Abigail Alvarez
Planning & Public Policy Class of 2025 / Master of City and Regional Planning Class of 2026
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Certificate: Women’s Leadership
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Hometown: Edison, NJ
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Activities at Rutgers: Co-President, Her Campus Rutgers 2022-2024; School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program; Leadership Scholar, Institute for Women’s Leadership; Rutgers Scarlet Service Internship Program, Summer 2023; Rutgers Scarlet Service – DC, Summer 2024
A passionate urbanist and community-builder, Abigail Alvarez’s path to city and regional planning wasn’t direct, but it led her right where she belonged.
“In the span of one year, I changed schools. I changed majors. I changed career paths,” she said. Originally an English major at The College of New Jersey, Abigail realized she wanted to shift from analyzing novels to advocating for real people through planning and policy. “The strong foundation in writing and critical thinking, paired with my interest in community engagement and social justice, launched my Planning and Public Policy career at Rutgers.”
Raised in Edison, NJ, Abigail found herself drawn to the vibrancy of city life. From a young age, she admired how cities like New York created space for community, creativity, and mobility. “Even though my journey into urban planning didn’t start at the age of five with a Lego in one hand and a toy train in the other, I discovered that my life experiences have always drawn me towards activism, placemaking, and community-building,” she explained.
“As much as I love picnicking in the green space of Hoboken’s waterfront Pier A Park or strolling along the walkway of the Brooklyn Bridge, I am most passionate about ensuring that all communities have access to vibrant, sustainable, and equitable cities.”
Her move to Rutgers was driven by the opportunities offered at the Bloustein School. Pivoting from an English major, she found grant writing an innovative way of applying her writing skills to gain funding for nonprofit and government entities to expand their capacity for providing social services aiding the community. She came across a course at Bloustein, Writing Grant Proposals, which connected her writing skills with meaningful community impact. “I loved my undergraduate courses at Bloustein so much that I decided to pursue the 3-1-1 program and earn my undergraduate and graduate degrees in five years,” she said.
One class that stood out in her academic journey was Designing Healthy Cities with Professor Kelcie Ralph. “Our ‘Healthy City Manifesto’ assignment at the end of our class continues to serve as a guiding torch of inspiration for the work that I do,” she said. “We celebrated with a class-wide gallery walk and potluck; it’s a memory I will always cherish.”
Her internship experiences further solidified her career path. In Summer 2024, she worked in Washington, D.C., as a Policy Analyst for the U.S. Department of Transportation Volpe Center through the Rutgers Scarlet Service DC program. “I reviewed successful grant applications, planned and participated in the annual SMART Summit, and researched how behavioral economics can influence transportation choices,” she said. “It solidified my commitment to advancing innovative transportation initiatives and sparked an interest in smart city advancements.”
Even beyond the workplace, Abigail’s creativity and passion for community continue to shine. As part of her Honors Capstone and Social Action Project, she partnered with the Bloustein School and the Institute for Women’s Leadership to host a three-part symposium titled Mosh n’ Mingle, blending her love for underground music with urban planning. The event featured a panel discussion, an interactive “Find Your Third Space” fair, and a high-energy live music performance that drew nearly 200 attendees.
“I am not only an urban planning nerd, but an avid show-goer,” she said. “I love jumping into a mosh pit and crowd surfing.”
Abigail encourages students to explore the full range of opportunities at the Bloustein School. “Try everything—even if you may not initially be interested in a specific class or internship, give it a chance. Learn how to draw connections between your coursework and your internships.”
Alumni Update
After earning her undergraduate degree, Abigail interned at NJ Transit as a Transportation Planner. “I am a frequent rider of the Northeast Corridor, so being able to impact something I use is incredibly important to me,” she said. “People should feel respected, confident, and safe as public transit riders.”
She continued at Bloustein as part of the 3-1-1 Accelerated Master’s Program. In her second year of graduate school, she was one of six students selected for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council (NYMTC) 9/11 Memorial Research Program. She completed qualitative research with the New York City Department of Transportation Public Realm Team to interview Open Street, Plaza, and Programming partners on how they define, implement, and evaluate a community-centered approach in their public realm practices to foster fair access citywide.
Following completion of her MCRP, she joined the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Leadership Fellow Program, a selective, full-time, two-year rotational program for young professionals to demonstrate their commitment to public service and develop their leadership skills at a government agency.
“For my first rotation, I am in the World Trade Center Department on the Project Delivery team. My role meets at the intersections of public space management, placemaking, strategic planning, and customer experience across the World Trade Center Campus,” she said.
“Thus far, I am most proud of leading the first kids-oriented placemaking activation on the South Oculus Plaza, offering a fun and free opportunity for children to enjoy the public space on campus.” The team’s debut event featured new turf squares, Big Blue Blocks, Street Lab triangle tables/uni-benches, and various art supplies.
“This activation not only gave children the opportunity to unleash their imagination with giant foam building blocks and NYC-themed coloring pages,” she went on, “but it also gave families the opportunity to relax and participate in our new community engagement activity, “The Flowering Feedback Garden.” To motivate people to share their feedback, they asked people to use flower-shaped Post-its for their responses to the question, What activities or amenities would you like to see on the World Trade Center Campus?
“With each response, our interactive map began to bloom even more as we spoke with families visiting from places like Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, India, and many more!” she said. “This community engagement strategy provided an interactive and visually appealing way of attracting people to take part in the feedback process.”
She points to participation in the a graduate studio, led by Dr. Nadia Mian in fall 2025, to help prepare her for her current role. The studio partnered with the Montclair Center Business Improvement District (BID) to conduct a district-wide economic needs assessment, community survey, and provide placemaking recommendations for building a vibrant, community-centered downtown.
“A major focus of the studio included community engagement, including on-street observations of Montclair, in-person tabling/flyering, conversations with BID community/leadership, and conducting a survey of visitors, residents, and property and business owners in the BID,” she explained. “I was able to learn how to interact with the public and other stakeholders, convey the transformative power of placemaking, and learn about community-centered public space strategy, all of which I brought to my new job.”
Now a double alumnus, Abigail full supports networking with fellow Bloustein alumni. “Send a message on LinkedIn! Bloustein alumni are always willing to talk about their career paths and give guidance. They can also provide helpful advice on the many different aspects of urban planning, and help prospective students understand the versatility of the degree program they are in.”
She also advises students that as they prepare for their futures, to not just think about the job — think about their role in the larger community. “Apply to internships early in your journey to figure out what you’d like to pursue full-time. Challenge yourself to remain active and engaged. Join a community committee, board, or organization to further your impact and expertise. I’m part of the MTA Advisory Committee on Transit Accessibility!”