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Our people make the difference.

Derek Abe

Derek has a background in mechanical engineering, environmental science, and urban and regional planning and has experience working for a wide range of agencies in the Portland region including the regional government and regional transit agency. He joined Alta in 2012 and splits his time between planning and design disciplines. His focus is on multimodal systems planning and facility design and plays a lead role in Alta’s Complete Streets, Design Guidance, Transit Access, New Mobility, and Civic Analytics service areas.

“I’ve been intrigued by cities and city life as long as I can remember. As a child I spent much of my time wandering downtown, exploring the city by foot, skateboard, bus, and later by bicycle. I recognized this as the best way to experience my surroundings, and eventually realized that how we get around has tremendous effect on the quality of our urban places, and the quality of life they afford. I came to understand how the ways we move through our environments can contribute to (or diminish) our sense of place and community. My fascination with the sights and sounds, and the interactions and connections to people and place possible with active transportation persists to this day. As a transportation planner I want to work with communities to develop and integrate active transportation into our everyday lives toward more interesting, accessible, and healthy places for everyone.”
  • Registrations + Affiliations
    • American Planning Association
    • Association of Pedestrian and Bicycle Professionals
  • Professional Highlights
    • Adjunct Faculty at Portland State University School of Urban Studies and Planning
    • Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI) Fellow, Oregon Transportation Research and Education Consortium