Peter Feroe participated in an internship under the Academic Initiative with the Westchester County Department of Planning, focusing on Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) opportunities in the I-287 Corridor. He was supervised by then Deputy Commissioner (now Commissioner) Ed Buroughs of Westchester County’s Department of Planning. His academic advisor was Professor Ingrid Gould Ellen of New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

In his internship, Peter assisted the communities of Westchester in advancing the principles of TOD in the I-287 corridor in anticipation of the construction of a new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) route within the corridor as part of a potential major investment involving the replacement of the Tappan Zee Bridge. This effort included developing and making presentations to municipal officials on the subjects of BRT and TOD; launching a website; and creating an interactive catalog of route and station alternatives. Peter worked closely with the Tappan Zee Bridge project team, including representatives from NYSDOT; MTA Metro-North Railroad; the NYS Thruway Authority; Project for Public Spaces; Regional Plan Association; and ReConnecting America. 

Update

After graduating with a Master of Urban Planning degree from NYU’s Wagner School in 2009, Peter Feroe took a position with MTA Bus as a Sustainability Analyst. In his position, Peter works on the development, collection, analysis, organization and presentation of data and information related to sustainability in all aspects of bus operations (including fuels, vehicles, facilities, training and recycling). Through this work, he continues to contribute to regional transportation needs as well as helps to advance the United States DOT’s new livability goals.

Peter indicated that his experience in the September 11th Memorial Program helped him gain a more in-depth knowledge of the issues involved with transit operations and 26 service delivery. He feels that it also helped him to develop a better understanding of the interactions between a community and their transit systems, and has benefited his current work in advancing the livability goals.

Peter also noted that he takes pride in the work he performed as part of his September 11th Memorial Program. He felt that his project sponsor supported his project’s goals and integrated the work that he was doing into the other work of the department. “I truly felt like I was part of a team and was contributing not only to the completion of my project, but to the overall body of work of the department. In fact, much of my work is still being used on the department’s website, www.westchestergov. com/brt, in order to further educate the public.” He feels that his experience exceeded his expectations.