Portfolio

Creating Public Value

I am a researcher and practitioner of American politics, policy, and administration by profession, and I am an urbanist and social scientist by passion. My applied work spans management consulting, policy analysis, program evaluation, and urban planning. I promote multidisciplinary, community-based problem solving in state and local governments, nonprofit organizations, and research associations. Learn about my research, teaching, and service at ctburks.com.

Improving mobility and increasing freedom of movement is the focus of my recent applied work. I have advanced mobility in Birmingham through the gamut of public policy, urban planning, and project management.

As a Birmingham Planning Commissioner and as the president of the Alabama Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), I advocate for infrastructure that serves all modes of transportation and people of all abilities.

I worked with Chief Planner Tim Gambrel to draft the City of Birmingham’s Complete Streets Ordinance which was adopted by the City Council on March 6, 2018. Then I worked with Director James Fowler at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s facilities division to implement a complete street road diet at 10th Ave S while writing grant proposals to do more public and active transportation improvements.

Most recently I worked as a public policy analyst with Birmingham City Councilor Darrell O’Quinn, an avid cyclist and chair of the transportation committee. We worked on introducing new transportation options such as public ride-sharing by Via branded Birmingham On-Demand, shared micromobility with designated street parking (dockless bikes, electric scooters, and mopeds), and bus rapid transit (BRT) branded Birmingham Xpress.

UAB: Building a Multimodal Urban Campus

I coordinated over $3 million in intergovernmental funds for the University of Alabama at Birmingham including project grants for Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) and Advanced Planning, Programming, and Logical Engineering (APPLE). I wrote our proposal for the Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) and supported planning for a multimodal campus network with green bike lanes and improved pedestrian facilities. Our work achieved UAB’s first recognition from the League of American Bicyclists with the Bronze Bicycle Friendly University Award.

City of Birmingham: Complete Streets Ordinance

I worked with Chief Planner Tim Gambrel to develop the City of Birmingham's complete streets ordinance which was adopted by the City Council on March 6, 2018. This ordinance ensures that new street designs are inclusive and that the street network accommodates all modes of transportation. My policy analysis mitigated political and engineering concerns about the impact of complete street design on traffic. Further, I quantified the positive effects of complete streets on public safety, public health, sustainability, and economic development. My report includes strategic placemaking projects for pedestrian, bicycle, and bus rapid transit corridors, and concludes with policy recommendations for increasing return on investment; namely, mixed-use zoning, form-based codes, and shared mobility.

Congresswoman Sewell: Housing Resources

As a Public Policy Fellow, I developed the comprehensive Housing Resources Guide so Alabamians can find needed assistance. This guide includes all federal and state programs in addition to all housing authorities, local resources, and nonprofit services in Alabama's 7th Congressional District. Serving on Congresswoman Sewell's staff was a great honor. I provided constituent services and case management in her Birmingham office.