Rhonda
Bell
Planner/Urban Designer
Rhonda Bell is an experienced planner and urban designer with a particular focus on transit and transit-oriented development. Her design work throughout her 15 year career reflects a passion and talent for creating more sustainable patterns of living and wellness.
Rhonda’s urban design experience includes a range of projects both ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ of the transit envelope, working on both transit infrastructure as well as adjacent development. She brings extensive experience in all phases of the development process – from initial entitlements to the political aspects of a public process to design and construction. This mix of project experience has given her a deep understanding of the complex and interconnected nature of transportation and development, and convinced her of the necessity of an integrated planning and design process.
Since joining RNL in 2015, Rhonda has lent her expertise to transit projects including the Willowbrook/Rosa Parks Station Improvements, Orange County Streetcar, Frisco Transit Center Master Plan, and Colorado Springs Downtown Station Relocation Study. Prior to joining RNL, Rhonda was an urban planner with AECOM Buildings + Places where her work included Minneapolis Green Line LRT, Edmonton’s SE to W LRT, Denver’s I-225 LRT and Cleveland’s Red Line/Healthline Study.
Rhonda’s life experiences prior to her entering the A/E industry reflect her altruistic nature. She spent time as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco, for example, where she lived in a mud hut in the High Atlas mountains, and provided maternal and child health education. She went on to teach English as a second language (ESL) in Guayaquil, Ecuador. A self-professed “chronically curious” person, she continues to explore new talents and skills every day – from basket weaving to glassblowing to flamenco.