Meet METRANS Lead Student Assistant, Marley Randazzo, second-year Master of Urban Planning student at the University of Southern California’s (USC) Sol Price School of Public Policy. Marley was recently promoted to lead the team after holding valuable positions on the METRANS student workforce as project assistant, design lead for the student newsletter, news writer, and senior project manager. Originally from New York City, Marley specialized in the Growth and Structure of Cities and Economics at Haverford College in suburban Philadelphia. He is fascinated by the transportation field, and is especially drawn to studying “how transportation systems inform our interactions with the built environment: enabling or discouraging social interaction, affecting happiness and anxiety levels, and fueling urban economies.”

While an undergraduate, Marley had the opportunity to intern at MKThink, a San Franciscan urban design firm focusing on the healthcare, education, and nonprofit industries. His senior undergraduate thesis, “San Francisco’s Tech Commuter Shuttles: private influence, grassroots mobilization and commodification in the neoliberal city” also addressed the city’s urban challenges and was a Thesis Award Finalist at Haverford.

Marley is thrilled about studying at USC and can’t believe that he is already halfway through his graduate program. “I am extremely excited to be at USC, both for the opportunity to study at the Price School and learn in Los Angeles,” he shared with us early on in his Price journey. When asked about his stance on transportation in LA and how this ties in with sustainable urbanism, Marley reflected that “the problems here are extremely relevant to the distinctly American urban form. I feel strongly that American cities and their transportation systems have a long way to go to adequately prepare for a sustainable future.”

Marley views transportation as the essence of a city. “How people and goods move is a vital question that is foundational to human advancement and organized life. Growing up in Manhattan, mass transit was a crucial part of my formative years. Traveling as an adult, I am fascinated by different transportation systems and how they facilitate the urban experience,” he elaborated. Marley recognizes transportation’s overlap with general planning processes, and that the two are intertwined when it comes to building successful cities. Because of this, he hopes to “improve transportation systems as a means of creating more efficient, equitable, and sustainable places.”

Marley’s work at METRANS is directly tied to his interests in transportation and urban areas. “Marley has been an invaluable member of both our student team and the METRANS consortium.  In addition to contributing to cutting edge research, he has improved our website, developed our new Fast Facts research summary series, redesigned our METRANS on the Move newsletter, and penned numerous news articles,” shared Associate Director Victoria Deguzman. “When it came time to select a student to lead the overall charge, the decision was easy.  I look forward to him stepping into his new role and know we will all benefit from his insight, creativity, and leadership.  He is a natural for this position.” In addition to his work for the student team, he works directly under METRANS Director Genevieve Giuliano as a Graduate Research Assistant for the Southeast Los Angeles (SELA) Freight Study. Regarding his work, Marley shared that “working at METRANS is a great opportunity to become involved in the transportation field and contribute to a dynamic, collaborative organization that I feel is doing important work promoting a better world.”

About the Author:

Adylbek Abdykalikov is a recent graduate of the Masters of International Public Policy and Management Program at USC Price. He has working experience in various positions at the Ministries of Transport and Communication and Investment and Development of Kazakhstan and was in charge of Transportation and Civil Aviation policy development and implementation. He served as the lead writer to METRANS Newsletter and lead student event coordinator for METRANS and PSR.