Making the world a better, and more walkable, place

Three semesters into her Purdue education, Alisa Tilson did something that many students do — she changed her major.

Initially enrolled in first-year engineering and drawn to environmental engineering, she was also intrigued by a program one of her sorority sisters studied: natural resources and environmental science (NRES). She transferred and discovered the right fit for her.

“My classes were hands-on and felt more tangible to me,” Tilson said. She enjoyed studying birds in ichthyology class and doing an inventory of fish found in the Wabash River.

John Graveel, professor emeritus of agronomy and former director of the NRES program, also stands out in her memory. She appreciated the ways he challenged her and her classmates.

“You had to be prepared for his class because he would call on you,” Tilson said. “If you didn’t know the answer, he’d call on you again the next week. It’s definitely one of those things you learned, and it’s a strategy that works!”

Much like finding the right major, Tilson, who graduated in 1996, found early jobs were opportunities to learn what she liked and gain experience. In her first job, she conducted environmental site assessments to identify potential contaminants and any necessary remediation prior to land redevelopment.

Next, she worked as a CAD technician at an engineering firm in hopes of eventually joining their wetlands group. She pursued her master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Illinois Chicago and subsequently began working as an urban planner.

The second firm where she worked in that role had a contract to loan staff to the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT). After only six months on the job, she was asked to fill in at CDOT for a colleague on maternity leave.

The colleague returned to the job, but Tilson never left. She still works for CDOT’s Livable Streets program.

“We create great spaces for people to live, work and play,” Tilson said. “We enhance neighborhood commercial corridors by improving the public infrastructure to promote economic development and walkability.”

Tilson seeks to create unique spaces and neighborhoods that people want to hang out in. She oversees a team of eight consultants, housed at CDOT, who work alongside city employees to manage the design and construction of the entire right-of-way, including pavement, sidewalks, gutters, streetlights and enhancements like planters, flowers, trees and community identifiers.

Projects include extensive community engagement. “We partner with communities to make sure that what we’re building is something they actually want and will use,” Tilson said. “We ask, ‘Where are your pain points in this area? And what can we do to fix them?’”

One of her favorite recent projects is in Pilsen, along Blue Island Avenue between 18th and 21st streets. The team removed a lane of traffic, designing a one-way street with a bike lane and parking for the city’s bikeshare program.

A bumped-out sidewalk created more space for people to gather. “That space is being activated by the neighborhood,” Tilson said. “We created the space for businesses to have outdoor seating by applying for café permits.”

Curbs and gutters were replaced, and pedestrian safety improved. Other streetscape elements include placemaking signs and new benches, streetlights and trash receptacles. New trees shade a sidewalk pattern including blue tile that reflects the Mexican heritage of many of the neighborhood’s residents. 

Reflecting on her path, Tilson says, “You know, whether it’s through changing your major or getting laid off at a job, be open to opportunities when they present themselves — or seek them out. Make those connections with people, because they can take you to a career path that you weren’t even aware of or an advanced degree that you’ve never heard of before.”

For students interested in urban planning, she advises earning that degree in the city where they’d like to work, an advantage for securing a job afterward.

When you look at her degrees, Tilson said, they might not initially appear closely related. “But urban design is very much related to sustainability, in terms of how you use natural resources. Working and living in cities is actually a bit more on the sustainable side, just through public transportation. You don’t have to own a car; you can easily get around by bike, bus, train and walking.”