 2009), President and CEO of Avventura Urbana

Project: Deliberative Democracy and Environmental Land Use Debates

Publication: From Confrontation to Cooperation: Citizen Engagement and Consensus Building in Public Policies

Patrizia Saroglia (February – April 2009), Research Associate at A.lea Consulting

Project: Which Types of Services Can Help Persons with Disabilities to Find Jobs and Keep Them? Learning from the U.S. Experience

Publication: Strategies and Incentives for Matching Disabled Workers with Jobs: Lessons for Italy from the United States

John Swanson (November 2008 – February 2009), Senior Transportation Planner for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments

Project: Engaging the Public in Responding to the Pressures of Growth: European Experiences with Public Involvement in Regional Planning

Publication: Gaining Public Support for Congestion Charging: Lessons from Europe for U.S. Metropolitan Areas (for a longer version of the policy brief, click here)

Jess Zimbabwe (November 2008 – February 2009), Director of the Mayors’ Institute on City Design

Project: Beggars into Choosers: Promoting Local Leadership in Design in the Face of Weak Market Conditions