Hello and welcome to Urban Utopias! My name is Cassie O’Donnell, the City Planner in Tillamook, OR. I am a graduate of the Community and Regional Planning program at Iowa State University. As of June 2022, I am also an American Institute of Certified Planners Candidate!
In 2017, as a part of the honors program at ISU, I was paired with Dr. James Alleman, who suggested I look into Smart Cities, which led me to EPCOT, and eventually down a rabbit hole of Urban Utopias. I’ve worked as a research assistant with Dr. Monica Haddad in the CRP department, where I work on projects spanning public health in Iowa communities, water quality in the global south, and equity. In this position, I did the majority of the editing and layout design on the Downtown Adel 2020-2040 Plan.
These days, I manage the planning department in the City of Tillamook, where I work to manage the built environment for the good of both residents and visitors to the Oregon Coast Dairylands. This position has given me the opportunity to explore every aspect of small town planning, including managing a three-person department. I would like to offer my genuine thanks to City Manager Nathan George for this opportunity.
As well as Drs. Alleman and Haddad and Mr. George, I’d like to thank my father, Thomas O’Donnell, professional journalist and very helpful editor. You can find his work on Iowa science here.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please drop me a line!
Urban Utopias 