David Dayu Zhang worked with NYMTC staff to research key transportation issues facing the region and to plan regional conferences to address these issues. Under the guidance of NYMTC Executive Director Joel Ettinger, he examined four critical areas related to NYMTC’s shared regional vision: Bus Rapid Transit; safe routes to school; Transit-Oriented Development; and transit for older adults. He helped NYMTC plan the first in a series of policy conferences to provide a forum at which the region’s stakeholders could discuss specific issues and learn more about what other regions are doing to address them. The conference, entitled Good to Go, highlighted transportation options for older adults; it was held on September 26, 2007 at NYU. Mr. Zhang collaborated with NYMTC staff, AARP, and the Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management at the NYU Wagner School to help organize this event.

Update

About his experiences in the September 11th Memorial Program, David wrote, “During the program at NYMTC, I developed myself professionally to better understand the mechanisms of the public sector, and the role of the metropolitan planning organization in this region. I was able to attend meetings at different levels, and meet with different groups of visitors and delegations from the region and even around the world. Besides my work on emerging transportation challenges, I was also able to learn from working with different groups within NYMTC. I worked with the Technical Group, for example, on land use model development and evaluation, which benefited me a lot. This project involved helping evaluate three existing models and developing an RFP for land use model enhancements. This program has been enormously helpful for me both educationally and professionally.” After he completed the September 11th Memorial Program and graduated from Columbia University with a Master of Science in Urban Planning, Mr. Zhang worked for the New York City Office of Management and Budget as a senior analyst for two years. In 2008, Mr. Zhang returned to his home country of China, and is currently working as a vice president for CITIC Securities in Beijing.