MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: MEREDYTH SANDERS

Could you tell us who you are and what it is that you do?

I’m Meredyth! I have a degree in Urban + Environmental Planning and work for a Transportation Planning + Engineering Firm called Kittelson & Associates, Inc.

What do you love most about the work?

Two things: 1) Working on street redesign projects that improve safety and comfort for people of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities. 2) The people I work with.

How did you arrive at this point in your work? What’s your backstory?

I first learned about urban planning when I was an undergraduate student at UVA. I was pursuing a degree in environmental thought and practice because I wanted a career that would help mitigate the impacts of climate change. The curriculum included a class on urban planning – and that single class convinced me that I needed to change my major. Since graduating I have lived and worked in Northern Virginia and Boston, MA. I have been lucky enough to contribute to projects in Virginia, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., California, Florida, Idaho, and Oregon. 

Has there been a light switch moment, a turning point, professionally &/or personally along the way?

The experience that profoundly emphasized the importance of “walking a mile in someone else’s shoes”: surveying bus riders while actively riding the bus in Orlando, FL during a summer thunderstorm.  

What are you currently working on, excited about, looking forward to?

Working on: Quick-build bike lane designs for Cambridge, MA

Excited about: The vast amount of safety funding that is currently available to communities across the U.S. (included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law)

Looking forward to: Helping communities to submit grants for safety funding, develop safety action plans, and implement safety projects over the next 5-10 years 

What values drive your work each day?

Empathy and curiosity! 

Anything we missed that you might care to share (closing thoughts)?

At IX you can usually fine me sitting catty-corner from Brandi Carlile’s show poster. I love chatting about cooking, music, and fun places to run/hike in and around Charlottesville.