Jamie Arnau graduated from Portland State University (PSU) in 2023 with a Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) degree and an Urban Design Graduate Certificate. While at PSU, she received a National Institute for Transportation and Communities scholarship and attended the annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board (where she scored a selfie with then-Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg!) She is now an Integrated Mobility Consultant at Mobycon.
Connect with Jamie on LinkedIn
What do you do in your current role, and what does a typical day look like?
I’m an Integrated Mobility Consultant at Mobycon, a Dutch consulting firm with offices in the Netherlands, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and the U.S. (with our U.S. office right here in Portland). My job title means I work at the intersection of bicycles, pedestrians, transit, and cars, helping create transportation networks that are safe, comfortable, connected, and attractive. There really isn’t a “typical day” in my role. I balance a variety of projects for different clients while coordinating with colleagues across multiple time zones. For example, today I designed cross sections for protected bike lanes in Oregon, developed a community survey for a stroad-to-street project in Canada, and handed off deliverables to a colleague in Amsterdam for a protected intersection project in Wisconsin. Tomorrow, I might be authoring memos, meeting with clients, and preparing invoices for projects I manage.
How did your experience at PSU shape your path into the transportation field?
PSU’s Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) program and Urban Design Graduate Certificate taught me to think critically and intersectionally about transportation, which connects to nearly every aspect of urban planning, from housing and parks to public health and public space. Courses like Public Participation for Planners, History and Theory of Urban Design, Bike/Pedestrian Planning Workshop, and a study abroad program on Sustainable Transportation in Denmark & Sweden were particularly influential. The MURP program’s 400-hour internship requirement also gave me valuable hands-on experience while still in school. My transportation career began with an internship at Nelson\Nygaard, where I honed technical skills in visual communications and multimodal planning.
What advice would you give to current students or recent grads interested in a career in transportation?
Get involved with organizations like the American Planning Association, WTS, The Street Trust, and Depave to meet peers and mentors. Travel to different countries to broaden your perspective about transportation systems. Be specific about what excites you in the field; knowing what you want to focus on helps you find the right opportunities. When doing informational interviews, consider asking to see examples of projects or software they use to better understand the work and determine if it’s a good fit for you.
What’s one project or accomplishment you’re especially proud of in your career so far?
One of my proudest accomplishments was leading the development of a Transportation Equity Training for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) while serving as a Project Manager at Zan Associates. Working closely with an experienced educator, I helped design a 2-day curriculum to train all MnDOT staff (including engineers, planners, and maintenance personnel) on topics such as redlining, transportation justice, and community engagement, providing perspectives many professionals may not have encountered in school or on the job. Supporting equity-focused transportation education at this scale required significant effort—I had never created a training like this before, and some of the content was emotionally challenging, but it was deeply meaningful and an invaluable learning experience for me.
This is an installment in a Transportation Alumni Highlight series, showcasing Portland State University (PSU) graduates who are making a difference in the world of transportation.
Portland State University's Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) is a multidisciplinary hub for all things transportation. We are home to the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), the data programs PORTAL and BikePed Portal, the Better Block PSU program, and PSU's membership in PacTrans, the Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium. Our continuing goal is to produce impactful research and tools for transportation decision makers, expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engage students and professionals through education, seminars, and participation in research. To get updates about what's happening at TREC, sign up for our monthly newsletter or follow us on social media.
