Welcome Jamie Arnau! 

I’m thrilled to join Mobycon as an Integrated Mobility Consultant in the Portland, Oregon office. I look forward to supporting the team on active transportation projects and exploring how Dutch design practices can be applied in diverse contexts across North America. 

Growing up in Los Angeles, California (a city notorious for its car dependence), I’ve witnessed firsthand how prioritizing cars over people leads to inadequate pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, impacting daily life and limiting opportunities. My own experiences, from being hit by a car as a child while riding my bike to navigating the sprawling city without a car, have profoundly shaped my commitment to advocating for safer streets and more reliable mobility options. 

From LA’s Car-Centric Streets to Portland’s Cycling Culture

Now living in Portland, Oregon (a city celebrated for its bike-friendly culture), I’ve fully embraced active commuting, choosing to bike or use shared electric scooters rather than own a car. This shift in environment has deepened my appreciation for the joy that accessible, multimodal transportation offers. 

I hold a bachelor’s degree in Global Studies from University of California Los Angeles and a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Portland State University. In 2023, I was honored with the American Planning Association’s Outstanding Student Award and was a National Institute for Transportation and Communities Scholar. My studies included sustainable transportation in Denmark and Sweden, which expanded my understanding of transportation solutions that enhance quality of life and built environments where people can truly thrive.  

While traveling in Copenhagen, I unexpectedly spent several weeks navigating the city in a wheelchair due to an injury. I encountered many streets that were unpaved, lacked curb cuts and ramps, and had pedestrian crossing times that were too short for comfortable travel. This experience provided me with a new perspective on accessibility—one I had previously understood only in theory. It made me keenly aware of how much work is still needed to make cities more accessible for everyone, regardless of the type of mobility they use, or whether they have a choice in the matter. There is still a long way to go to ensure that all individuals can move freely and easily to where they need to go.

Shifting Focus: From Marketing to Urban Planning

Before becoming an urban planner, I spent almost a decade in marketing, design, and communications, and ran my own consulting business focused on strategic communications and digital marketing for small businesses and non-profit organizations. Today, I leverage this experience to ensure that complex transportation projects and topics are communicated clearly and effectively to a wide audience. 

My planning career began with an internship at Nelson\Nygaard, where I contributed to projects focused on Safe Routes to School, transportation demand management, and public transit improvements. I then joined Zan Associates, where I specialized in community engagement for infrastructure and transportation projects. My work spanned from collaborating with freight industry professionals on statewide freight plans to partnering with community-based organizations to better understand their unique transportation experiences.

At Mobycon, I’m excited to work alongside my colleagues across Canada, USA, the Netherlands, and Germany to reduce our world’s vehicle dependency and support a sustainable, livable, and resilient future!