Ella Rasp: Planning and Design Project Manager

Ella (she/her) is a Project Manager for the Planning and Design team, focusing on the creation and improvement of transportation and public spaces. She comes to the team with three years of experience in public sector transportation planning and community engaged research.  

Ella believes good planning and design can give people the tools and inspiration to shape their place. She believes whenever communities come together, there is potential to use our collective creativity to turn challenges or unknowns into opportunity. She has seen these opportunities emerge in her past involvement in street design pilot projects, vertical garden spaces, and events like Open Streets. 

Ella is also a theater artist and has written and acted in a play for the Minnesota Fringe Festival. She enjoys biking and walking around her neighborhood to frequent ice cream shops and yard sales. 

Ella holds a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies and minor in Landscape Design and Planning from the University of Minnesota. During her undergraduate career Ella performed research on engagement for autonomous vehicle pilots and localized responses to new street design projects in global cities. 

Her influences include: Janette Sadik-Khan, Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Lisa Bender, maintenance workers 

Places that have influenced her include: The Grand Rounds in Minneapolis, the Minhocão freeway transformation in São Paulo, the Sidewalk Harp by Target Field in Minneapolis, and Table Mountain in Cape Town, SA.

Contact Ella at: ella@musicantgroup.com