51ÁÔĆć

Mobilizing Regions: Workforce Rideshare and Regional Transit

Dave Steel

An Innovative Cities Lecture

Columbus and Milwaukee are illustrating how innovative transit solutions can strengthen regional connectivity, expand access to opportunity, and serve as models for communities nationwide. 

Since 1992, MobiliSE has championed innovative ways to connect Southeast Wisconsin through a range of transportation alternatives. Learn about their regional strategies and how these efforts led to FlexRide Milwaukee, a groundbreaking on-demand workforce transportation service that has already helped nearly 5,000 people reach jobs in nearby suburbs. 

In Columbus, Ohio, the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) is reshaping regional mobility with initiatives like bus rapid transit expansion, first/last mile connections, and partnerships with community organizations. These efforts are improving access to employment centers, food markets, and essential services—demonstrating how coordinated transportation planning can drive both economic growth and equity. 

Biographies

Dave Steele serves as the Executive Director of MobiliSE. Under Dave’s leadership, MobiliSE has grown its impact as a convener and advocate, spearheading the development and launch of FlexRide Milwaukee, an on demand workforce transportation service that has helped 5,000 Milwaukeeans access jobs since its launch in 2022. 

Prior to leading MobiliSE, Dave worked in K-12 education reform, serving as President & CEO of PAVE, a school support organization in Milwaukee. He holds a Masters Degree in Urban Planning from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a Bachelors in Political Science from University of Wisconsin-Madison. He also holds a certificate from Harvard Business School’s Social Enterprise Insitute, a global network of public and non profit leaders working toward systems change.  

Dave is a Milwaukee native, a regular transit rider, and resides on the West Side of Milwaukee with his wife and three kids. 

Devayani Puranik is the Director Development Programs at the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), where she leads high-impact initiatives that shape the planning, developing, and delivery of innovative mobility solutions- such as COTA’s on-demand service, COTA//Plus. Her work focuses on strategic coordination and change management to improve customer experience and advance transit accessibility through major regional efforts like LinkUS. 

Prior to joining COTA, Puranik served as a Senior Planner for the City of Dublin, where she spearheaded key efforts including the Legacy Office Revitalization Plan, Mobility Study, and the Dublin 2035 Framework. She was also a core member of the city’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force and led numerous cross-functional innovation and process improvement projects. Her earlier work with the City of Columbus involved directing long-range land use planning initiatives to support inclusive, sustainable growth. 

Puranik holds dual master’s degrees in City and Regional Planning and Environmental Science from The Ohio State University and is a certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. She brings a systems-thinking approach to her leadership, rooted in equity, efficiency, and public service. 

AICP-CM credits:

Architecture graduate turns internship into full time role

Haley Grube (MArch 2025) has been hired at Appleton-based project management firm Hoffman Planning, Design, & Construction as a designer. Grube is part of a company initiative to promote college interns into full-time employees’ post-graduation. Grube began working under Hoffman as an intern during summer 2022, since becoming a project designer for the company.

Preserving the past: Bader Philanthropies supports student work at Herstmonceux Castle

Two students wearing hard hats shine the light of a device onto a wall that is adorned with ornamental detail.

This fall, students will return to Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England, thanks to a generous grant from Bader Philanthropies. The funding supports a unique, field-based seminar led by the Historic Preservation Institute (HPI) focused on documenting the 15th-century brick structure, one of the oldest of its kind in Europe.

Through hands-on work in laser scanning, photogrammetry and Building Information Modeling (BIM), students will produce high-resolution drawings, 3D models and immersive visualizations to aid in future conservation efforts.

The course combines a two-week intensive field session in the U.K. with a semester-long studio back in Milwaukee, where students will refine data and develop final deliverables. HPI Director Matt Jarosz and Adjunct Assistant Professor Amanda Wagner will lead the seminar.

