Jeff Knowles, AICP
- Principal
- Based In Oakland
Easy access to affordable transportation has enriched my life. Growing up in Austin, Texas, my bike provided me with the freedom to move, exercise, and explore my neighborhood with friends. Biking served me well until I turned sixteen and traded in my bike for a driver’s license. It wasn’t until I moved to Philadelphia after college that I sold my car and bought a bike. The cost and headache of owning a car had finally caught up to me. With the help of more experienced riders, I re-learned how to bike safely in a dense urban setting. Not without occasional aggravation, I found biking to be more fun and convenient than driving. In Oakland, my daily commute is a bit more multi-modal. I ride the bus for most of my trip and close the last mile or so by walking, riding bike share, or taking an e-scooter. I am honored to be working every day to help communities expand affordable, convenient, and fun options for transportation.
Biography
Jeff has ten years of experience leading high profile, implementation-focused pedestrian, bicycle, and trail master plans. To put these plans into action, Jeff has helped raise over $40 million in competitive grant funding for the communities he serves. Committed to authentic and inclusive community engagement, Jeff has co-created planning activities in partnership with community-based organizations that have engaged thousands of residents in the form of workshops, charrettes, open-streets events, and temporary pilot projects (tactical urbanism). Before joining Alta, Jeff served as a regional advisor for Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources where he helped manage a statewide grant program and built public-private coalitions to fund trails, park, and open space improvements across the Greater Philadelphia region. Based in Oakland, California, Jeff enjoys hiking the Bay Area’s world-class trail system with his wife Lisa and daughter Emmylou.