Afroza Hossain Misty graduated from Portland State University in 2024 with a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) degree. She now works as an Associate Planner for the City of Columbia, South Carolina. During her time at PSU, she was a student employee of PSU's Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC), where she contributed to transportation research projects by managing survey packaging, online data entry, and data validation processes. She also served as a Mayor Policy-Innovation Fellow for the City of Beaverton, Oregon in 2024.
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What do you do in your current role, and what does a typical day look like?
In my current role as an Associate Planner for the City of Columbia, SC, I get to wear a lot of hats, which makes the work really exciting. I’m the point of contact for our active transportation initiatives, so I manage projects like quarterly bike and pedestrian counts, analyze the data, and put together our annual active transportation report. I also coordinate with community partners for events like Bike Month, which is a great way to connect planning work with the public.
Beyond transportation, I take on a variety of planning responsibilities. I help coordinate the monthly Planning Commission and Zoning Public Hearing meetings by preparing presentations and GIS maps, which allows me to share our work directly with both decision-makers and the community. I’ve also been actively involved in drafting and updating several city plans, including the Trail Standards, Street Furnishing Guide, and Short-Term Rental regulations. In addition, I also track data on permits, annexations, and design review cases throughout the year and compile that information into monthly reports for the Planning Division.
A typical day as an urban planner is never the same, and that’s what I love about it. One moment I might be drafting reports or putting together a presentation, and the next I’m meeting with stakeholders or answering questions from the community. Some days I’m out in the field doing site visits to really see projects in context, and other days I’m diving into data or working with colleagues to move projects forward. This mix of responsibilities gives me the opportunity to contribute both to day-to-day operations and to long-term planning efforts for the City of Columbia.
How did your experience at PSU shape your path into the transportation field?
My experience at PSU played a huge role in shaping my path into the transportation field. I took several transportation-focused courses, such as Public Transportation Planning, Active Transportation Planning, and Transportation Economics, which provided a strong foundation in both theory and practice. I also took a Travel Demand Modeling course, which really strengthened my data analysis skills and helped me see how transportation decisions are guided by evidence.
What made the biggest impact, though, were the course projects. They showed me how to take classroom knowledge and apply it to real-world challenges. For example, in my second-year workshop project, my team explored opportunities for improving active transportation along Sandy Boulevard. As a final product, we designed bike lane recommendations for the corridor. That project not only deepened my technical skills but also allowed me to practice community engagement—bringing together what I had learned in multiple courses. All of these experiences together gave me both the technical expertise and the confidence to pursue transportation planning as a career.
What advice would you give to current students or recent grads interested in a career in transportation?
My biggest advice to current students or recent graduates interested in transportation is to take every opportunity to connect theory with practice. The classroom will give you the technical foundation—whether that’s learning about transit planning, modeling, or policy—but the real growth happens when you apply that knowledge. I’d also recommend getting comfortable with data and GIS because those tools are becoming essential in transportation planning.
And lastly, be flexible. Try working with different types of organizations — like consulting firms, nonprofits, or local and state agencies — whether as a volunteer, intern, or full-time employee. That variety helps you see the full picture of how a transportation project moves from planning all the way to construction.
What’s one project or accomplishment you’re especially proud of in your career so far?
One project I’m especially proud of is my work as a Policy Innovation Fellow for the City of Beaverton, Oregon, where I focused on improving traffic safety. I collaborated closely with the Mayor’s Office and the Public Works Department to update the City’s Traffic Calming Program.
As part of my recommendations, I proposed creating a public website ranking all city streets based on specific safety criteria, making it easier to identify and prioritize problem areas. I also introduced a two-phase policy: first, installing temporary traffic calming measures and collecting community feedback on their effectiveness; and then, if successful, implementing permanent solutions. Additionally, I recommended expanding eligibility for submitting traffic calming requests beyond just residents — to include City staff and Council members who notice safety issues. This would make the process more proactive and responsive.
I’m proud of this project because my proposed framework could reduce project timelines from over two years to about one year, significantly improving efficiency. Even more rewarding was seeing the Transportation Commission and City Council respond positively to my presentation, and the City is now actively working toward adopting the updated policy.
Portland State University's Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) is a multidisciplinary hub for all things transportation. We are home to the Initiative for Bicycle and Pedestrian Innovation (IBPI), the data programs PORTAL and BikePed Portal, the Better Block PSU program, and PSU's membership in PacTrans, the Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium. Our continuing goal is to produce impactful research and tools for transportation decision makers, expand the diversity and capacity of the workforce, and engage students and professionals through education, seminars, and participation in research. To get updates about what's happening at TREC, sign up for our monthly newsletter or follow us on social media