“It’s not common to get to work on a project as unique and beautiful as Herstmonceux Castle,” said Teresa Klopp, a recent Master of Architecture graduate who participated in last year’s seminar. “The collaboration between students was incredible. We all learned so much and gained vital skills that could not have been acquired without this perfect combination of location, project and people.”

Other students reflected on the lasting academic and personal impact of the experience.

“The hospitality we received at the castle was amazing,” said Felipe Paez. “Seeing the structures I had studied for so long in person was a magical moment.”

Emily Leahy added that the work sparked new research interests in the use of LiDAR and drone data to document and preserve vulnerable heritage sites.

Herstmonceux Castle

Designed as a pilot for future international field documentation courses at 51ÁÔĆć, the seminar offers students a chance to contribute meaningfully to global preservation efforts while gaining industry-ready skills.

“The Institute plays a critical role in the preservation, restoration, and adaptive reuse of our built environment,” said Elysse Newmann, Dean of the College of the Arts & Architecture. “How we steward the world of yesterday is a strong predictor of the world of tomorrow.”

The documentation package produced this fall will be shared with Bader College and Queen’s University, ensuring the impact of this student work reaches beyond the classroom and across continents.

Alex Timmer featured on WPR segment about mass-timber buildings

Fall leaves are seen near the Ascent MKE building Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In a recent episode of The Larry Meiller Show, the discussion on home improvement and sustainable building materials includes insight from Associate Professor Alex Timmer. The conversation covers the rise of engineered, load-bearing wood called “mass timber” as an alternative to steel and concrete. Timmer details its emergence and specific applications in projects, such as Milwaukee’s “The Edison,” the latest mass timber project that will be the tallest mass timber building in the United States.

This is the second time Timmer has lent his expertise of mass timber, to discuss the country’s current tallest mass timber building, “The Ascent,” also in Milwaukee.

Listen to the segment on .

SARUP students design inflatable sculptures for ArtBlaze

A colorful inflatable installation

In collaboration with Milwaukee-based FuzzPop Workshop, students from 51ÁÔĆć’s School of Architecture & Urban Planning brought bold, inflatable sculptures to life for ArtBlaze, a beachside summer series at McKinley Beach. A partnership among FuzzPop, Joy Engine and Professor Whitney Moon’s elective studio, the project invited students to translate their architectural skills into a playful public art installation that activated the shoreline and engaged audiences through scale, movement and design.

Master of Architecture student Haley Grube spoke with TMJ4’s James Groh about the collaboration, highlighting how exciting it was to partner with FuzzPop Workshop to turn their designs into a reality.

Read the full story on .

Archinect features Tiantian Xu’s work with students through Marcus Prize Studio

Group gathered around a laptop at a worktable, reviewing content together in a studio setting with tools, shelves, and equipment visible in the background.

Archinect offers an in-depth look at architect Tiantian Xu’s Spring 2025 Marcus Prize studio at 51ÁÔĆć’s School of Architecture & Urban Planning.

The Beijing-based founder of DnA_Design and Architecture led the semester-long graduate studio with SARUP assistant professor Sam Schuermann, translating her award-winning approach to rural revitalization in China to a post-industrial site in Marinette, Wisconsin. Students explored architectural interventions at the Hattie Street Dam, applying Xu’s method of “architectural acupuncture” to regional ecological, social, and cultural questions.

The story, written by Niall Patrick Walsh, details how Xu and Schuermann challenged students to take ownership of their work, navigate cross-cultural design dialogues, and think expansively about infrastructure and community resilience.

In addition to the studio, Xu delivered a public lecture and exhibition as part of the $100,000 Marcus Prize, which Archinect describes as “one of the most generous prizes in the architecture world.”

Read the full story on .

Architecture professor works with History Project team to reunite pioneers of Milwaukee’s queer scene with historical venue

In a feature by Michail Takach for OnMilwaukee, Assistant Professor Adam Thibodeaux is recognized for his role in reconnecting former patrons of Milwaukee’s historic Neptune Club with the long-vacant building that once housed the venue. Working alongside the LGBTQ History Project, Thibodeaux contributes architectural insight and contextual research to support the group’s preservation efforts.

