Alex Morgan: Planning with People in Mind

We’re an interconnected nationwide team, but we each have our own reasons for being passionate about the work we do. This week, get to know Alex Morgan, Senior Engineer in our Orlando office.

What is your background, and how did you end up at Kittelson?

I grew up in Orlando and attended the University of Florida for my undergraduate degree in civil engineering. I started my career doing mostly traffic engineering, large-scale operations work, and TIAs. I’ve slowly moved into the planning space where I do a lot of public involvement to support multimodal planning projects. I found Kittelson through Google Maps. I searched “Orlando Transportation Engineering” and Kittelson’s website conveyed the exact kind of place I wanted to work.  

Outside of work, I love camping, walking with my dog, and biking. I also love playing a game called Suburbia with my friends. It’s a land use planning game. What can I say? I love what I do!

How do you balance technical analysis with public input when developing recommendations?

I think they serve one another. When we make data-driven decisions, we have a lot of different competing priorities and not enough budget to do everything. So, using data to understand priorities is important. Balancing that with real people, real stories about what is really happening for the folks who are impacted by the decisions we make as engineers and planners is also really important.  Using public input data fills in the gaps that you’ll never get from a spreadsheet, or a model. I think it keeps our work grounded in the reality of people’s lives. 

Are there particular communities, or project types you’re especially passionate about?

I’m always interested in people’s stories. I often think about how the radius in which somebody can safely travel defines their opportunities in life and what resources they have access to. That feels especially true when thinking about the world of transit, and people who don’t have a car. When we’re collecting public input, we’re understanding people’s stories and how that connects to their real-world experience, and that helps us make more thoughtful engineering and planning decisions and ultimately better recommendations for our clients. 

I also like making engagement experiential. I recently worked on a project in which a roundabout was built near a school. The school wanted to teach kids how to walk and bike across it, so we made a tabletop mat, and the kids used Lego people to walk across the street, and Lego cars so they could actually see how cars use the roundabout. Even the parents learned how to better drive around the roundabout safely. 

Can you share an example of a time when public engagement changed or improved the outcome of a project?

We recently did a transit-oriented development (TOD) study for LYNX, the transit agency here in Orlando, to look at what different land uses around transit stops could look like to support bus rapid transit (BRT). Through our public engagement and being out in the field with people, asking them about their experience on the bus, and sitting on the bus and just talking to people, we were able to understand what is difficult about getting to and from the transit stop. It really puts in perspective how far people often have to walk to get to transit stops, and what the lived experience is for them. Anyone can look at a map and see sidewalks, or a bike lane here and there, but the map often doesn’t show that there’s not trees or what the experience is like when it’s raining or 95 degrees out. You don’t know that until you’re there with people and seeing their story happen in real-time.  

Seeing the data, and hearing people’s stories gives something for decision-makers and elected officials to really connect to because they can see ‘oh, my constituent said this’. I think it helps move projects forward better in a more holistic way. 

What’s the most rewarding part of your work?

This might sound cheesy, but it feels particularly rewarding seeing the work I do actually change or positively impact someone’s life. Like the ability to get to work safely or get to come home to their family because they were able to walk home safely feels really meaningful and rewarding. Especially in the world of transit and disadvantaged communities.  

Fast Lane Facts:

Trail, city, or destination you’d revisit any time?

Washington DC – it’s so beautifully laid out and has a ton of fun history. Visit in the spring or fall!

Go-to comfort food after a long day?

Ramen from Domu in Orlando

Hidden secret talent?

I had the fastest known time for the Kittelson Olympics Swan Boat Racing

Ideal concert lineup?

Valley opening for Taylor Swift

Must have on your desk?

My Lego city!