Dakota Tryhuba

Urban Studies master's student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Tell us a little about yourself, including what inspires you to learn and continue in your chosen field

I’m a Master of Urban Studies student and a Planning Analyst in Transportation Planning at the City of Surrey. My job puts me close to decisions about which sidewalks, crossings and bike routes get built, and when. Over time I became curious about the rules sitting behind those decisions, especially how a city’s funding tools steer where walking and cycling improvements end up. Graduate school has given me space to study that question carefully and to test my own assumptions as a practitioner. What keeps me going is the idea that small changes in how cities pay for infrastructure could make it easier for people in suburban neighbourhoods to get around without a car.

Why did you choose to come to SFU?

I wanted to keep working while I studied, and SFU’s Urban Studies Program is set up for that. Courses run in the evenings at the Vancouver campus, and many of my classmates bring their own work in planning and policy into the seminar room. The program is also deeply rooted in Metro Vancouver, so research about a place like Surrey feels at home here.

How would you describe your research or your program to a family member?

Cities pay for a lot of new sidewalks and bike lanes with fees charged on new development. Those fees have to go toward projects that serve growth. Fixing gaps in older neighbourhoods often has to compete for other, tighter budgets. I’m studying how that split shapes which walking and cycling projects actually get built in Surrey, and what it means for people living in established parts of the city.

What three (3) keywords would you use to describe your research?

Active Transportation, Municipal Finance, Suburban Retrofit

How have your courses, RA-ships, TA-ships, or non-academic school experiences contributed to your academic and/or professional development?

My coursework, campus role and job have all fed into one another. A paper I started in a transportation and urban development course grew into my first international conference presentation. Outside of class, I work as a GIS Graduate Peer with the SFU Library’s Research Commons, helping graduate students across disciplines bring mapping and spatial analysis into their research, from finding the right data to designing a clear map. Talking people through their projects has sharpened my ability to explain technical ideas in plain language, a skill I use constantly at the City of Surrey. My job, in turn, gives me a close view of how capital plans and funding rules play out day to day, and my studies have given me better tools to explain why things unfold the way they do.

Have you been the recipient of any major or donor-funded awards? If so, please tell us which ones and a little about how the awards have impacted your studies and/or research

Yes. My thesis research is supported by a Canada Graduate Research Scholarship – Master’s (CGRS M) from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). I started the program with a BC Graduate Scholarship and an SFU Graduate Fellowship, and I’ve since received the Lambda Alpha International (Vancouver Chapter) Annual Graduate Award in Land Economics and an SFU Travel & Research Award. The travel award gave me the opportunity to present my research abroad for the first time, at the World Conference on Transport Research in Toulouse, France. Sharing my work with researchers from around the world, and hearing how other cities face similar challenges, pushed me to think bigger about what my findings could mean beyond Surrey. Each of these awards has also been a vote of confidence in a question that started in my day-to-day work, and that recognition keeps me motivated to see the research through.

What have been the most valuable lessons you've learned along your graduate student journey (or in becoming a graduate student)?

The biggest lesson for me has been learning to hold two perspectives at once. As a planner, I know how projects move through a city, from early plans to budgets to construction. That inside view helps me ask sharper questions, but it also comes with assumptions I didn’t realize I had. Graduate school has taught me to step back and ask why things work the way they do, even when the answer seemed obvious from my desk at work. I’ve come to see that tension as a strength. Practice keeps my research grounded, and research gives me a clearer way to explain, and sometimes challenge, the systems I work within.

How do you approach networking and building connections in and outside of your academic community?

Most of my connections have come from spaces where research and practice overlap. Seminar discussions with classmates who work in planning and policy often turn into professional conversations, and presenting at an international conference showed me how much people value hearing from someone who works inside a city. My advice is to share your work early, even before it feels finished. It gives people a reason to start a conversation with you.

What are some tips for balancing your academic and personal life?

Working full-time while studying full-time has taught me to make hours count twice wherever I can. I chose a thesis topic connected to my job, and I treat course assignments as early drafts of thesis chapters, so the work keeps building on itself. And I protect time with friends, because that’s what makes the busy weeks sustainable.

Is there anything else you'd like to share?

After I finish, I plan to keep building a career in municipal policy, with an eye toward senior planner/policy roles where research like this can shape real decisions. I’m always glad to connect with others interested in how cities pay for active transportation infrastructure.

Contact Dakota:dakota_tryhuba@sfu.ca

Additional Links

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