Program Development and Management

Advanced Planning Programming and Logical Engineering (APPLE)
Transportation Project Feasibility Studies
Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham | Birmingham, AL

The Advanced Planning Programming and Logical Engineering (APPLE) program is designed to provide a link between the planning and environmental process, i.e., Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL), and encourage local governments to assess transportation capital project feasibility in advance of seeking federal funding through the metropolitan planning process. Ideally, this approach informs the municipality about the challenges and costs associated with a project, helping them to understand the resource commitments needed to achieve the project, and tempering their expectations about the project development and implementation timelines.

I developed the APPLE program in response to challenges the Birmingham Metropolitan Planning Organization faced with the development of its metropolitan transportation plan and maintenance of a financially balanced transportation improvement program. I intended for the program to enable municipalities to make informed decisions about transportation capital projects, minimizing their risks of scope creep and cost overruns, and providing the MPO's TIP development process with a level of certainty when it came to maintaining fiscal balance. The APPLE Program was nationally recognized by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) as an Everyday Counts Best Practice.

Building Communities
Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham | Birmingham, AL

The Building Communities Grant Program is a technical assistance program for municipalities to aid municipalities with addressing the land use and transportation connection through traditional urban planning approaches and regulatory tool development.

I created the Building Communities Grant Program in response to increasing demands for planning services by the Birmingham region's municipalities as they navigated housing and transportation issues related to population decline and rapid growth, urbanization, changing demographics, land development, and urban design. I administered the grant program, annually securing funding through the metropolitan planning process, developed a grant solicitation process, and awarded grants. I also managed and served as technical staff to assist projects performed directly by the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham, the Birmingham region's Council of Governments.

Birmingham Pop-Up Project
Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham | Birmingham, AL

The Birmingham Pop-Up Project was a demonstration project employed as a component of the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham’s community planning efforts. It utilized tactical urbanism as its primary tool to aid neighborhoods and communities visualize change. The Birmingham Pop-Up Project also was employed as an economic development tool to test the feasibility of certain business types and concepts and help catalyze redevelopment, particularly in blighted and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. The Birmingham Pop-Up Project produced a "How To" manual for municipalities and non-profits detailing the steps needed to successfully employ tactical urbanism strategies within urban and suburban communities, and the lessons learned from the demonstration project. The Birmingham Pop-Up Project was successfully transferred to REV Birmingham, a local non-profit organization responsible for leading redevelopment efforts in the City of Birmingham's identified neighborhood centers.

I provided technical support for the initial two (2) pop-up projects, developing plan concepts for on-street bicycle facilities and parking, public transit stops, wayfinding, and vehicle traffic control.