Regional and Community Planning Portfolio

Amber Berg Transportation Planning | Spatial Analysis | Graphic Design Selected Works 2017 - 2020

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CV

Amber Berg 785.341.6311 | bergamberg@gmail.com | linkedin.com/in/ambergberg

ABOUT ME Hi, I’m Amber. I’m a planner, graphic designer, and transportation advocate.

My favorite way to explore my community is on foot or by bike, where I can notice the small details of a beautiful lawn and say hello to my neighbors. I believe that communities are most vibrant when each mode of transportation is just as convenient, fun, and safe, no matter someone’s identity or destination.

I strive for solutions that are equitable and sustainable, even when it is not politically popular or easy to do so. I aspire to serve my community and continuously learn throughout my career through plans that are informed by robust public engagement, innovative research, and practical solutions. ii

Amber Berg | Selected Works 2017 - 2020

EDUCATION 2015-2020

Kansas State University Masters of Regional and Community Planning University Honors Program Minor in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies Certificate in Nonviolence Studies

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 2020-Today

Community Planner | Department Head Arkansas Economic Development Institute

2018-2020

Transportation Planning Intern II Flint Hills Metropolitan Planning Organization

2017-2019

Regional Planning Intern Flint Hills Regional Council

2019-2019

Schools & Neighborhoods Intern Seattle Department of Transportation

2017-2018

Rural Grocery Intern Center for Engagement and Community Development

PUBLICATIONS 2020

Incorporating Equity into Pedestrian Plans Transportation Research Record

ORGANIZATIONS 2021-Today

Little Rock Bike Friendly Community Committee

2020-Today

Arkansas Chapter of the American Planning Association

2020-Today

Association of Pedestrian & Bicycle Professionals

Content 2

Food Deserts of the Flint Hills

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Communities to Call Home

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Community Outreach in Rerouting Transit

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Incorporating Equity into Pedestrian Plans

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Kansas City Crosswalk Marking Policies

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Connect 2040

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Safe Routes to School

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Junction City Active Transportation Plan

This portfolio is a selection of some of my favorite projects over the years. These include the development of outreach material, analysis of impacts of land use on transportation, and excerpts from planning documents I have produced. iii

Population Density and Food Access

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Amber Berg | Selected Works 2017 - 2020

GIS and Technical Work

Food Deserts in the Flint Hills Kansas State University | Environmental Land Planning & GIS Course | Fall 2017

The most widely-accepted definition of a food desert, set by the USDA, only considers 1-mile proximity to grocery stores and median income for Census tracts. The USDA’s definition alone does not consider other critical characteristics, such as transit access, therefore clouding whether food access should be a concern for local planners and transportation professionals.

For this project, I used ArcGIS to study Manhattan, Kansas and expand upon this limited view of food access. My project differed from the USDA approach to food deserts in the following ways: • Applied Network Analyst for a more accurate buffers • Included 0.5 mile buffer to account for walking distance • Examined bus stop access • Used block and block group level data

I mapped these variables and overlapped the buffers to reveal the low-income areas without food access via transit. This project illustrated the complexity of food access, indicating that access is especially restrained for those who don’t have access to car.

The 20,059 people living in the areas indicated in the map below have to rely on a car or walk especially long distances to get their groceries.

Low-Income Neighborhoods living in Food Deserts

Median Household Income

Bus Stops Grocery Stores Bus Stop Access

Low-Income: Median Household Income is $40,000 or less 3

Web Design and Economic Development

Communities to Call Home Flint Hills Regional Council | Summer 2018

Communities to Call Home is a community marketing project that promotes towns in the region to prospective residents. This is an opt-in program where the Regional Council made connections with a representative from each community, who then provided the information and images that they wanted to include on their community’s webpage.

I was responsible for creating the branding for this program, including: • The logo • Website • Intake forms • Community webpages • Community fact sheets • Interactive map of the cities • Maps and matrices of towns I aimed to display all of this information in ways that were consistent, easy to read, and attractive.

The Communities to Call Home website can help all towns in the region promote their communities, even those who have fewer resources, and help people moving to the region find the right community for their needs.

