Sarah Runkel, Aicp Email & Phone Number

My passion for community development began during my time as a Mobility Coordinator for public transportation. Hugh Ferriss described urban transportation infrastructure as the arteries and veins of a city, and it's true physically and metaphorically. Transportation crosses every field of community development. It was these cross-sector relationships that inspired me to branch out and explore other areas of community development.I'm thrilled to be in a multifaceted role where I can continue my work in transportation while contributing to and learning from other areas including economic development, zoning, and design. My first opportunity to work on a community plan was in a graduate studio class. It was the Downtown Plan for the City of Adel, I loved getting to know the place and visioning its future. Each chapter of the plan rotated throughout the cohort, giving us each an idea of how the pieces would fit together. The plan won the 2020 Iowa Chapter of the American Planning Association's Exemplary Student Project Award. I'm enthusiastic about opportunities for personal growth and I strongly believe in lifelong learning, anything can be a lesson if you consume it as such. When I run, I often analyze the trail I'm on, when driving it's the road. Outside of planning and running my free time is spent with my husband, our son, and our two dogs. I also enjoy reading, experimenting in the kitchen, and sipping a pinot or stout.

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  Iowa State University

  Communication, Speech, And International Studies