By Ann Hoevel | January 26, 2026

Heather Mase (MCRP/MS-GIST’23) took an intentional and practical approach to her capstone research. She contacted a nonprofit advocacy organization whose work focused on transportation and safety and asked about their most vexing problems. As a dual-degree student in the School of City and Regional Planning, Mase would then conduct data-driven research to find solutions.

What Mase created through her research was not just an “A” paper, it was transformative. Following in the footsteps of fellow Masters of City and Regional Planning graduates, like Ryan Gravel, her capstone report changed the landscape of Atlanta.

After speaking with Rebecca Serna at Propel ATL, Mase settled on the topic of Leading Pedestrian Intervals. “Leading pedestrian intervals, or LPIs, turn on the walk signal at least three seconds before drivers get a green light,” Mase wrote as a guest blogger for PropelATL. “That means that for those three seconds, pedestrians get to start crossing the street before turning cars go — they get to ‘lead.’ This brief but crucial head start improves pedestrian visibility and safety considerably, by reducing possible collisions with turning vehicles.”

“LPIs are a relatively simple fix, but they can make a real difference for pedestrian safety. The challenge is often figuring out where to implement them, so this process helps identify high-priority intersections using both data and stakeholder input,” she said.

Mase was able to get pedestrian and traffic data that wasn’t publicly available through her contact at PropelATL, Rebecca Serna. Mase then used her lessons in Geographic Information Science (GIS) and her experience in Associate Professor Clio Andris’ Friendly Cities Lab to independently develop a framework that analyzes Atlanta intersections and rank their safety for pedestrians.

“We learn how to make maps that communicate facts quickly and easily,” Andris, Mase’s advisor said. “Students like Heather learn things like color theory (such as using red for danger), clean design (such as removing excess text, or using transparency to help people see what is underneath a map symbol), and hierarchies (such as making certain roads thicker or thinner).”

“Heather was also in the first Urban Analytics class we taught. It teaches students how to harness big data through APIs and web scraping and analyze data using the R programming language.”

Mase’s work in the Master of City and Regional Planning program helped her focus on factors such as road design, pedestrian demand, and equity.

“Planning students are drawn to our field because they want to have tangible, practical impacts on communities,” Paige Clayton, director of the MCRP program said. “Heather’s work epitomizes how research conducted at Georgia Tech can have this impact, and quickly. Our central location within Atlanta means these kinds of opportunities are boundless.”

The School’s network of alumni and city connections was also a factor in Mase’s success. While Serna provided access to data, she also encouraged Mase to present her findings to a broader audience. It was through Serna that Mase met fellow MCRP alumnus Cole Smith, an AtlantaDOT Vision Zero Manager.

As part of Atlanta’s Vision Zero program, Smith works to reduce traffic deaths in Atlanta completely by the year 2040. It was through this connection that the AtlantaDOT used Mase’s research to prioritize LPIs.

“This project was one of the first times I saw my academic work translate into something truly meaningful and tangible for the community. It’s a great example of what can happen when researchers, advocates, and agencies collaborate to move an idea from analysis to implementation, and it has been exciting to see this work spark conversations about replicating the approach in other jurisdictions,” Mase said. 

“I’m proud that my work has played a part in the larger effort to make Atlanta a safer place for pedestrians.”

Mase is now on the partnerships team at Uber Transit and certified with the American Institute of Certified Planners. She stays in touch with PropelATL as a volunteer.