Sample community profile page

Right: Interactive map and Community Selection page 4

Amber Berg | Selected Works 2017 - 2020

F L I N T

H I L L S

COMMUNITIES TO CALL

HOME Communities to Call Home logo

Towns within a 45-minute drive of the major cities in the Flint Hills: Manhattan, Fort Riley, and Junction City.

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Outreach and Spatial Analysis

Community Outreach in Rerouting Transit

Flint Hills MPO | Spring and Summer 2018 In 2018, the Flint Hills MPO concluded its years’ long outreach plan to guide the development of Manhattan’s new bus routes. Through the use of various archival data, including meeting notes, survey responses, and geospatial information, I was tasked with creating a document that chronicled this outreach process from start to finish. I strived to capture community members’ genuine responses while also illustrating how the MPO made decisions based on the input they heard.

Some of residents’ major concerns included wishing they could get to the grocery store and doctor by bus, and wishing that bus stops were more easily accessible. Because of these expressed needs, I used a walking distance buffer of one half-mile around each bus stop to compare the service of the old bus routes to the new proposed ones.

I found that the new routes not only cost less money, but they served more residences, more businesses, and a greater number and variety of community amenities. I used maps and icons to illustrate how the new routes have a greater reach in the community and serve their needs more effectively.

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Residences Within Walking Distance of a New Bus Stop

Amber Berg | Selected Works 2017 - 2020

71% 71%

of survey respondents say that they would ride the aTa Bus more if there were more stops to destinations they want.

The Flint Hills Breadbasket and the Konza Prairie Community Health Center are the top two community services people want to access by transit.

71% 71%

of individuals said that a bus stop closer to their home would encourage them to ride the aTa Bus more

Desired community location

Desired community service

Where Survey Respondents Stated They Want to Take Transit To

Grocery Stores

Medical Centers

Community Services

Comparing Community Assets within Walking Distance of the Old and New Stops 7

Plan Analysis and Guidance

Incorporating Equity into Pedestrian Plans Kansas State University | Master’s Report | Spring 2020

Project Statement Cities are increasingly addressing transportation inequities, despite a lack of federal guidance for incorporating equity into their work. To address this absence of guidance, this research examines the equity considerations of recent Pedestrian Master Plans from 15 of the most populous US cities. It draws on these considerations and equity literature to propose the Three A’s of Equity, a tri-partite framework for better incorporating equity into a transportation plan from conceptualization to implementation.

The Framework: The Three A’s of Equity Element

Acknowledgement Recognizing equity as a value of the plan

s

Disparities

Accountability

This research grew out of an inductive process, which observed the equity considerations of 15 municipal pedestrian plans to propose a framework consisting of three elements and their associated equity components. The framework is built upon plans’ existing equity considerations, which helps demonstrate their feasibility in being measured and included in plans. The Three A’s are intended to guide the inclusion of equity throughout a plan’s entirety, rather than only mentioning the term or prioritizing improvements without explanation as to why.

Establishing a commitment to advance equity through the plan

I have had the pleasure of presenting this work at committee meetings, the 2020 TRB Annual Meeting, and the 2021 Walk Bike Places Conference.

Setting action steps to move towards equity

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Amber Berg | Selected Works 2017 - 2020

Mention Definition

Project Overview

I am currently working with my college professor to build upon this research to observe and make recommendations for including equity in planning documents in other topic areas, such as comprehensive planning and economic development.

Component

Outreach Goals Performance Measures

Application

Project Prioritization Policies Programs

The Sample Plans’ Equity Considerations Plan

Acknowledgement Ment.

Def.

Disp.

Accountability Outr.

Goal

P. Meas.

Application

Prior.

Polic.

New York City Chicago Philadelphia Raleigh San Francisco Fort Worth Washington D.C. San Diego Austin Charlotte Jacksonville Seattle Oklahoma City Milwaukee Portland Share of plans

Total

Progr.

33% 22% 11% 22% 22% 22% 56% 11% 11% 22% 44% 67% 33% 22% 100% 67%

7%

60%

20%

27%

27%

66%

7%

26%

33%

Note: 73% of plans included at least one Acknowledgement component; 40% included Accountability; 80% included Application

The equity considerations among the sample plans varies significantly. Some key Findings: • 4 PMPs included all 3 elements • 7 PMPs included Acknowledgement and one other element

Example Component: Definition “...inadequate pedestrian infrastructure and traffic safety concerns disproportionately impact low-income communities and people of color.” - Portland, OR This definition identifies who is impacted and how.

