Transit Leader Shyam Kannan Brings Transportation Planning, Stakeholder Relations Expertise to HDR
Shyam Kannan has joined HDR as the Mid-Atlantic transit lead.
Based in Washington, D.C., Kannan will be responsible for planning, directing and monitoring all aspects of large multidisciplinary transit and transportation planning projects and business activities in the Mid-Atlantic region. This includes regional planning, forecasting/modeling, surface transit (bus rapid transit, light rail, streetcar), subway/commuter rail, zero emissions vehicles, transit equity, funding/financing, transit facilities and providing strategy for transit agencies.
“Shyam is an expert stakeholder facilitator who has a reputation for guiding multiple parties through complex issues and ensuring that all participants’ views are respected, heard and valued,” said Global Transit Director Tom Waldron. “He will use his leadership skills and willingness to invest in others to help develop our professionals and expand our technical expertise in transportation planning and sustainable regional mobility.”
Kannan will drive transformative transit and urban design initiatives, breakthrough client solutions and thought leadership. Much of his work has focused on regional planning, smart growth, transit and sustainable mobility, real estate and transit-oriented communities. With a proven track record in executive management and regional leadership, Shyam brings valuable expertise to HDR’s transit, planning and strategic advisory clients throughout D.C., Maryland and Virginia.
Kannan joins HDR from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, where he was the longtime planning director. There he was the principal executive responsible for new transit corridors, fare and service strategies, bus system restructuring, ridership and revenue forecasting, transit equity, capital program development, and transit-oriented communities.
Kannan earned master’s degrees in public policy and urban planning from Harvard and has been adjunct faculty at Georgetown University. He is the co-chair of the American Public Transit Association’s Transit-Oriented Communities subcommittee; an active member of the Urban Land Institute, sits on the Steering Committee for ConnectedDMV’s Regional Economic Development, and participates in the Transit Cooperative Research Program.
“Transit clients need implementable solutions that deliver the most amount of mobility while conserving scarce resources so that people can have access to opportunity and jobs,” Kannan said. “Our clients will have the benefit of delivering improved transit mobility to communities that depend on it to live better and more prosperous lives.”
