Summer Centered: Jared Saef ’24 Builds Connections in the Region’s Trail Network

As an avid cyclist looking forward to a career focused on sustainable infrastructure expansion, Jared Saef ’24 couldn’t have had a more ideal summer internship. Sponsored by the Center for Peace and Global Citizenship, he worked to lay the foundation for a cross-county alliance to build and maintain a more interconnected network of paved trails in the Northwest Schuylkill Valley.

For years, community-oriented nonprofits and neighborhood groups have sought to encourage cyclists to use the extensive assortment of trails that span Philadelphia’s Manayunk and Roxborough neighborhoods and Lower Merion Township. Unfortunately, a relative lack of coordination and communication has led to a collection of projects all aimed at improving the trail network but without the organization necessary to bring them together for a cohesive vision. 

Working with Chris Leswing, the head of Lower Merion’s building and planning department, as well as Kay Sykora and John Carpenter, a pair of community partners dedicated to improving their neighborhoods, Saef helped to plan a conference for spring 2024 that will bring together nonprofits, trail advocates, and economic development organizations to promote a better-connected network. 

“The conference aims to serve as the first building block and jumping-off point for the creation of a cross-county coalition to support these trails,” Saef said. The aim: To create a space for participants to flesh out ideas about pooling resources and connections.

The conference was just a concept before Saef helped make it a reality. He interviewed nearly a dozen professionals and organizers focused on trails, bicycle advocacy, and urban planning to gather recommendations for conference budgeting, logistical planning, funding, publicity, and outreach. He also developed a preliminary schedule for the one-day event, then wrote a guide that included all his recommendations, a trail history of the region, information about partner organizations, and goals for the conference. All the while, he ensured that diverse voices would be part of the process.

During the pandemic, Saef began biking upwards of 60 miles a week around the Main Line and Philadelphia, developing a familiarity with the cycling community, as well as the ways in which the current trail network falls short. 

“My summer internship was especially meaningful because I had the opportunity to carry out important advocacy work to enhance public trail infrastructure not only for Philadelphia itself but for its regional connections to other parts of the city and Delaware County—routes that I regularly use to commute from the city to the suburbs and vice versa,” he said.

As he prepares for a future working to improve the urban landscape for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders, Saef’s summer internship has helped him strengthen his communication, community organizing, and research skills—all of which are necessary for entering his desired career field, he said. What’s more, it also helped bolster his passionate belief in “the power that a connected public transit and bicycle network can have in enhancing connectivity and liveability.” 

—Ben Seal