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Bloustein grad brings his passion for urban planning to transit projects in Singapore
By Justine Yu SAS’14
What motivates a student to attend Rutgers? For many with Jersey roots, it’s a good way to stay close to home. For Singaporean Melvin Wah EJB’18, it meant he could take his interests in public transportation and mobility planning to the next level.
Having completed undergraduate studies in London at the School of Oriental and African Studies, focusing on International Development and Geography, Wah then moved to Rutgers to obtain his postgraduate degree. The decision to attend Rutgers was simple — it was one of the top institutions in the U.S. for urban planning, an area that he was always interested in.
“Urban planning has always been at the intersection of my academic interests in subaltern city development and spatial studies. I was deeply interested in mobility, movement, and its associations with economic growth, equity, and accessibility,” Wah said.
The combination of the strong reputation of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy studies in public transportation and mobility planning, and robust industry connections only confirmed that he made the right decision for graduate school.
With his eyes on the grand prize of a career in urban planning, Wah made the most of his time on the banks, and learned a great deal from numerous class assignments. As part of his independent study project during his second year, he designed and implemented a pop-up bike lane in Highland Park, and worked on multiple town master plans like the one in Morristown. By working on a policy report documenting the impact of heatwaves on affordable housing in Elizabeth, he was exposed to the importance of environmental planning.
Rutgers’ prime tri-state area location helped Wah pack two internships into one summer: working with Topology, a planning and urban design firm based in Newark; and also as a Dr. Carl Henry Nacht Fellow with Transportation Alternatives, a nonprofit based in New York City advocating for better policies and urban infrastructure for public transit, cyclists, and pedestrians.
It wasn’t all work for Wah. He remembers how he and his friends had so much passion for the built environment that “we formed our own Tactical Urbanism group called the Guerilla Gorillas (with accompanying hoodies!) at Rutgers.” Its mission was to make small, pop-up, non-permanent changes to the transportation network to make it safer for commuters, cyclists and pedestrians.
After graduation, Wah went back to Singapore to work at the Land Transport Authority, where he has served in a variety of capacities, including improving the walking and cycling connections within Singapore for pedestrians and cyclists. Currently, Wah focuses on industry engagement and development to transition the Singapore automotive industry toward complete electrification. Prior to that, he focused on strategic rail and road projects and how some of the changing trends of work and life will shape future transportation demand.
Wah’s passions for the built environment and land transportation carry into his personal life. In his downtime, Wah focuses on rejuvenating one of the shophouses in which he currently lives. These shophouses are historically important buildings in Singapore that combine Western elements of architecture with Asian tropical building features. Due to their fragility and maintenance difficulty, these buildings often require a second lease on life — but just as Wah has approached urban planning with zeal and vigour, one suspects the shophouse rejuvenation will be a confirmed success.
Photos: Melvin Wah
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