Mayor Sylvester Turner has appointed David Fields, AICP, as the city of Houston’s first Chief Transportation Planner. Mr. Fields — a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners — will provide strategic leadership for the City’s systems-level transportation planning efforts, including connecting transportation with land use to maximize the economic development for both the city and region. The role will focus on realizing Mayor Turner’s vision of creating a paradigm shift in how Houstonians move in and around the city — moving away from single occupancy vehicles — to a combination of walking, biking, riding transit, and driving.
The Chief Transportation Planner will work in the City’s Planning & Development Department and will coordinate closely with transportation partners such as Houston Public Works, METRO, TxDOT, and the Houston-Galveston Area Council (HGAC).
Fields offers more than 20 years of professional planning experience, most recently as a Principal Planner with Nelson\Nygaard Associates, an innovative planning firm that emphasizes connecting people to jobs, education, and all components of daily life. He led the firm’s multimodal practice, in which he developed implementable mobility solutions that improve access by all modes, specifically based on local values and aspirations. Key clients have included the cities and transit agencies in New York, New Orleans, and San Francisco, with notable award-winning plans in Washington, D.C., Cleveland, Ohio, and Abu Dhabi, UAE.
“Houston needs a Chief Transportation Planner who can create safe and efficient transportation options for all Houstonians. I am confident that David Fields will break down the silos and fully integrate the city’s mobility solutions with all our partners,” Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “He will also be instrumental in making Vision Zero a reality, allowing the city to eliminate — or significantly reduce — deaths and serious injuries caused by automobile crashes by the year 2030.”
Fields earned a BA from Binghamton University and a master’s in urban planning from New York University.
“Transportation can change people’s lives. Doing it right starts by making sure every Houstonian can safely cross the street and ends when everyone can safely and easily connect from their home to their job, their school, and all Houston has to offer,” said Fields. “I look forward to working with every neighborhood, so transportation serves their needs.”
Fields first day with the city of Houston is Monday, February 24, 2020.