“The intention behind establishing a partnership between SARUP and the Wisconsin LGBTQ History Project was primarily as an extension of my efforts to establish reciprocal relationships between academia and activist practices,” Thibodeaux explains.

Read the full story on .

Student showcase event draws public attention on I‑794 removal concepts

Architectural scale model on a table showing simplified buildings and streets, with viewers and presentation boards visible in the background.

A team of students from 51ÁÔĆć’s School of Architecture & Urban Planning is collaborating with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to develop removal concepts for Milwaukee’s I‑794 corridor. Overseen by Associate Professor Carolyn Esswein and Professor Emeritus Larry Witzling, the project offered students hands-on experience in urban planning and design.

Featured in articles by Jessica Gatzow in WTMJ and Jeremy Jannene in Urban Milwaukee, the coverage highlights the intensive design and coordination work by students, including Dulce Carreno, a MUP/MArch candidate. Their efforts contribute to envisioning new urban spaces and neighborhoods as part of long-term infrastructure transformation.

Read more on or .

SARUP faculty help shape the future of Milwaukee’s RiverWalk

As Milwaukee expands its RiverWalk, Carolyn Esswein (Associate Professor and Co-Chair, Urban Planning) highlights opportunities to strengthen its role as public space. In a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel feature, Esswein emphasizes the value of placemaking and integrated design—such as murals, community-facing ground floors, and lighting—to connect residential growth with civic life along the water. Her insight reflects SARUP’s commitment to planning cities that are inclusive, walkable, and alive with possibility.

Read the article at .

Public event showcases student design concepts for a reimagined I-794 spur

A student points to a poster display while the public engages with the work.

Architecture and Urban Planning students from 51ÁÔĆć explored the long-term potential that could result from a possible removal of I-794. Their designs were shared with the public at an Open House event on Thursday at 3rd Street Market Hall.

Through an Urban Design Seminar course, students developed design concepts of what the land under and adjacent to the I-794 corridor can become over a 30-year timeline, including new development opportunities, public spaces, transit upgrades, and stronger street connections between downtown and the Third Ward.

Notably, the city could see upwards of $100 million in annual tax revenue based on evaluations made by the students of the total assessment value of these new developments. Comparatively, a replacement of the freeway with no significant development would result in $0 economic benefit, according to their analysis.

Carolyn Esswein (Associate Professor and Co-Chair, Urban Planning) and Dr. Larry Witzling (Professor Emeritus, Architecture) serve as faculty advisors for the Urban Design Seminar. Plans developed by students are based on initial ideas presented by volunteer advocacy group, Rethink 794. Members of the group served as reviewers throughout the semester.

Students who presented work: Seth Amland, Molly Burns, Michael Burrows, Dulce Carreno, Drake Dahlinghaus, Colin Flanner, Erik Heisel, Isabelle Jardas, Luke Koelsch, Isabella Lemieux, Shane O’Neil, Gordy Russell, Carl Sveen, and Gabriel Zaun.

Student proposals are organized into two groups, each with a unique master plan that portrays new neighborhoods, different types of streets, and a wide range of increased economic benefits and impacts. The plans follow the basic traffic and transportation recommendations portrayed in the draft WisDOT freeway replacement concepts.

Currently, WisDOT is planning to undertake a large-scale Environmental Impact Study (EIS) that may be completed after 2026. Historically, WisDOT’s does not include concepts for post-freeway land use and development, making the students’ concepts critical elements in the future of the I-794 corridor.

The 51ÁÔĆć School of Architecture & Urban Planning has a history of influence with this type of work, with student projects informing significant developments in greater Milwaukee. The removal of the Park East freeway, now home to the Fiserv Forum and adjacent developments, began as a student project.

With renewed focus on the future of I-794, a possible removal could be the next example of 51ÁÔĆć students and faculty leading the way to reclaim territory once dedicated to highways with the goal of creating a better urban environment.