top of page
Mike Brown, PE, PTP, AICP
Expert at Placemaking in High-Traffic Situations

"Outside the box" problem solver.

  • Original ideas constructed as first in the nation.

  • Complete Street, Livable Streets Expert

  • TRB's Alternative Intersections Committee (AKD80)

Specialties of Excellence

Mike is an "outside the box" problem solver.​  As a former MPO travel demand modeler and current mixed-use property owner, he is well-versed in both the positive and negative impacts of urban mobility design options.  Mike is an inventive systems designer, with many original ideas recognized as "first in state" or "first in nation."  Mike is a Complete Streets expert, with a unique focus on what he calls "Placemaking Alternative Intersections" that can handle high traffic levels, but also rejuvenate struggling adjacent uses.   

  • Transportation / Land-use Interaction

  • Achieving Mixed-Use in High Traffic Situations

  • Roadway and Transit Forecasting, Planning

  • Network & Corridor Right-Sizing

  • Travel Demand Forecasting (Cube-Voyager)

Achievements
Staff, Header, Achievements.png

Metro Analytics:  Mike founded Metro Analytics in 2009, which has since emerged as a nationally competitive firm specializing in travel demand modeling, economic impact analysis, freight planning, and stakeholder partnership frameworks.  Mike recently retired from Metro to focus more directly on right-sizing, "Placemaking" design and implementation strategies from a new firm, Urban Innovators.  

TRB Alternative Intersections Committee:  Mike's efforts to adapt Alternative Intersections to support livable mixed-use environments was noticed by the Transportation Research Board, and they invited him to serve on their Alternative Intersections Committee (AKD80) starting in 2020.  

Magazines, Strong Towns Articles: Mike's work has been featured in many articles at StrongTowns.org, and his co-authored right-sizing article was the fourth most read article of 2020 in APA's Planning Magazine.  ​

StreetPlan.net Designer: Mike designed the popular StreetPlan.net cross-section right-sizing tool, used by thousands worldwide.  His travel demand modeling has helped the Salt Lake area secure federal funding for numerous transit projects.

RightSize_PlanningMagazineCover, Mike only.jpg
Project Examples
Staff, Header, Projects.png

Utah-Based Travel Demand Modeling (1998 to 2022):  With 8-years at WFRC developing & applying models, Mike is often called upon for forecasts and tools that tell stories and to help secure transit funding. 

​

NCDOT, Adapting Alternative Intersections to Urban Environments (2021-23): Mike is a Principal Investigator for devising design guidelines, graphical renderings, and operational and safety analysis to demonstrate how North Carolina can better accommodate community goals for walkable environments. Below is a Bowtie intersection fit to walkable mixed-use areas.

“Mike Brown has provided great national leadership. He is pioneering new strategies, including alternative intersections, that both improve traffic flow and catalyze walkable development.” 
– Joseph E. Hummer, PhD, PE, NCDOT Chief Traffic Management Engineer, and World’s leading authority on Alternative Intersections

Utah County Grid-Based Buildout Master Architecture (2018):  Mike led the effort to develop methodologies for right-sizing regional networks, and included it as a national best practice in NCHRP 917.  He applied the process to Utah County, and their MPO reports most communities are modifying their plans accordingly

“Mike's new approach to right-sizing regional networks has been a game-changer in Utah County. Our communities see the wisdom not only for automobiles, but also for transit and active modes. We should have been doing this 30 years ago.”
- Shawn Seager, Planning Director, Mountainland Association of Governments

Education and History
Staff, Header, Education_History.png

EDUCATION: 

  • B.S., M.S., Civil Engineering, Brigham Young University, 1997

​

CERTIFICATIONS:

  • Professional Engineer (PE):   UT, #334508-2202   NC, #048332 

  • ITE Prof. Trans. Planner (PTP)

  • American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) #021647

​

NOTEWORTHY HISTORY:

  • Eagle Scout, 2-yr church service mission in Sao Paulo, Brazil

  • 8-years with Wasatch Front Regional Council, MPO for Salt Lake Area

  • 3-years Wilbur Smith Associates (now CDM-Smith)

  • 13-years freelancing and company-building with WCG, Metro Analytics, and Urban Innovators

  • Father of four boys and three girls

bottom of page