• 2 PMPs only included Acknowledgement • 2 PMPs only included Application • 4 PMPs considered race in their equity components The Three A’s of Equity can help cities consistently and thoroughly incorporate equity into their transportation plans.

Example Component: Outreach “We targeted our outreach to neighborhoods with low response rates, translated the survey, and held focus groups to reach non-English speaking residents.” Seattle, WA These actions made intentional efforts to reach residents who may not typically participate in outreach.

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Policy Analysis

Kansas City Crosswalk Marking Policies Kansas State University | Policy Analysis in Planning Course | Spring 2020 Crosswalk marking policies are concerned with the design, placement, and timing of installation of crosswalks. Typically, U.S. cities adhere to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices as the standard for their crosswalk marking policies, but this manual provides guidance that is geared toward automobile-oriented development and it does not account for budgetary constraints.

The current crosswalk marking policy results in disconnected pedestrian networks with few opportunities to cross streets.

An update to Kansas City’s crosswalk marking policy, potentially in conjunction with budgetary policy recommendations, is needed to achieve the city’s and the region’s transportation goals and make Kansas City a more walkable, connected, and safe community. With the support of stakeholder interviews and citywide plans, five evaluation criteria have been identified to support the identification of a policy alternative.

Four policy alternatives are proposed: • Status quo; • Update crosswalk installation thresholds; • Opt-in fee for property owners; and • A Community Liaisons program.

An evaluation of these proposed alternatives finds that no one policy satisfies all the criteria, but a combination of updated crosswalk marking thresholds and the implementation of a Community Liaisons program will best satisfy the evaluation criteria and achieve a safer, more walkable, and more accessible pedestrian network in Kansas City.

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Amber Berg | Selected Works 2017 - 2020

Evaluation Criteria for Assessing Policy Alternatives

Discussion of Policy Alternatives

Long-Range Planning and Graphic Design

Connect 2040 Flint Hills MPO | Spring-Summer 2020

The Flint Hills MPO recently produced Connect 2040, the long-range transportation plan for the region, which comprises the Manhattan metropolitan area, Kansas State University, and Fort Riley military base.

The Region’s Vision for 2040

During the development of this plan, I am responsible for collecting data and visualizing important concepts of the plan.

Specifically, I have created: • Land use maps • Icons of the plan’s vision • Icons of development alternatives • A graphic of our region’s urban development gradient

Enhance Mobility

Strengthen Communities

Generate Prosperity

Development Scenarios

Through these graphics, I sought to easily communicate to the public how they might experience their communities differently, depending on how the region develops its land and transportation networks in the coming decades.

Scenario 1: Sprawl

Scenario 2: Densification

The Relationship between Land Use and Transportation in the Region

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Plan Development

Safe Routes to School Flint Hills MPO | Summer 2018-Spring 2020 Over the last half-century, more children are being driven to school, and fewer students have adequate bicycle or pedestrian infrastructure to help them get to school safely. This is especially true in rural cities like Junction City and Wamego, where I completed my first two Safe Routes to School plans to help improve bicycle and pedestrian access to their schools.

These places are located along students’ routes to school:

38%

Playground

30%

Walking Path or Trail

The data showed that there are many real and perceived boundaries preventing children from walking and biking to school safely, including a lack of safe sidewalks and crossings. The SRTS plans laid out recommendations from the 5 Es to help the school district improve their bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure.

17%

58% say sidewalks

don’t have any

only

45%

24%

Gas Sta�on

18%

Small Retail & Business

43% say all are

are separated from traffic by greenery

say sidewalks are well-maintained and clean

Park

53% of respondents say it is not convenient

58%

say sidewalks are wide enough for two people

26%

to walk their child to school

say their routes are well-lit

31%

say their routes are well-shaded by trees

To walk to school, children would have to cross...

65%

A road with busy traffic

45%

An intersec�on without a painted crosswalk

18%

An intersec�on without street signals or stop signs

13%

A highway or freeway

50%

only say school zones are well-enforced

21%

say their routes are quiet from cars, airplanes, factories, etc

Infographic of the Parent-Guardian Survey results.

Bike-ped counts for three of Junction City’s elementary schools

18 2

Grandview 12

say sidewalks are not free of obstruc�ons

on all streets

25%

To identify improvements, I conducted a parentguardian survey, bicycle and pedestrian counts, spatial analyses, and direct observation.

35%

only

35% have sidewalks

Amber Berg | Selected Works 2017 - 2020

69 2

Westwood

1 0

13 0

4 0

39 0

Sheridan

Grandview Elementary Sidewalk Recommendations

Wamego High School Recommendations

Existing intersection: Lincoln & 8th, Adjacent to Wamego High School Wamego High School

Lincoln Ave

8th St

Wamego High School

Lincoln St

Existing intersection: Lincoln & 8th

Pedestrian islandCurb ex

Sidewalk recommendations for Grandview Elementary

8th St

Recommendation: Sidewalks, pedestrian island, traffic calming at Lincoln & 8th 13

Outreach and Plan Development

Junction City Active Transportation Plan Flint Hills MPO | Spring and Summer 2020 The project that I was the most involved in with the Flint Hills MPO was the Junction City Active Transportation Plan.

This document was the first plan for walking and biking in the city, which only had one bike lane not intended for recreational purposes.

I began by graphically showing what active transportation is, how it differs from recreation, and what it might look like in this small Kansas town.

For part of the outreach process of this plan, I assisted with the installation of demonstration projects along 7th Street, which was funded by a Blue Cross Blue Shield grant. These installations, illustrated on the right, were ultimately adopted by the city to become permanent.

I then mapped various transportation and land use characteristics, such as Environmental Justice populations,

traffic volumes, road widths, and existing bike/ped infrastructure.

Other team members solicited public input via surveys and meetings, and I mapped out their responses regarding where they live, where they walk and bike to, and where they would like to walk and bike to.

All these variables helped inform the network recommendations I made and how I prioritized them.

Walking and Biking: Transportation vs. Recreation

Walking and biking as transportation looks like:

1 1

2

2 3

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Walking to the grocery store

2

Biking to the park

3

Walking to work

Walking and biking for recreation looks like: 3

Amber Berg | Selected Works 2017 - 2020

1

1

Biking around town

2

Going on a walk in the neighborhood

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Driving to a bike trail

7th Street Bike Boulevard Tactical Urbanism Projects

Bicentennial Manor

7th & Garfield

7th & Jackson

8th St, Geary County Schools

7th & Jefferson

7th & Clay

Proposed bike boulevard

7th & Adams

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Continued...

Junction City Active Transportation Plan Existing Network & Environmental Justice Areas

77

Spring Valley Rd

6th St

8th St 6th St Spring Valley Rd

8th St

Washington St

77

Washington St

Gr

an

Gr

an

tA ve

tA ve

Proposed Bike Network

Ash St

Ash St

70

70

77

77

Schools Lane 70

70

Existing transportation system

Environmental Justice areas

Bike boulevard / sharrow Multiuse trail 7th Street bike boulevard (in progress)

Streets

City limits

Bike paths and trails

Moderate

Potential corridor

High

Existing bike routes

Sidewalks

I strived to recommend a connected walking and biking network, but prioritized improvements to advance safety, equity, and connectivity. I prioritized them based on whether they served low-income, no-car, non-white households or were near crash sites. They were given an even higher ranking if they connected to destinations like grocery stores and doctors’ offices.

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Amber Berg | Selected Works 2017 - 2020

Iterative Project Delivery

Bike Network Prioritization

Gr

an

tA ve

Existing Roadway

8th St

Washington St

Demonstration 77

Spring Valley Rd

6th St

Ash St 70

77

Semi-Permanent Schools

70

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 7th Street bike boulevard (in progress) Existing bike routes

Lastly, I illustrated our MPO’s “Iterative Project Delivery” process, shown on the right. This was intended to show the feasibility of making improvements, even if the city doesn’t have the budget for a major street redesign.

Final Construction 17