Camille Galdes is a research associate on the Transportation Demand Management (TDM) team at Wells + Associates. She came from the public policy think tank world and has experience in demography, urban planning, mapping and real estate development. At W+A, she supports the creation of custom TDM plans for a variety of clients by researching transportation trends and performing geospatial analyses of commuting data.
Camille has long been interested in economic development and believes quality transportation and accessibility is critical to creating flourishing spaces and places. She enjoys developing creative solutions to transportation challenges and thereby enhancing people’s quality of life.
Selected Publications
Improving the EB-5 Investor Visa Program: International Financing for U.S. Regional Economic Development, co-authored by Audrey Singer and Camille Galdes, Brookings Institution
“Building For Resiliency Ensures Physical and Financial Security,” Development Magazine, NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Association. Fall 2019.
“The Changing Geography of Healthcare Real Estate,” Development Magazine, NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Association. Spring 2019.
“The Municipal Benefits of Urban Fulfillment Centers,” Development Magazine, NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Association. Fall 2018.
“Co-working Spaces with Child Care Services,” Development Magazine, NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Association. Summer 2018.
“Columbus Tackles Smart City Initiatives,” Development Magazine, NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Association. Spring 2018.
“Ride-hailing Becomes a CRE Amenity.” Development Magazine, NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Association, Fall 2017.
Q + A
- What made you interested in transportation?
- I think growing up in the Boston area, transportation is just a big part of your life. The city is so old and the roads were never designed for cars, so everything is winding and convoluted, and you basically feel perpetually lost. It’s no small feat to get from here to there, and I always enjoyed solving that logistical puzzle. So when I started learning about urban planning and real estate development, I naturally became interested in how transportation fit into that.
- What is your personal life philosophy?
- I believe in constant adaptation. We live in a constantly changing world, and I think the key to succeeding in it — and maintaining your sanity! — is a willingness to adjust. I try to keep a sense of the “big picture,” and believe that as long as you work hard but stay flexible that you’ll be able to ride the waves of life and the details will work themselves out.
- What was the make and model of your first car?
- My first car, purchased in 2000, was a stick-shift 1993 Honda Civic. I was unable to drive it off the lot because I did not yet know how to operate a manual car. But thanks to my mom and a close friend, I quickly learned and loved nothing more than zipping around in it. Between the car being manual and so light-weight, it got over 40 miles to the gallon! For eight years, it drove me all around Boston and then to and from college in the Midwest. That experience instilled in me a life-long love for stick-shift cars, and every car since then has been a let-down.
- Where is your favorite place to travel?
- My favorite place to visit is the island of Malta; my husband’s family is from there and I’ve been lucky enough to visit and get to know it over the years. It’s a very small place—the size of Martha’s Vineyard, MA, for scale—but is extremely rich in history and culture. Located in the middle of the Mediterranean, Malta has been inhabited for thousands of years by so many people groups that it is a veritable melting pot of Western history. Everywhere you go there are ocean views, gorgeous medieval castles and churches (much of Game of Thrones was filmed there, actually) and the people are gregarious and fun.
- What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
- Don’t play it safe, because even the plan that is supposed to be “safe” can fail, and it’s better to fail at your dream than at something that was supposed to be a sure thing.
- What song would you say best sums you up?
- I love Luke Bryan’s song “I Believe Most People Are Good”—negative stories always seem to rise to the headlines because of their shock value, but I think in reality most people out there are trying to improve the world and being good to one another.
Education
- Master of Arts, Geography, George Washington University
- Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis