Riley O’Brien

Senior analyst

Riley@EstolanoAdvisors.com

Riley is an urban planner focused on transportation equity and environmental justice.

Riley O’Brien joined Estolano Advisors in 2019. He provides support on a variety of projects related to transportation equity, environmental justice, and workforce development. To enhance the California Air Resources Board’s capacity to support applicants to their pilot Sustainable Transportation Equity Project (STEP) grant program, Riley developed ArcGIS templates and coordinated with local governments, nonprofit organizations, and subconsultant staff to develop community maps for STEP grant applications. Riley also supported the City of San Juan Capistrano in creating their first Environmental Justice (EJ) Element by analyzing and mapping demographics, pollution, and public facilities in the City.

In 2020, to support Energy Foundation and the City of Los Angeles in planning for a zero-emissions area (ZEA), Riley interviewed several community leaders to shape the City’s ZEA plan. Riley built upon this effort in 2021 by facilitating a virtual working group of community leaders to identify implementation steps for the ZEA plan. Previously, to help the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) study congestion pricing and related policies, Riley coordinated closely with community leaders to explore equity-based improvements to these policies.

Before joining EA, Riley interned for the Research and Analysis department at SCAG, where he worked with local jurisdictions to finalize land use and transportation data for the 2020 Regional Transportation Plan / Sustainable Communities Strategy. At SCAG, Riley also used ArcGIS to study the relationship between pedestrian and bicycle collision and socioeconomic vulnerability across the region. Riley presented findings from this study at the ESRI User Conference in July 2018.

Riley obtained his Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) degree from UCLA, where he focused on transportation planning and geographic information systems. Previously, he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Sciences and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from UC Berkeley. Outside of work, Riley enjoys writing and producing music, biking along the streets and waterways of Los Angeles, and relaxing with his cats.