Work by Jennifer Cao

Student

Jennifer Cao (M.R.P. '20)

Hometown

Lynnwood, Washington

Jennifer Cao is a graduate of the Master of Regional Planning program at Cornell University. In her exit project, she focuses on gender inequity in urban cycling, the socio-cultural factors determining transit usage, and proposing methods in support of transportation justice. As a woman cyclist who bikes almost every day, particularly as a woman of color, she realized there were not many people like her using a bike. This urged her to explore why that was and how cycling, among other modes of transportation, can become a valid form of sustainable transit, especially in cities facing issues of traffic congestion and systemic public transit failures. Transportation has historically played a vital role in the formation of urban societies. Improving not only biking but also walking and public transit can have a positive impact on public health and a community’s quality of life.

Jennifer currently works as an Urban Planning Coordinator with the Everett Station District Alliance to design a live-work-play neighborhood for the anticipated Link Rail Extension. She has interned at the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) as an Active Transportation Coordinator, working to understand how government agencies create and maintain roads. She also partook in a workshop with the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC) in reimagining the transportation of rock salt from trucking to barging. In these projects, she understood the importance of managing stakeholder relationships and community outreach in developing such projects.

Prior to attending Cornell, Jennifer received a Bachelor of Arts in Law, Economics, and Public Policy from the University of Washington.

For more information on Jennifer Cao’s exit project, Bridging the Gender Gap in Urban Cycling, please contact crpinfo@cornell.edu.

“Bridging the (gender) gap thus becomes not just a problem of public service and social stigma, but of the utmost importance is the inclusion of diverse group of users in discussions of city planning. The normalization of an ecological, sensitive approach to planning could start to better address gender issues in transportation.”

—Excerpt from Bridging the Gender Gap in Urban Cycling

Infographic of a city center with colorful overlays depicting new project sites.

A master plan created for an urban design studio led by WXY Architecture + Design and the NYC Department of City Planning, with Onam Bisht (M.R.P./M.L.A. '20).

Infographic featuring images of a city and street views of cars and stop signs.

A quick analysis and massing of a newly proposed zoning code.

Map outlining the Puget Sound region with colorful coding around the shoreline.

GIS map projecting the future traffic volume in the Puget Sound region of Washington state between 2000 and 2030. Map depicts the increase and decrease of traffic volume in comparison to the existing land-use as of 2018.