I can recall the first time I tried to ride my bicycle to work. I had a great deal of trouble navigating the streets of NW Portland. While I made it to work, I did not ride my bike from that house again. Several months later, I found myself living across town in more bike friendly SE Portland. After a stressful drive home from work one day, I decided to try again. This time it stuck. That was in the late 90s. I have ridden my bike to work or school nearly every single day since then. I have even ridden it more than 5,000 miles across seven countries in Asia (Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, China, Pakistan and India) and two in Central America (Nicaragua and Costa Rica). I am the perfect example of a person with no prior interest in bicycling who was brought along unknowingly by the hard work of advocates, officials and planners before them. I am very pleased to now be in a position where I can help bring the joys of bicycling to others.
Matt brings strong skills in data analysis, written and verbal communication, citizen involvement and project management. He has also spent more than two years working and living in Latin America and Asia and understands how the nuances of place impact planning problems and solutions. Matt has put his international experience to good use at Alta, working on projects in Canada, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates. Matt is keenly interested in bicycle research, a subject on which he has presented at national conferences and gained experience through his project work and involvement in researching methods for incorporating bicycles into the regional travel demand model in the Portland metropolitan area.
Recent Projects
- Guadalajara, Mexico Non-Motorized Transportation Plan
Matt is currently working on a bicycle and pedestrian master plan for Guadalajara, Mexico. The Guadalajara metropolitan area is home to more than 4 million residents. Partnering with two Mexican consulting firms, the project team is utilizing Alta's demand model to prioritize projects to improve bicycle and pedestrian mobility throughout the city. Matt's work on this project includes conducting field work, designing context specific solutions for accommodating bicycles on Mexican roads, and participating in extensive community outreach campaigns. - Pedestrian Safety and Mobility Action Plan for Dubai
The Regional Transport Authority of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contracted Alta to develop a Pedestrian Safety and Mobility Action Plan suited to the unique conditions of this rapidly expanding metropolis. Matt was responsible for performing a detailed review of existing documents and legislation, researching international best practices in pedestrian safety measures and for completing a significant portion of the final action plan. - Dry Creek Greenway Bike Trail Planning & Feasibility Study
Alta Planning + Design was hired by the City of Roseville, California to conduct a trail planning and feasibility study for a proposed 4.25 mile multi-use path beside three different creeks. Matt assisted in documenting existing conditions to identify potential opportunities and barriers to the construction of the trail. Matt also developed an online survey to facilitate citizen input into the planning process. - Leon, Mexico Bicycle Master Plan
Matt was a key member of the project team completing a bicycle master plan in León, Mexico. León is a medium sized city of approximately 1 million people and has one of the highest rates of bicycling in Mexico. This project utilized Alta’s bicycle demand model to ascertain demand for bicycling around the city and prioritize facility investments. Matt’s Spanish speaking ability enabled him to work closely with our Mexican partner firms and the client. He participated in all aspects of the planning process, completing field work to assess existing conditions, performing a sophisticated analysis of bicycle count data and designing high priority project facilities. - Seaside (OR) Transportation System Plan
Seaside is a small town that sits on the northern portion of the beautiful Oregon Coast. Mr. Berkow worked on the bicycle and pedestrian portion of Seaside’s transportation system plan (TSP). Because much of Seaside sits in a Tsunami Zone, this project included the development of critical evacuation routes to higher ground. - Everett (WA) Bicycle Master Plan Implementation
Everett is a medium sized city approximately 30 miles north of Seattle. Mr. Berkow is working with the City of Everett to create a bicycle implementation plan that will serve as a roadmap for bringing the theoretical bicycle network found in its comprehensive plan into reality. Mr. Berkow has participated in all aspects of this project, from conducting field work and stakeholder interviews to planning and facilitating public meetings to prioritizing proposed facilities. - Swan Island/Albina Connector Transportation Feasibility Study
Alta worked with the Portland, OR Bureau of Planning and Sustainability to develop and evaluate potential alternative alignments for a non-motorized transportation connection in proximity to an active rail yard. Mr. Berkow developed and applied evaluation criteria to provide the city with a clear understanding of the three proposed alignments.
Selected Presentations & Trainings
- Berkow, M., “Using Bicycle Count Data to Measure Use of Existing Bicycle Facilities in Portland, Oregon.” Transportation Research Board, 88th Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., January 2009.
- Berkow, M., El-Geneidy, A., Bertini, R., and Crout, D., “Beyond Generating Transit Performance Measures: Visualizations and Statistical Analysis Using Historical Data.” Transportation Research Board, 88th Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., January 2009.
Selected Publications
- Berkow, M., Monsere, C., Koonce, P., Bertini, R.L., and Wolfe, M., “Prototype for Data Fusion Using Stationary and Mobile Data Sources for Improved Arterial Performance Measurement.” Transportation Research Record No. 2099, pp. 102-112, 2009.
- Berkow, M., Zaninovich, G., “Voices of Oregonians: The Oregon Land Use Stories Project.” Oregon Planners Journal, Vol. 25, No. 6, November/December 2007, pp. 1-11.
Other Related Experience
- Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium (OTREC) Scholar, 2006-2007 and 2007-2008.
- American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) 2007 Student Project of the Year.
