Michelle Poyourow specializes in managing large network redesigns and facilitating community conversations about transit. Her analysis and planning experience spans issues of bus network design, operations and scheduling; dial-a-ride and rural transit; integrated land use and transit policy; and the design of complete streets for transit and cycling.
She has created and conducted many successful public involvement plans, and led interagency collaboration among roadway, transit, land use, and development departments. Her experiences as a political aide and an advocate also attune her to the political and communication aspects of transit planning.
Education
Bachelor of Arts, Biology, Reed College, 2003
Positions Held
2013 – present: Principal Associate, Jarrett Walker + Associates
2010 – 2013: Owner, Poyourow Consulting
2006 – 2010: Policy and Advocacy Director, Bicycle Transportation Alliance
2004 – 2006: Economist, Public Power Council
Transit Network Plans
Michelle has managed transit network plans and redesigns for large and small cities including:
- Dallas, Texas (in progress)
- Atlanta, Georgia (in progress)
- Sacramento, California
- Anchorage, Alaska
- Richmond, Virginia
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Salem, Oregon
- Missoula, Montana
All six of these completed network redesigns have been successfully implemented, and two of them (Indianapolis and Missoula) were integral to voter-approved funding initiatives.
Michelle also manages transit plans for rural areas and small cities, such as:
- Kingsport, Tennessee
- Boulder, Colorado
- Sandy, Marion and Polk Counties, Oregon
- Princeton, New Jersey
Specialized Transit Planning
In collaboration with her colleagues and partner firms, Michelle has contributed more specialized transit expertise to projects such as:
- A review of University bus and mobility services for the University of California, Davis, and Princeton University
- Research on visitor transportation for Travel Oregon and its tourism partners (2018)
- Land use and development reviews in California (2016-2017)
- Downtown transit network designs for Denver, Colorado (2018)
- Transit service speed and reliability analyses for TriMet in Portland (2015, 2019)
- Service and capital planning for the Cities of Bellevue and Redmond, Washington (2013-2015)
Facilitation
Michelle often facilitates stakeholder workshops and public meetings, as well as discussions of Boards and City Councils. Some workshops occur in the context of her network planning projects, and others are special events or trainings:
- Interactive virtual public meetings held during the pandemic as part of transit planning in Dallas, Texas; Columbia, South Carolina; and Salem, Oregon
- Interactive stakeholder workshops and trainings, attended by 20-60 people, in Memphis, Richmond, Flagstaff, Eugene, Sacramento, Missoula, Anchorage, Salem, Canby (conducted in English and Spanish), and other communities
- A transit network training for approximately 100 advocates, riders, and the media, in Mississauga, Ontario (2016)
- Network design classes for Portland State University planning and engineering students (2015-present)
- Board workshops and trainings in numerous cities and towns
Service Branding and Information
JWA helps clients improve the clarity of service branding and public information. Michelle has developed new insights for clients through projects such as:
- Exploratory design and research for a new AC Transit system map (Oakland and Berkeley, CA) (2016)
- Transit service branding and planning advice for TransLink in Vancouver, BC (2018-present)
- Transit service branding for San Francisco MTA (2014)