Laura Torchio, Aicp Email & Phone Number

Montclair, Nj, Us

Parsippany, New Jersey, United States

Provides guidance and oversight for NV5’s Planning Department, participating and contributing on an on-call basis for active transportation planning projects. Leads community engagement, tactical urbanism, and placemaking efforts.Recent Projects: ESSEX HUDSON GREENWAY ENGAGEMENTTask Manager for NJDEP’s 9 mile greenway project – a 100-foot-wide linear corridor spanning Essex and Hudson Counties through eight municipalities – to create a thriving recreation and transportation corridor. Responsible for public outreach, community engagement, and team collaboration.COMPLETE STREETS & ASD/IDD IMPLEMENTATION ACTION PLANTask Manager for NJDOT’s implementation Action Plan in response to Bill S-147 requiring NJDOT to implement complete streets policy that “improves safety for persons diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs).” Responsible for facilitating a working group, researching best practices, and identifying NJ policies, procedures, and documents to be updated to address the needs of persons with ASD and IDDs.NJDOT COMPLETE STREETS TRAINING WORKSHOP In October 2022, NJDOT held three virtual NJ Complete Streets Training sessions. Each training consisted of three modules covering Complete Streets Benefits, Planning & Placemaking, and Design. The trainings were designed for an audience of planners, engineers, advocates, public health professionals, policymakers, and elected officials. Through presentation slides, live Q&A, and interactive design exercises, the trainings aimed to help participants better understand the benefits of implementing Complete Streets, the integration of planning and placemaking with Complete Streets, and best practices for Complete and Green Streets design guidance.

Montclair, New Jersey, United States

Laura Torchio, LLC is a woman-owned consultancy focused on working with communities to shape public spaces that foster civic life, belonging, and well-being. We use our background in public sector planning, private sector consulting, public art inclusion, eco-tourism, and non-profit/mission-driven work to provide expertise, guidance, and technical assistance to our clients. We are best known for our prowess in creative placemaking, clever community engagement, innovative workshop development, training, & facilitation, and people-first active transportation planning.Recent Projects:MONTCLAIR VISION ZERO TASK FORCEProviding technical support services to the Montclair Center Business Improvement District (BID) (in a shared service agreement with the Township of Montclair) related to managing the Montclair Vision Zero (MTCVZ) Task Force. Responsible for providing management and process oversight, liaising with the Township on communications and marketing, establishing working groups and an internal communications channel, and guiding the development of a revised Complete/Green Streets Policy & Checklist and a Vision Zero Action Plan.

Trenton, New Jersey, United States

Working with 7 of 40 designated mixed-use neighborhood districts in urban, suburban, and rural settings providing technical assistance and training on placemaking and adaptable asset-based and community-driven change.

New York City Metropolitan Area

As Director of Education, I provided overarching guidance to the scope and focus of PPS's educational, training, and workshop facilitation services.

Greater New York City Area

As Deputy Director of Project for Public Spaces, managed programs and projects related to transportation, economic development, health, and inclusive community engagement.PPS Transportation Initiative: • Managed an agile team of interdisciplinary staff members with a focus on creating streets for people and the development of a suite of tools and web resources around Streets as Places.PPS Healthy Places Initiative: • Partnered with PPS Fellow, Jane Ellery, PhD and developed staff and interns to grow the Healthy Places Initiative focusing on how the built environment and public spaces affect physical, mental, and social well-being. Bass Center for Transformative Placemaking:• Provided oversight and thought leadership for the Bass Center’s work around placemaking as a catalyst to drive social inclusion and economic growth. Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design (CIRD: • Facilitated training workshops aimed at enhancing the quality of life and economic vitality of rural America through planning, design, and creative placemaking including Salmon, Idaho, and Las Vegas, and New Mexico. National Main Street Center/Project for Public Spaces Partnership:• Facilitated training workshops across the United States in 10 states reaching over 300 communities in 2 years.Community Placemaking Trainings & Demonstration Projects: • Developed, facilitated, and managed dozens of context-sensitive training modules for inclusive engagement, design thinking, action planning, and implementation. Modules have been used in communities as widespread as Newark, NJ, Salmon, ID, Las Vegas, NM, Denver, CO, Durham, NC, Rock Hill, SC, and as shoulder sessions with MOVE Congress, Budapest, Hungary (2019), Placemaking Week, Chattanooga, TN (2019), Walk Bike Places, New Orleans, LA (2018), America Walking Summit, St. Louis, MO (2017), and Placemaking Week, Vancouver, BC (2016).

Montclair State University

• Led and managed a regional healthy eating/active living coalition called “Eat. Play. Live… Better” through a 3-year, $300,000 Partners for Health grant • Cultivated relationships with over 200 local partners to make access to healthy food and physical activity easier through policies, programs, and changes to the built environment• Grew the local initiative to integrate with the broader, statewide, NJ Healthy Communities Network and Funding Collaborative which has provided over $3 million in community grants since its inception in 2011• Partnered with MSU Center for Research to build the foundation for a shared measurement system which identifies healthy eating and active living indicators, the data needed to measure success, and the development of an on-line measurement dashboardeatplaylivebetter.org

Montclair, New Jersey

• Led and strengthened a state network of over 15 diverse organizations, public agencies, and partners to increase healthy eating and active living opportunities, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation• Responsible for leveraging over $50 million in state funding for bicycle and pedestrian construction projects (including the award and obligation of federal funds), promoting Complete Streets and street-scale improvements, and advancing joint use policies between municipalities and school districts – all with an emphasis on social equity• Successfully worked with NJDOT to continue funding the SRTS program under MAP-21 TAP program and to provide design assistance in the form of consultant helping local public agencies in NJ’s 565 municipalities with engineering services for their Safe Routes to School grant programs

Parsippany, New Jersey

• Responsible for business development including 3 consecutive, 3-year, on-call $300K/year contracts with NJDOT, project Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QAQC), and management of 3 staff members and varying interns• Managed and paved the way for many of NJ’s best-practice, award-winning projects including NJDOT Complete Streets Policy, Training & Summit, NJ Safe Routes to School Program and Strategic Plan, Delaware River Heritage Trail Plan, Hoboken Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan and Ocean City Bicycle Boulevard

Paterson, New Jersey.

• Staff Supervisor and Project Manager. Project management, task proposal and staff supervision for strategic revitalization and smart growth planning.

Woodstock, Vermont

Group leadership and event planning on inn to inn, van-supported bicycle tours throughout Vermont and New Hampshire.

Bachelor'S Degree, Environmental, Urban And Geographic Studies

Planning/Environmental Law

Liberal Arts

Public Speaking & Workshop Facilitation